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Post by mnjrutherford on Apr 4, 2011 11:24:43 GMT -5
We've been growing them for 5 years now. You can predetermine the general time frame of your harvest based on the variety of spore. We got 2 strains, one that fruits in early autumn and another that begins to fruit in mid autumn and fruits for a longer period as well. We stacked our logs on a sort of table 4 or 5 levels high with one stack for each strain. We placed our piles on the top of a slope that bottoms out into our creek. It's wooded and on the east side of the property and it provided adequate shade for the logs. We did water for the first 9 months following the "seeding" process, but never again afterward as the trees and shade keep the logs adequately moist. I use the shrooms with beef and chicken dishes mostly. They are great in venison pies which I make up and freeze then bake sort of like pot pies. A great "quickie" meal!
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Post by seedywen on Apr 4, 2011 18:24:13 GMT -5
How long are your logs and what diameter?
And when you say to stack 4 or 5 logs on sort of a table, does this mean you have a platform underneath the logs or are the logs themselves arranged like a platform?
Do any critters 'raid' your mushrooms or are they generally left alone? Your answers will help me determine where on my farm, to grow the mushrooms.
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Post by mnjrutherford on Apr 5, 2011 3:03:01 GMT -5
1. The logs are all uniform in length, about 4' long. You could make them 5', but I don't think I would make them longer than that. They are between 8" and 12" in diameter. DO NOT PEEL THEM! Also, you don't want to cut them more than 2 weeks before "seeding" them.
2. We do have a platform underneath the logs. It isn't fancy nor is it meant to last beyond the life of the logs. It's meant to keep your back from breaking when you bend over to harvest.
3. Yes, we do get bug critters, rolly polly's mostly. Nothing much larger than that though.
Ask all the questions you want! I'll answer all that I can. You are embarking on a great process and I wish you great success!
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Post by ottawagardener on Apr 12, 2011 9:19:39 GMT -5
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Post by zadok on Jun 3, 2011 11:21:48 GMT -5
I ordered from them a while ago. good product, but took like six weeks to get here. The guy at www.mushroomprints.com was pretty helpful. and i got my blue oyster and maitake cultures with in a week. They have an edibles section. so i thought why not. I spawned my blue oyster to straw bags and if did awesome, got a lot out of it. and i am putting the maitake into logs as soon as i can.
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Post by mnjrutherford on Jun 4, 2011 4:06:26 GMT -5
Great site! We'll have to consider getting the morel kit.
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Post by ottawagardener on Jun 4, 2011 5:44:57 GMT -5
Just thought I'd mention that I have a patch of morels growing under a pine tree next to my veggie patch!!!!
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Post by steev on Jun 4, 2011 11:09:41 GMT -5
Lucky you! I've not yet found any, this year.
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Post by mnjrutherford on Jun 4, 2011 17:37:35 GMT -5
I wouldn't know a morel from a hen's tooth! <--- Jo whining I've never tasted morels either. Maybe I won't be jealous after I have? ;o) <---Jo not whining
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Post by Joseph Lofthouse on Jun 4, 2011 18:28:38 GMT -5
I've never tasted morels either. Maybe I won't be jealous after I have? For me, morels are a precious treat: a great bonus of visiting a woodland.
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Post by steev on Jun 4, 2011 19:20:13 GMT -5
To me, they taste similar to walnuts; since I find few at any time, It's good that they dry well; I just put them on a paper napkin in the fridge until they're bone-dry, then they keep indefinitely in a jar. I do the same with fairy-ring (Marasmius oreades) and brown cup (Peziza badia) mushrooms. Shaggymanes (Coprinus comatus) I usually cook to inactivate their autodigestion, then put in baggies in the freezer. Meadow pinkbottoms (Agaricus sp.) rarely make it past suppertime, being so helpful in deglazing the frypan.
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Post by mnjrutherford on Jun 4, 2011 20:59:39 GMT -5
I really need to invest in a good book and edicate myself on the goods the bads and the deadlys... any suggestions?
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Post by steev on Jun 5, 2011 0:53:12 GMT -5
I did my learning ~30 years ago and haven't seen my good field guide for at least 15. If I find the box it's packed in, I'll dig it out, but don't hold your breath.
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Post by steev on Jun 5, 2011 1:04:26 GMT -5
I'm pretty sure it's "The Mushroom Hunter's Field Guide" by Alexander H. Smith.
I've got "Mushrooms In Color" by Miller & Miller, but it's not so useful.
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Post by mnjrutherford on Jun 5, 2011 7:03:10 GMT -5
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