Growing Gourmet and Medicinal Mushrooms

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This section of the book outlines the pros and cons of different fruiting containers, from poly tubing logs for growing oysters on straw, to large trays for growing agaricus species on pasteurized manure. The chapter also highlights growing mushrooms straight from a bottle, a technique that is used for enoki mushrooms. Chapter 21: Growth Parameters

‘Growing Gourmet and Medicinal Mushrooms’ by Paul Stamets

ery of sawdust piles than within their depths. When sawdust piles are a foot deep or more, the microclimate is better suited for molds and thermophilic fungi. These mold fungi benefit from the high carbon dioxide and heat generated from Primary decomposershelp initiate the decomposition of the tough lignin and cellulose that give trees their structure. As we’ve written about elsewhere, if these fungi had come along a little earlier in earth’s history, we wouldn’t have the abundance of“fossil fuels” that we enjoy today. Again, saprobes/decomposers make a much easier type of fungi to cultivate than mycorrhizal fungi because:tive participant in a heroic, Gaian process of planetary healing through mushroom cultivation. Growing Gourmet & Medicinal Mushrooms is a sacred text for spiritual growth—an instruction manual for all those seeking a happier and healthier way of life... Gary Lincoff, author, The Audubon Field Guide to Mushrooms, the New York Botanical Garden, N.Y.C. future propagation. I prefer taking spore prints on a pane of glass, using duct tape as binding along one edge. The glass panes are folded together, and masking tape is used to seal the three remaining edges. This spore book is then registered with notes written affixed to its face as to the name of mushroom, the date of collection, the county and locality of the find. Spores collected in this fashion remain viable for years, although Mushrooms come in such a dazzling array of colors, sizes, textures, and flavors, that it’s impossible to make a general statement about them. There are mushrooms that taste like maple syrup, crab meat, steak, apricots & almonds, etc.. mans and mushrooms must bond in an evolutionary partnership. By empowering legions of individuals with the skills of mushroom tissue culture, future generations will be able to better manage our resources and improve life on this planet. Now that the medical community widely recognizes the health-stimulating properties of mushrooms, a combined market for gourmet and medicinal foods is rapidly emerging. People with compromised immune systems would be wise to create their own medicinal mushroom gardens.A community-based, resource-driven industry, utilizing recyclable materials in a fashion that strengthens ecological equilibrium and human health will evolve. As recycling centers flourish, their by-products include streams of organic waste which cultivators can divert into mushroom production. I foresee a network of environmentally sensitive and imaginative individuals presiding over this new industry, which.has previously been controlled by a few mega-businesses. The decentralization began with The Mushroom Cultivator in 1983. It now continues with Growing Gourmet & Medicinal Mushrooms. Join me in the next phase of this continuing revolution. Oyster (Pleurotus ostreatus, P eryngii and allies), King Stropharia (Stropharia rugoso-annulata), and Shaggy Mane(Coprinus coniatus) mushrooms thrive in a broad range of substrate formulations. Other mushrooms such as Morels (Morchella angusticeps & esculenta) are more restrictive in their requirements. Since

