Growing Oyster Mushrooms Indoors

[larry_stewart]

Do/did you find the Lion's Head slower to develop than the oysters?

I mean, they all just suddenly start and then the Oysters keep on going while the Lion's Heads just sort of plod along.

The lions mane are more slow and steady. They are now starting to kick in. I'll take pics of all blocks tomorrow, Its amazing how much can happen in a few days.

 

[larry_stewart]

Picked some today, made marinated mushrooms. I was going to make mushroom barley soup, but I have so much to make/ and eat the next few days, I'll just wait til the next blocks are pickable. You cam see how the oyster mushrooms, now given the room and oxygen to grow, took off. Those are the same ones that looked flat and deformed a few days ago.

 

[larry_stewart]

King oysters finally kicked in. not supra productive, but first time growing them , so I'm learning their growth patterns.

 

[larry_stewart]

My second set of blocks are starting to produce. top view and side view with mug for size reference.

 

[larry_stewart]

A few weeks ago I inoculated some straw in 1 gallon buckets. By surprise I noticed them starting to fruit ( Its been about 3 weeks, I thought it would take longer). Anyway, I put the bucket in the mushroom tent to optimize the environment for growth. To me, these buckets are the preferred way tooo grow oyster mushrooms to get the most bang for your buck. Once they show signs of growth, they're usually harvestable within a week ( usually less). They grow real quickly.

The process:
- 1 gallon food grade buckets with half inch holes drilled in ( I did about 8 holes spread out)
- A few 1/4 inch drainage holes on the bottom
- Straw boiled in hot water too sterilize ( or kill most organisms).
- Straw should cool to room temp, and be drained so moist but not dripping wet
- Once the straw cools off, add alternating layers of straw / inoculated grain.
- Firmly pack everything down so straw and grain make good contact with each other
- Cover with lid and keep in room temp ( with no direct sunlight) until showing signs of pinning
- Once pinning ( anywhere from 2 -6 weeks), put in ideal environment ( mushroom tent)
- Clusters of mushrooms will grow out of the 1/2 inch holes.

***I've tried it with 5 gallon buckets in the past which work, but I really don't get much more of a harvest, so this way is more cost effective, less material, same amount of mushrooms . If I made 5 gallon buckets, I'd get 5X the amount of shrooms than the single 5 gallon bucket. That being said, this is my first time with the smaller buckets. So far, its seems to be more productive, but only based on one trial so far.***

*** You dont want to drill too many holes. Common sense you'd think more holes, more shrooms, but the more holes, the quicker the substrate will dry out, and also more energy is being put out do to the many holes, so the clusters will be smaller***

And for those of you with a good eye there is a lions mane mushroom trying to get into the picture on the let side.

 

[larry_stewart]

I've grown them out in the open with no big problems. Just a pain in the but cause you have to keep misting them. Also, they are at the mercy of the surrounding temps/ humidity of the room they are in.

I have recently invested in a Mushroom tent/ Set up. Comes with tent, humidifier, heater, humidity and temp sensors which helps keep the humidity and depth in ideal ranges. The whole set up was about $200. It's a very simple, beginners set up. Mine is set up in a room that we build in the garage.

I have seen people with much more professional set ups, dedicating an entire room with ventilation and the works. They sell to restaurants and things like that. I do it for home use only. Partially cause I love growing things, Partially cause I love eating things ( mushrooms), and partially cause I love the science / trial and error aspect of it ( I got science and experiments in my blood). Also, you're limited to the change in seasons ( winter too cold, summer too hot), and the predictability of not having a controlled environment . They kinda do their thing when Mother Nature gives them the green light. Although, Shiitake and Wine Cap mushrooms are fun to do outside.

Im a beginner and learning every day. I'll answer any questions (based on my experiences) as I can, but I'm sure there are many people much more knowledgable than me on the subject.

 

[larry_stewart]

I figured I'd start a new thread for my mushroom journey ( I may have done this a few times before), just so I dont hijack the Harvest thread. (Melded)

To keep my gardening hobby on going through the winter, I have converted a room of my garage into a " Mush Room" ( I apologize for the pun). Anyway, I got a cheap mushroom tent , which is basically a very small, indoor green house equips with temperature , humidity and light control. I've grown multiple varieties so far including Lions Mane, Pioppini, King oyster and various other Oysters ( grey dove, blue , yellow ...).

My current crop is all Pioppini. I go them from Field and Forest mushrooms. II bought in bulk, so each mushroom block was $15. The blocks are made of hardwood saw dust inoculated with the mushroom spawn. When received then can either be stored in the fridge for a few months, or fruited immediately. I started 2 , and the other 6 are in the fridge. Usually a sudden difference in change of its environment is what triggers the growth. Temperature, oxygen, light , humidity... So when you cut the bags containing the blocks open, or even just make a slit in the bags, the mushrooms will start to appear in a few days to a week.

