I just got to check out the shiitake growing kit from Fungi Perfecti. This was an indoor growing kit and looked like it is ready to go.
http://fungi.com/kits/indoor.html
Some lucky guy in my family got it for his birthday! He is a budding mushroom farmer so it was a great gift. I will keep us updated on the site as it grows. I hope to report on the eating of these mushrooms also. Shiitakes are great for us and another way to eat your medicine and like it too!
You can find more kits like this one from the people at Fungi Perfecti on the link on the main page of this site.
Mushroom growers and farmers…now is probably our last chance to complete fall projects for spring flushes! I still have some plugs to put in logs and will get them completed soon. From what the mushroom growing literature says, October is the last month to inoculate outdoor projects in this area.
I will make sure my mushroom beds have have plenty of cover and are well watered. The Garden Giant mushroom bed has not flushed yet, although I know the mycelium is distributed throughout the wood chips. It will flush next spring when waterd well, unless I get a surprise flush before then! The Oysters continue to flush off and on from the coffee grounds, mushroom bed with woodchips and they even flush out of the bottum of my compost bin.
So if you are like me, you have to get these things in order before the snow REALLY settles in.
When hunting for mushrooms, you never know what you will find!
I found these Tree Ears, Auricularia auricula, or Wood Ears awhile back and was excited to add them to my jar of dried ones. They weren’t what I was looking for, but a welcome find anytime.
As you can see from the last picture, they shrink up when they dry. The nice thing is they rehydrate to look almost the same as fresh. This mushroom is related to the crunchy mushroom in Asian soups and dishes.
This is a good mushroom to learn because it can be eaten raw in the woods and is a good survival food. Most mushrooms should not be eaten raw and can make you sick. The way to know this one from look alikes is to shake it real hard and it will not fall apart. The main look alike will fall apart with this test. They grow on dead trees, when the weather is wet. All the rain promises me…
I was looking for mushrooms awhile back and found this nice specimen.
This one is known as the Snowbank False Morel, (Gyromitra gigas) and is said to be edible, but I have been advised to not eat it. I think mostly because it is easily confused with other false morels that should not be eaten. A great find either way and I have been to forays where others have found this beautiful mushroom, but this was a first for me!
Your source for information about Mushrooms in Montana.