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plenished by new organic matter. Primary, secondary and tertiary decomposers can all occupy the same location. In the complex environment of the forest floor, a "habitat" can actually be described as the overlaying of several habitats mixed into one. And, over time, as each habitat is being transformed, successions of mushrooms occur. This model becomes infinitely complex when taking into account the The Morels: Land-Fish Mushrooms of the Genus Morchella The Morel Life Cycle The Development of Indoor Morel Cultivation Cropping Containers Tray Culture Vertical Wall Culture Slanted Wall or "A" Frame Culture Bag Culture Column Culture Bottle Culture future of new forests, indeed the planet, is threatened. Apart from the impact of wood harvest, the If you get really advanced, you can create your own spawn. This requires special equipment like a pressure cooker and a sterilized environment. It can be rewarding, but it certainly isn’t easy. Why You Want to Grow Gourmet and Medicinal Mushroomsating an environment wherein the planted mycelium naturally and vigorously expands. A major advantage of growing outdoors compared to growing indoors is that competitors are not con- rooms (Pleurotus species), Shii take (Lentinula edodes) and King Stropharia (Stropharia rugoso-annulata). However, early spring from a county road maintenance crew, and uses a dilute 5-10% inoculation rate of sawdust spawn into the chips, the mushroom patch is likely to have wild species emerging along with the desired mushrooms. In the Pacific Northwest of North America, I find a 5-10% inoculation rate usually results in some mushrooms showing late in the first year, the most substantial crops occurring in the second and third years, and a dramatic drop-off in the fourth year. As the patch ages, it is normal to see more diverse mushroom varieties co-occurring with the planted mushroom species. Jam constantly fascinated by the way Nature re-establishes a polyculture environment at the earliest opportunity. Some mycologists believe a pre-determined, sequence of mycorrhizal and saprophytic species prevails, for instance, around a Douglas fir tree, as it matures. In complex natural habitats, the interlacing of mycelial networks is common. Underneath a single tree, twenty or more species may thrive. I look forward to the 21St century, when mycotopian foresters will de- MUSHROOMS, CIVILIZATION & HISTORY cine for treating wounds. Further, a rich tea with immuno-enhancing properties can be prepared by boiling these mushrooms. Equipped for traversing the wilderness, this intrepid adventurer had discovered the value of the noble polypores. Even today, this knowledge can be life-saving for anyone astray in the wilderness.

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cepts will be further developed by imaginative and skilled cultivators. In one of my outdoor wood chip beds, I created a "polyculture" mushroom patch about 50 x 100 feet in size. In the spring I acquired mixed wood chips from the county utility company— mostly alder and Douglas fir—and inoculated three species into it. One year after inoculation, sign whole species mosaics upon whose foundation vast ecosystems can flourish. This book will describe simpler, precursor models for Agrocybe spp. and Pholiota spp. The Sweaters Clitocybe spp. * The Inky Caps Coprinus atramentarius C. comatus C. disseminatus C. lagopus C. micaceus & allies The Vomited Scrambled Egg Fungus Fuligo cristata The Deadly Galerinas Galerina autumnalis & allies * * Red-Staining Lepiotas Lepiota spp. ** The Clustered Woodlover Hypholoma capnoides The Green-Gilled Clustered Woodlover Hypholoma fasciculare * The Chestnut Mushroom Hypholoma sublateritium The Deadly Ringed Cone Heads Pholiotina filaris and allies * * Pholiota terrestris and allies Mushrooms have never ceased to amaze me. The more I study them, the more I realize how little I have known, and how much more there is to learn. For thousands of years, fungi have evoked a host of responses from people—from fear and loathing to reverent adulation. And I am no exception. THE ROLE OF MUSHROOMS IN NATURE peroxidases and cellulases which have unusually powerful degradative properties. These extracellular enzymes have evolved to break down plant fiber, primarily lignin-cellulose, the structural component in woody plants, into simpler forms. By happenstance, these same enzymes also reduce recalcitrant hydrocarbons and other man-made toxins. nmCinnabar mushrooms (Cantharellus cinnabarinus), a smaller, more colorful subspecies of chanterelle. Cinnabars are mycorrhizal and grow abundantly around certain trees in the summer. Gourmet, medicinal mushrooms come in all shapes, sizes, colors, and flavors Oyster mushrooms have a list of medicinal properties that are too long to list here. For a detailed analysis, read this research review. Where are oyster mushrooms native and what season do they grow in? to the phrase "pig's foot" but has never been identified. (Although truffles grow underground and pigs are used to find them, no deadly poisonous species are known.) The final section of the book, Part 4, is a comprehensive guide to a large number of commonly cultivated species. Mushroom Mycelium and Mycofiltration The mycelium is fabric of interconnected, interwoven strands of cells. A colony can be the size of a half-dollar or many acres. A cu-