But cultivating mushrooms requires more than a love for eating them. Whenever I approach my wife with the phrase: "I have good news and bad news," she always replies "tell me the bad first." The challenges of mushroom cultivation are a bit different from traditional farming. This is where the mystery comes in. You farmers out there would be challenged to tell me what vegetable can begin to fruit by being dropped onto a table from 12 inches. The theory is that the sudden fall tricks the cultivated block in its pre-fruiting stage to fruit, simulating a tree falling in the woods. So the bad news for we mushroom farmers is that this wonderful food starts out mostly hidden from sight and goes through unique and diverse stages before ending up on our dinner tables. The good news is that we can explore this world in stages as well. My first mushroom crop happened on my kitchen counter using a mushroom kit. I received the box in the mail, took the bagged block out, cut open its bag, placed it on the counter (after dropping it the 12 inches) and dutifully misted the block twice a day. Like magic, I had a nice crop of delicious Shiitake mushrooms within a week.
But what if I had ordered the kit that comes with an undeveloped block and instead had to buy a syringe with those mysterious mycelium floating inside Well then, as in nature, the mycelium would need to enter the block (or log) where - if given the right conditions - weeks or months would pass before it grew into a block ready for its 12-inch drop.
As with many situations, challenges are easier when learned in steps and the mushroom cultivation industry is full of support to approach this amazing natural process. There are skilled people sharing everything an aspiring mycologist needs online. So don't be intimidated by the challenges. Simply start and stop at what stage fits your needs and use these online resources and local experts to fill in the rest. That's the good news!
Thanks for checking us out!
Joe Saponaro
Owner, CHM