Kevin Hoover

Yes I did. Now it’s a waiting game. Raining lightly now. When it dries out need to rake the yard. Will dump the leaves in a 20’ by 20’ spot I cleared in the woods. I dumped and spread composted horse manure on it. After dumping these leaves in it, I’m spreading blewit spawn, covering it with a layer of composted leaves mixed with manure, more spawn and then covering it with straw. I have a dozen five gallon buckets, filled with sawdust and inoculated with several types of oysters last winter. Unfortunately, I left them dry out this summer. Thinking about dumping them in one place in the woods, spreading it out and putting wine cap spawn on it. Will also cover it with straw.

Just put plugs in all the jars. Plugs were well colonized and there were several rye berries, also well colonized, so I added them too. I intend this to be grain spawn for grow bags with masters mix in them. Might have enough to let several alone so they fruit in the jars

Soaked the rest of the wheat left from last winter, overnight . Thankfully the mice didn’t find it! Cooked it for 20 minutes. Spread it out and left it sit for a half hour then loaded it into jars. Filled 18 quarts and two pints. Drilled holes in jar lids and pulled poly fiber thru them. Lids are on seal side up. Tomorrow, I’ll put them in the pressure cooker for 90 minutes at 15 psi. Then let them cool. Then put the plugs in. Just ordered 100 grow bags, along with grain spawn for both lions mane and hen of the woods. It going to be a learning experience.

Might be mica caps

I’m taking his class now

After trying various types of oyster mushrooms from various businesses in jars last winter, I’m going to concentrate on one this year. I’m going with the wide range oyster from 2funguys as it way out produced all other types. But they only sell in in plugs. Of course all my trials used plugs last year, mostly because that’s all I had. So I just ordered a bag of 100 plugs. I’m going to start next week to use those to make my own grain spawn to inoculate jars this year. I’ll use wheat with the plugs to produce the spawn. I’m going to try masters mix in the jars that I’m growing the actual mushrooms in. I have hardwood sawdust and Agway is getting me four bags of soybean hulls. So finally to my question. Can I use pint jars instead of quart jars? My thinking is that the mycelium will colonize faster and I’ll be able to inoculate other jars with it sooner. Also, if anyone has tried lions mane in jars, I’d love to hear about it. I know it doesn’t like water on it and that you need to keep shaking the jars so it doesn’t fruit inside the jar. What medium would you recommend? Thinking about trying them this year. Will be a learning process.

This is a stand of red pine someone planted years ago. I’m starting to lose the trees a couple each year as they age and reach maturity. Plot is about 50’ deep and about 300’ long and butts against hardwoods on three sides. I’m putting a 15’x20’ mushroom bed right where the hardwood meets the pine. I’ve covered it with a layer of composted horse manure so far. Will dump some of the leave I rake this fall there. Then wait for a rainy period and broadcast blewit spawn on it and cover it with straw.

I think it was my camera. Underside was cream colored. Sorry for not replying earlier but connectivity has been challenging lately

Could it be a Suillus brevipes?

Big patch of red pines. Have to see exactly where she found it

My wife just picked this. Growing in the middle of her horse carriage path in a hardwoods area. Fine dots on white stalk, cream colored spore surface, slimy brown cap with remnants of veil attached to the edges . Had more veil but some came off in my hands. Slimy cap may be from the two inches of rain we got yesterday and last night (finally!). This was the largest of several. I’ll try to ID it with Bessette’s bolete book, but I’d appreciate a second opinion. Just cut it open. No staining.

Thanks. I think you’re correct. They are not breaking down into black goo like the inkies would,

Spore print is black. I’m thinking they are Coprinopsis atramentaria, the alcohol inky.

Might be growing on roots of ash tree that died and was removed. Brown domed shaped tops with ridges running from the margin towards the center of the cap. Black gills, white hollow stalk. Will spore print tonight but expect it to be black.

As for how long it takes spores to develop, it probably depends on several things like moisture, relative humidity and temperature.

In addition, puffballs should be cut and checked to make sure there isn’t a small mushroom inside, as certain poisonous species start out in a ball that resembles a puffball.

The poisonous puffball is also white in the center when young. Your advice is dangerous in my opinion.

Look like poisonous pigskin puffballs to me. The one you found, which is white inside is young. Pic from the article is older with spores developing, which is why it’s black inside.

Could be Suillus brevipes Sorry, didn’t see the above post with the same conclusion

Brendan, What are you finding them under? My H umbilicatum fruit heavily under hemlocks. Unfortunately they’re not up here yet that I can see. I picked them heavily in late September and October last year.

My favorite mushroom and great to eat. My spots aren’t showing any yet, I just checked today. Maybe if we get rain today...

Chicken of the woods, both varieties, and hen of the woods are polypores. These don’t look anything like either of them.

If the following four things work out, I’d say meadow mushrooms (Agaricus campestris): Pink gills when young Stem snaps off cap cleanly, meaning gills are not attached to stem Very young ones have a veil Mature ones leave a brown spore print Since you’re in PA, you don’t have to worry about the lookalikes that occur on the west coast I’ve been finding meadow mushrooms, locally called pinkies, everywhere right now. To the point that I’m almost tired of picking them

Welcome! This is a great site. I’m from Central Pa too. About 30 miles west of State College

Looks like Hydnum repandum to me.