I have several different ways I want to try them as well as a group of very interested friends and relatives to share with. Some will have to wait for successive (hopefully) flushes. I have one friend who does dry mushrooms but I will have to read up on drying oysters.
I have been growing Shiitake on oak logs for about 6 years. I am on my second set. It is pretty neat. I have gotten POUNDS of shiitake out of them. I plan on inoculating some willow logs (supposed to be the best for Oysters) this spring with Oyster mushroom spores using the totem method, looks pretty easy. Enjoy it! SUPER exciting when you start to see some shrooms. I have a friend I turned onto the mushroom life and she has gone crazy with it, she has TONS of logs now.
I love the bucket method. How long have they been working at this point in the pictures? Do they regenerate after the first fruiting? Inside are pasteurized and inoculated wood chips? Sorry if you have already answered all these questions, I have just been skimming and this pic grabbed my attention. I am going to go back and look for my answers.
WOW!! So you are telling me that you are getting that kind of growth in like 10 days? Or did I look at the dates wrong? 10 days! Is amazingly fast from a log shiitake grower. Takes 6-10 months to see any shrooms using that method. Now I am intrigued!!
Could you start eating then now, at that size? I don't think I've ever had oyster shrooms...just the regular button and portobello, at least that I know of. Do the oysters have a different taste? I can't remember which type, but saw one advertised to taste similar to lobster....that would be interesting...
Hey Chris G , I want to do some shiitakes also. If I can scare up some Alder logs I may have to give you a call for advice! I used Alder smoker pellets for my oysters. (Many bucket sites on YouTube) One 10lb bag + 16oz of wheat bran. Mix in a large ice chest (that has been disinfected with rubbing alcohol and rinsed) and pour in boiling water of the same volume as the pellets. Be aware the pellets will expand to over twice their volume. Leave the chest cocked open about 2 inches and cover the opening with a clean towel. When cool, use clean hands to pack 3" of pellet mush then a generous sprinkle of commercial oyster grain spawn into a clean bucket. Don't forget drain holes in the bottom. Continue alternating and compressing the wet sawdust/ spawn until the bucket is full. Make the top layer sawdust. Put the lid on and store in a clean warm place 60*-70*. When little buttons start to protrude from many of the holes, move to a cooler place and, using a spray bottle, mist the outside of the bucket 2-3 times a day covering the bucket with a small plastic sack between spritzes. You should be at 1-2 weeks at this point. The protuberances will grow to clumps of tiny mushrooms. When the shrooms are well defined you can dispense with plastic bag but keep the shrooms moist with spraying. When the caps start to flatten out, they are ready to harvest. My shrooms are at three and a half weeks but it has been very cool in the garage. I will harvest some today. I understand that second and third flushes tend to be larger mushrooms. They also say that the buckets with sawdust rather than straw are good for many more flushes but with diminishing returns. This strain of oysters are supposed to be fairly mild in taste maybe between white buttons and mature portobello mushrooms. They need to be cooked unlike the buttons. The more you brown them the more the flavor. The parameter for harvesting is not size, but rather when the caps begin to flatten just before sporing. Better to err on harvesting sooner than later. Second growths are said to be larger shrooms.
Awesome!! Thanks for the info. I like the quicker ROI on the bucket method. Logs are kind of a long haul. I really like Oyster Mushrooms too. They are the perfect compliment for the larger, more dense Shiitake.
First harvest on the oyster mushrooms day before yesterday! Possibly just a bit soon but better than late. We cut away the button base where the shrooms came out of the hole in the bucket because it seemed very fibrous. We separated the individual heads and tore these lengthwise into strips. Saute over high heat in a small drizzle of olive oil with a chopped clove of garlic. Add a smidge of soy sauce at the end when the strips are nice and caramelized. They tasted like olive oil and soy sauce with garlic under tones with a little bit of nuttiness. The oysters are so mild that, like many mushrooms, they take on the flavor of the spices. Interesting slightly chewy/crunchy texture. Would be nice on an omelette or in fried rice. Maybe the flavors will be stronger if allowed to grow larger. We will try some other ways of cooking also. It seems that the remaining clusters are growing faster now that I have removed some. My Smarty Pants Wife asked me with exaggerated innocence if, now that I had actually home propagated, harvested and eaten a crop of mushrooms, could I check that off my bucket list?
Its happening. Got my first mushroom budding out of a log. It has only been 6 and a half months, I am going to have to keep a very close eye on these until it winter.
Somebody put their posterior through the seat and felt very embarrassed about their weight and truth be told the cloth was so sun scorched and ready to fall through. I almost scrapped it last weekend. Gotta make lemonade. I am hoping that more mushrooms pop out soon.
Yeah, sorry meant to tag you Ohio. I'm not sure that's I've ever had shiitake mushrooms...well maybe in a dish somewhere and didn't know what kind of shroom. Is this the first time you've grown any mushrooms?
Yes, I had a red oak to take down and thought I would use some of the top for mushrooms. I have enough firewood for the next six years so it seemed like a better use of the wood. Can't wait for the rest to take off.
Once they start they really start producing for a couple years before the logs start getting eaten down. I remember that for quite awhile that I'd fill two grocery sacks full twice a day. I wish I took pictures. It has been twenty years ago now.
Wow guys , Amazing job. I might have to do some homework on trying this. A few years back I did get a DIY kit as a gift and had really good results, but this is very interesting.
