Mushrooms

[Mr_S_Jerusalem]

Hello, so as the title suggests I’m thinking bout mushrooms.

I bought my girlfriend a chestnut mushroom growing kit for a laugh for Christmas, and its turned out pretty good so far, got some pretty big ones off it.

Thing is, price wise, as far as the kits go it really is just a novelty thing because they are vastly overpriced for the amount of mushrooms you get.

So, does anyone have any experience growing mushrooms, not like dodgy ones or anything, I mean like actual eating mushrooms?

I’m wondering if it can be done easily and fairly cheaply so it works out more worth the money. In like a home garden sense not a mass scale lol

 

[LED_ZEP]

This guy likes his mushrooms (he's a fungi, sorry), he does some interesting science and growing experiments.

 

[foxy]

Hello, so as the title suggests I’m thinking bout mushrooms.

I bought my girlfriend a chestnut mushroom growing kit for a laugh for Christmas, and its turned out pretty good so far, got some pretty big ones off it.

Thing is, price wise, as far as the kits go it really is just a novelty thing because they are vastly overpriced for the amount of mushrooms you get.

So, does anyone have any experience growing mushrooms, not like dodgy ones or anything, I mean like actual eating mushrooms?

I’m wondering if it can be done easily and fairly cheaply so it works out more worth the money. In like a home garden sense not a mass scale lol

I did put a post up about growing mushrooms in spent grains, I think it was in the Polytunnel thread.
Here it is.
https://www.thehomebrewforum.co.uk/threads/polytunnel.76522/page-23

 

[johncrobinson]

I don't actually grow them but up here in the highlands Cantrell mushrooms grow like weeds. ( cool/cold very damp climate) some of the locals make a small fortune picking and selling them.
Having tasted them i don't see why chefs rave about them.
All-sorts of other mushrooms grow as well.

 

[foxy]

I have watched this movie, Fantastic Fungi one of the best documentaries I have ever watched. As Paul Stamets says, they can heal you, feed you, or kill you.
I find all plants, fungi, fascinating, they live by the same code as us, they must survive at all costs. Just by observing vegetable plants in the garden, how are they aware of us mammals they can produce toxins to deter us from eating them, while encouraging birds to eat them! Chili seeds are not hot to birds, (not hot to us, our brain just thinks that) and germinate better when they go through a birds digestive system.
Even though the bitterness of hops, was meant to deter mammals this has been their saviour.
There is lots of things we don't know about what we regard as simple life around us.

 

[Hanglow]

I would look into foraging them, the best mushrooms tend to not be easily cultivated such as chanterelles and various boletes such as your classic penny bun/porcini/cep etc. These are much better than the store bought agaricus mushrooms

If you want to cultivate them, a lot of people will stack up logs of suitable wood and inoculate them - you can buy spores to do this. mushrooms tend to have preferred conditions for growing, eg wood ear mushrooms grow on dead and dying elder, oysters on various dead and dying hardwoods such as oak and beech. They will also grow on sawdust etc

 

[Mr_S_Jerusalem]

Thanks guys,

I looked into foraging them at one point, and even joined a foraging thing on Facebook, although everyone seemed obsessed with Chicken of the Woods lol.

Frankly the idea of having to take an educated guess at it being an edible one instead of knowing I grew a particular sort deliberately scares the hell out of me lol. Not really a gambling man me.

We are hoping to get into growing more vegetables this year and this just seemed to complement the idea sort of.

I have looked into various methods, I read somewhere you can use spent coffee grounds even.

I did put a post up about growing mushrooms in spent grains, I think it was in the Polytunnel thread.
Here it is.
https://www.thehomebrewforum.co.uk/threads/polytunnel.76522/page-23

I’ll have a look for this cheers

 

[johncrobinson]

Hi Foxy
As a teenager i once asked my biology teacher how stinging nettles knew there was animals around that they needed to defend themselves from being eaten.
I was told i had in no uncertain terms that i had failed to understand the first principles of natural selection and evolution.
Whilst how does a plant know XXXXX is a reasonable question it is in truth not relevant,

 

[trueblue]

Mushrooms are the food of the devil.

 

[foxy]

Hi Foxy
As a teenager i once asked my biology teacher how stinging nettles knew there was animals around that they needed to defend themselves from being eaten.
I was told i had in no uncertain terms that i had failed to understand the first principles of natural selection and evolution.
Whilst how does a plant know XXXXX is a reasonable question it is in truth not relevant,

Plants can't run to defend themselves their defence is in what they produce to deter being eaten by insects and mammals, the lectin in kidney beans unless boiled for 1 hour can make us very sick. Plants communicate by scent that is why when cutting the grass the scent is the grass sending out a warning there is danger, same when pinching out tomatoes the scent intensifies.
Marijuana, I am sure that they can feel the vibrations of our footsteps, the scent intensifies when approaching.

I have tried sneaking up on them but they know I am there.
A good documentary to watch, since then there have been new discoveries, I doubt that plants are intelligent as we know it but they are very aware of their environment.

 

[Chippy_Tea]

Mushrooms are the food of the devil.

Thanks for that well thought out response i am sure members would love to hear the reasons behind it.

 

[trueblue]

Thanks for that well thought out response i am sure members would love to hear the reasons behind it.

Just my option of washrooms, the only rational behind it is as you can see it was posted 12.02 AM after 5 pints of my lovely ESB and a fine malt whisky or 2.

 

[Clint]

I wonder how many washrooms the average demonically possessed being can actually eat..?

 

[Cheshire Cat]

A neighbour of ours when I was young had 4 husbands all died. 3 died from eating poisonous mushrooms and one from a fractured skull. When the police finally arrested her they asked how come your last husband died of a fractured skull? He wouldn't eat the mushrooms.

 

[lupinehorror]

i don't go for anything exotic as they remind me too much of my youth...
do make a big mushroom curry every couple of weeks and do 'burgers' with blue cheese using the portobello type.

 

[Banbeer]

I wonder how many washrooms the average demonically possessed being can actually eat..?

Depends on how 'flush' they are.

 

[Clint]

 

[johnny108]

Mushrooms are the food of the devil.

You are confusing them with the fruit of the carrot tree.