Kevin Hoover Posted January 31, 2020 Report Share Posted January 31, 2020 I have a friend who logs with horses, and he’s bringing me a dozen oak logs in late February. I have 100 count bags of blue oyster plugs, and a 100 count bag of shiitake plugs that my wife gave me for Christmas chilling in the basement fridge. Just got my order from Mushroom Mountain. Quick turnaround as I placed it on Sunday and got it on Wednesday. It was another bag of shiitake plugs, and Oysters, one bag each of Brown, Cold Blue, Warm Blue, Phoneix and Golden. And a pound of beeswax to seal the holes. Will soak the logs in the stream if it’s not frozen over before drilling. And have to pick out a spot for them. I have a nice shaded area under Red Pines. Will that work? Now I just have to get home to start. For the last month I have been helping an elderly uncle who has been having some medical problems. The upside of that is that he’s in the US Virgin Islands. I’ll be home next week. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigGameHunter Posted February 3, 2020 Report Share Posted February 3, 2020 On 1/31/2020 at 6:10 PM, Kevin Hoover said: Will soak the logs in the stream if it’s not frozen over before drilling. And have to pick out a spot for them. I have a nice shaded area under Red Pines. Will that work? As long as they get ample moisture & ventilation (ventilation is important too) should be okay. I usually kept mine in a hardwood area because that's all I have on my property. It was great when there was foliage on the trees but when the foliage was gone I had to water them regularly if we had a dry spell especially in the spring. Since you're doing oysters and shiitake I would probably keep the logs separated just because the oysters colonize faster and once they fruit they give off a fairly heavy spore load and the oyster spores may colonize your shiitake logs if they are nearby. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JOHNY Posted February 8, 2020 Report Share Posted February 8, 2020 Oak is ideal for Shiitake. It is extravagant for Oysters which prefer stuff like cheap poplar. If your logs are big enough consider doing Maitake or Chicken of the Woods. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kevin Hoover Posted February 12, 2020 Author Report Share Posted February 12, 2020 In reading further, I don’t think logs inoculated with pink and yellow oysters will survive our winters here in central Pennsylvania, being both tropical species. But I have plugs for them, and I’d like to grow them this summer on straw beds. I drilled out several 5 gallon buckets to try that also. Can I use the plugs to inoculate straw in the buckets? I think it would take longer then grain spawn but I hate to waste them. Then after they fruit in the buckets, I’d use the bucket contents to the outside beds? Or do you think they would do better in bottles and sawdust? Or should I just send them to someone south of me who can use them? Another question. I’m saving coffee grounds. Should I mix that with straw or sawdust? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JOHNY Posted February 12, 2020 Report Share Posted February 12, 2020 Try out the buckets. If they fruit by autumn consider yourself lucky. Then if you have the space, bring them indoors to prevent freezing, leave dormant over winter and then send outside again next summer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kevin Hoover Posted February 12, 2020 Author Report Share Posted February 12, 2020 Ok. Thank you. It’s all a learning process! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kevin Hoover Posted February 13, 2020 Author Report Share Posted February 13, 2020 I’m experimenting. I’ve been collecting coffee grounds (and filters, which I tore up) in a plastic coffee container. I put eight pink oyster plugs in it today, hoping to get a head start. If it works, I’ll inoculate 5 gallon buckets with it. Will keep adding coffee grounds daily. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kevin Hoover Posted February 29, 2020 Author Report Share Posted February 29, 2020 I’ve been reading about growing them in quart jars. Started some on millet birdseed in mason jars, using golden, pink, Phoenix, wide range, cold Blue, and cold weather gray dove oysters. Started them with about 5 hardwood plugs in each jar, since that’s what I had. Also filled four jars with coffee grounds and started those too. All these were started 2/22 and all are showing mycelium forming. I bought a fifty pound bag of wheat and started 12 jars so far on that, split evenly between the pink and golden oyster plugs, as I’m trying to use them up. Also started two jars, one each, without sterilizing the wheat. All this was done on 2/25. So that’s 24 jars so far, and a lot of wheat left in the bag. Also got a load of sawdust. Will probably start a couple buckets with a sawdust and wheat mix. Have sawdust and grain spawn on order. Will wait for that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kevin Hoover Posted March 8, 2020 Author Report Share Posted March 8, 2020 Now up to 42 jars now. Experimenting with substrates and oyster species. So far I’ve used coffee grounds, birdseed, wheat and a 50/50 wheat/birdseed. First jar is now fully colonized and starting to pin. It’s a golden on birdseed started 2/22. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kevin Hoover Posted March 20, 2020 Author Report Share Posted March 20, 2020 Ok. Finished filling jars last weekend. Now up to 55. Just got a shipment of spawn today from NorthSpore. Started 4 plastic buckets today, using soaked sawdust and a bag af their Black Trumpet (a cross). Will do more later this weekend. