Edible Mushrooms

I am thinking about starting to grow mushrooms. Just some easy to grow Oysters at first but may end up growing some others down the road. It's easy and difficult all at the same time.

I rarely link to youtube videos but this guy shares all of his knowledge and is very informative about what he does and why. I spent a few hours watching some of his videos and learned a bunch. I'm feeling ready to start growing some mushrooms. I really don't need another hobby. But I don't think I can stop myself.

Who's growing mushrooms and has anyone ever seen any of these videos from Southwest Mushrooms?

Things starting to pop.

It's not hard growing edible mushrooms. Traditionally you use liquid culture with about 50% honey and water. Some have great results with less honey. I warm it to just under boiling point on the stove.

I then let it cool to room temp. I just sprinkle some of the spore prints in the jars. Keeping everything clean is very important.

When you got a inoculated culture I break apart some of that culture in a big syringe/pump, I put large glass pieces in the bottom of the jars to be able to break apart the mycelium.

It get like a jelly consistently when it's fully inoculated but it's ready to use in about two weeks.

Then you just have to sterilize the medium, what medium depends of the mushroom. Then inoculate said medium with the culture at a few points around the container. Good luck!

Oysters and Shitakes are easy
An inoculated log is cheap and last for years depending on region

I'm doing it. Going to start with bags and oyster mushrooms. Shiitakes after that.

Cool stuff.

I have been plugging logs for the last few years. Also some totem style setups. Oysters and shiitakes.

a couple of random thoughts about my experience thus far.

I have a shady location for them. My rainfall is significant for the year but summers are dry. I find my logs dry out too quick, in 2 years or so. We had a really wet year and that made for a super productive yield. One day I may change the location so that I can water them with saved rain water.

Bugs love Oysters when its warm. Summer and warm weather Oysters are an awesome find but let them go to long and they will chewed and slimmed all over by slugs. Black bugs in the gills to no end. Its the best to find cold weather oysters and letting them go until they are just ready. No bugs, no high heat days to stop them in there tracks and dry up all of a sudden.

I have brought oyster logs inside to hand mist as they started pinning. Its a bit of work but the harvest was fantastic.

I have grown oysters out in straw in a 5 gallon bucket. That was neat and for whatever reason, I haven't repeated it.


Shiitakes need farmed. They like being soaked, stacked and handled. I don't want to do that. While they are good, they aren't worth the work good, IMO.

Summer Shiitakes get the black bugs too. Boo. I mean I grow a garden and know about bugs but they are just stacked in the gills. And sure you can eat them too.

I probably won't continue to grow oysters anymore.

I'm planning to do some soil fungus in a year or so.


Oh and nothing beats the many surprise harvests of mushrooms. Sometimes you can predict it, mostly its a surprise. When the flush is big, you eat oysters for every meal.

Check out this monotub tub video of an oyster mushroom grow from North Spore.. They sell everything you need to grow edible mushrooms, or any other kind. Sterile Substrates – North Spore

Balloon flowers

What's the market for Balloon flowers.? I'd guess about the same as Jimsonweed.. ak Datura Stramonium.. That's what it looks to be.. But then again. I wouldn't bet on it..

Herb & Suds said:

Oysters and Shitakes are easy
An inoculated log is cheap and last for years depending on region

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I have taken live mycelium and my drill into the timber and inoculated lots of trees, on the paths to where I hunt, with oyster mushrooms. They were already growing where there, so we just used the same type to spread them out even more. I haven't bothered to try and do it again for probably 15 years, and they are still going everywhere. In the fall I just pick them on the way out of the timber. The are great sautéed (with venison), deep fried, or stuffed and baked.

One thought I had since @xtsho mentioned growing and @Wastei mentioned sterilized growth medium, I would toss in some of what I have learned from growing edible mushrooms (and the fun ones). For me (when I used to grow them), there were better results in the actual growing medium when it was pasteurized instead of completely sterilized. They spawn we made, was sterilized and then inoculated. Then, after it was completely colonized, the inoculated spawn was transferred to pasteurized growth medium for fruiting them out.
We tried the growing medium both ways and had better luck with pasteurization. It could work out differently in different circumstances though, I suppose.
Good luck friends!

I plan on an outdoor crop in a raised bed in the early fall. Living 35 miles form down town Death Valley, the early spring and late fall are the only times it will have a chance of succeeding.

mytwhyt said:

I plan on an outdoor crop in a raised bed in the early fall. Living 35 miles form down town Death Valley, the early spring and late fall are the only times it will have a chance of succeeding.

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What a BITCH! Sounds like one he'll of a challenge.....you're plucky!

I think I've decided on just getting some plugs and inoculating logs with oyster and shitake. I have a spot under the fir trees. I'm also going to try and get chanterelles to grow back there as well. I know they grow with fir trees because I've picked grocery bags full of them in Douglas Fir forests in the Oregon Coast Range. I'll pick a bunch this fall and scatter them around the roots of the trees.

I'm not very confident about getting chanterelles to grow but I'm pretty sure the oysters and shitake plugged logs will produce but it will probably take a year or 2.

Very f'ing cool...

Some edible mushrooms are easy to grow. Just start with the easiest ones like Oyster, shiitake, wine cap, and lions mane. They are even fast to grow given, that you have provided them with the correct nutrients and environment.

I get these wood ear mushrooms growing on dead mango tree logs but I'm always scared of eating them because we have alot of slugs in hawaii that carry Rat Lung Worm parasite that can eat your brain and leave you paralyzed. Makes it sketchy to eat raw veggies and herbs from the garden without cooking or washing them very carefully.