like water into wine, but earthier

[aroraborealis]

A couple of years ago, miss_chance ordered me a shiitake growing kit from Fungi Perfecti, which was not my first discovery that one can grow mushrooms under the kitchen counter, but it was my first time doing so, myself. Since then, I've attended a couple of permaculture courses that have expanded my love for mushrooms, both as a delicious food and as a tool of bioremediation.

Plus, of course, it's a great gardening and diy project, so I'm growing more! I have a log inoculated with oyster mushroom spawn that's slowly developing in the corner of my bedroom, and I know bunches of you are interested in doing a mushroom log day, and I'm hoping to find a source for freshly cut logs to do that this spring sometime. (If anyone knows of such a source around Boston, let me know.)

In the meantime, FP sells the tools to go even more diy, where you develop your own substrate, which is even more awesome, so I have some oyster cakes that I started myself! These are awesome and satisfying. Possibly even more awesome and satisfying, though, is a happy accident that came about because I don't know what I'm doing, and I put the cakes on some paper towels and then put the towels on damp vermiculite, and then I thought the cakes were getting too wet, so I changed everything out and blah blah blah... but what do I do with these paper towels that have mushroom mycelium growing on them? I can't just throw them out! So I stuck them in a take-out soup container and forgot about them for a couple of weeks, until a couple of days ago, I glanced at the container and noticed that a mushroom had pushed the lid up and off and was growing out of the mass of paper towels!

Dude, I grew mushrooms from paper towels! This is completely completely great.

Comments

[medyani.livejournal.com]

Yeah, uh, remember when I was talking about the clearing of invasives? And the lots of land? Or maybe I mentioned the wood stove that takes about 4 cords a season? Logs. Ah huh. Do you know how to use a chainsaw? Let's talk.

... and I love that you grew mushrooms from paper towels... that is so awesome.

[catness.livejournal.com]

I love mushrooms, but I confess this tale of paper towel growing makes me think of my roommate's reaction to them. She says, "If you have to go to the doctor to get it cured, then it's not edible."

This is her corollary to *my* rule about eating liver (and other organs): Don't Eat The Filter!

[agaran.livejournal.com]

Just read the longish interview with Stamets in The Sun a few days ago. Now buying his book. Wow. Shoulda read him a long time ago. I'm growing as enthusiastic as you are.

[srl.livejournal.com]

If mushrooms will grow on the trimmings from annoyingly-invasive tentacled yard-shrubs installed by this house's previous owner, you can have all you want. ;)

[miss-chance.livejournal.com]

I was so pleased: that was, hands down, the *ugliest* gift I had ever gotten for anyone. ;-)

[lycaena.livejournal.com]

That sounded so cool when I read it yesterday, I spent a good chunk of my evening researching how to grow mushrooms! :)