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JOHNY Posted April 6, 2020 Report Share Posted April 6, 2020 Keep up dating. This is interesting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kevin Hoover Posted April 30, 2020 Author Report Share Posted April 30, 2020 Just started to get pinning and fruiting from the quart jars I inoculated in late February. I used plugs of golden and pink oysters because after receiving them I realized that they wouldn’t overwinter in logs here. Pics of the golden which I just harvested and ate. Pics of the pinks are fruiting now, three jars just fruited today. I also started buckets of black king, king trumpet, blue and snow oysters. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kevin Hoover Posted May 11, 2020 Author Report Share Posted May 11, 2020 I’m getting a second flush forming now on that jar of Golden. Plan to start an outside bed of pinks on straw in the next two weeks. Waiting for it to warm as pinks can’t take temps below 40 degrees F Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JOHNY Posted May 15, 2020 Report Share Posted May 15, 2020 Good for you. Commercial ambitions to market? Or an ultra-keen home grower? Keep up the progress notes. They inspire me to try home grown, again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kevin Hoover Posted May 15, 2020 Author Report Share Posted May 15, 2020 Home use. Just like to experiment. Harvested a couple pinks a larger group of Golden’s today. Weather is turning so I hope to do some outside beds next week. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kevin Hoover Posted May 15, 2020 Author Report Share Posted May 15, 2020 One of the Wide Range oysters from 2funguys is starting to develop mushrooms now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kevin Hoover Posted May 16, 2020 Author Report Share Posted May 16, 2020 Second jar of wide range oysters started producing mushrooms last night. I left a bag of king trumpet oyster spawn on the porch after I filled a five gallon bucket, intending to start more buckets, which I didn’t. Picked it up last night to a pleasant surprise. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kevin Hoover Posted May 17, 2020 Author Report Share Posted May 17, 2020 The jar from the post above now ready for harvest. Two other Wide Range oysters developing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kevin Hoover Posted May 20, 2020 Author Report Share Posted May 20, 2020 Harvested and fried all three of those Wide Range oysters. Having a problem with some of those jars I set out, as a red squirrel is getting into some of them and eating the grain. So far, my general impressions: I like the Wide Range, and will continue to grow them. Golden oysters are pretty but don’t yield enough as the caps are very thin. Probably won’t bother with them in the future. Pinks, at least in the jars, seem strange, as the caps never opened up and flattened like most mushrooms. Always stayed upright. But very meaty and they don’t shrink much when cooked. Good flavor. Planning an outside straw bed of these. Already started it. King Trumpets. Somewhat finicky and unlike others, I’m not sure I care for the flavor. Need to look at another way to cook the next batch. Jury still out on them but will probably do buckets or beds with them as I have the spawn. Already did one bucket. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kevin Hoover Posted May 22, 2020 Author Report Share Posted May 22, 2020 One of the Blue oyster buckets is starting to fruit. Missed the first one, it was too far along before I noticed it. Hadn’t expected any action out of the buckets yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kevin Hoover Posted May 23, 2020 Author Report Share Posted May 23, 2020 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kevin Hoover Posted May 24, 2020 Author Report Share Posted May 24, 2020 Second bucket is starting to produce. Look at this tremendous second flush on a jar of wide range oyster! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kevin Hoover Posted May 26, 2020 Author Report Share Posted May 26, 2020 That was around noon yesterday here they are this evening. Jar next to them is pinning heavily. Bottom two jars are starting also. More wide range oysters and a golden oyster jar Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kevin Hoover Posted May 27, 2020 Author Report Share Posted May 27, 2020 Harvested and fried that one this morning, along with one large blue oyster from the bucket that’s fruiting. Have three jars of wide range fruiting and the one jar of golden. Started a 6’ x 8’ straw bed of pink oysters this morning, used about 8 quarts of spawn that I had grown. Just covered it with a tarp to keep it from drying out. Since pinks are a tropical species, I built it in a hoophouse that I’m building ( have to put the plastic on it yet). Will probably put a bed the same size of wide range oysters beside it when these jars finish fruiting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kevin Hoover Posted June 3, 2020 Author Report Share Posted June 3, 2020 Started a 12’x6’ bed of Black Kings today on straw. Wanted to do it in Wide Range oysters instead but three of the jars of mycelium I would have used are still fruiting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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