I'm another that always loves to hear about those things! I want to know more about those pioppino mushrooms, to hear about the flavor, as well as production. And maybe how well they dry, if you try that. Some mushrooms don't really dehydrate well, while others are better dried! If I were going to try any of these varieties, I'd love to hear all your experiences with them. As well as all those other things you grow!

The is my second time growing the Pioppinis. I never even knew they existed until last time when I bought a variety bundle of mushroom blocks , and they were included. From a growing stand point, they are probably the most productive indoor mushroom I've grown. They seem to be very predictable ( not finicky), and grow quickly.

Their last is a mild basic mushroom flavor. Nothing outstanding or unique, but if you like mushrooms, you'll like these. Their consistency is more unique. The stems have a slight crunch to them, both fresh and even after cooking or marinated. To me, that is the highlight of this mushroom if you're looking for a slightly different consistency than the basic shroom. It's not rubbery, chewy or fleshy like shiitake or portobellos, definitely has a crunch to it. You can pick them at any stage, from very small clusters, to a relatively large mushroom. I kind like it somewhere in the middle. Like many mushrooms, as they get bigger, the stems get more soft and spongy. The color of the caps is a dark brown when first forming, gradually getting lighter as they mature.

I probably did dry them last time, but along with a bunch of others and didnt pay much attention to them individually. Since its the only mushroom Im going now, Ill dry a bunch and get back to you on that.

 

[larry_stewart]

This is how I used up my Pioppini Mushrooms from the last harvest
I divided them up for mushroom barley soup and marinated mushrooms.
For marinated mushrooms, I chose the larger ones or the ones where the cap broke up a bit. Boiled them in salted water for a few minutes as the recipe calls for. Removed from the liquid, allowed to drain a bit, then added them to the vinaigrette and allowed to marinate . I saved some of the boiling liquid to use as a base for the soup. While sorting the the mushrooms, I cut off the long stems and will dry them to use to make mushroom powder.

 

[dragnlaw]

Thanks you for those Larry. I've bookmarked it for ewhen I harvest the mushrooms.

 

[larry_stewart]

Just picked about 1 1/2 pounds of Yellow Oyster Mushrooms. Mild taste. A little brittle, so have to be careful when handling. I grew these I a bucket which had a few 1/2 inch holes drilled in the sides for them to grow out of. The bucket was filled with inoculated straw, covered, then kept in ideal conditions. I started the process on February 2nd. I noticed them popping out of the holes on Feb 17 . I harvested them yesterday. When I first saw them popping out of the holes, I thought I had bought the wrong mushroom spawn, cause they looked very similar to lions mane. But as they developed, they started to show their signature shape and color.

 

[blissful]

@larry_stewart I wish we were neighbors and if you had an over abundance of mushrooms and wanted to trade, we'd trade for honey or maybe tomato canning by the case.

 

[larry_stewart]

@larry_stewart I wish we were neighbors and if you had an over abundance of mushrooms and wanted to trade, we'd trade for honey or maybe tomato canning by the case.

I think we'd make really good neighbors!!!

 

[medtran49]

I love oyster mushrooms, but the yellow and pink ones always lose their color when cooked.

 

[larry_stewart]

I love oyster mushrooms, but the yellow and pink ones always lose their color when cooked.

Yeah, it kinda like those purple pole beans. In a raw salad they look great, but he color disappears when cooked.

From a productivity point of view, the gray ones seem to produce the best/ most for me. Could just be the environment I provide suits them the best.

 

[dragnlaw]

I bought an Elm Oyster Mushroom Kit and a Chestnut Mushroom Kit. They arrived earlier in the week. I've brought the Chestnut kit inside a few days ago to let it warm up a bit. Slit it last night, spritzed it, covered it with a small grow tent and will now wait to see how it goes. Only starting the one for now. I love mushrooms but don't want to be over run all at the same time.

I also bought their little grow tents and they do "sort of" stand on their own. But I have these long skinny coffee sticks about 7". Hot glued some to make legs and a square around the top for support. Almost a square approx. 13" around and maybe a tad taller.

 

[medtran49]

Yeah, it kinda like those purple pole beans. In a raw salad they look great, but he color disappears when cooked.

From a productivity point of view, the gray ones seem to produce the best/ most for me. Could just be the environment I provide suits them the best.

Have you ever tried roasting the yellow or pink ones? Wonder if they might keep color? Just popped into my head while reading our posts.

 

[larry_stewart]

Have you ever tried roasting the yellow or pink ones? Wonder if they might keep color? Just popped into my head while reading our posts

It's been awhile since I grew the yellow ones, so I forgot I'll keep you posted on their color changes as I use them.

 

[larry_stewart]

I bought an Elm Oyster Mushroom Kit and a Chestnut Mushroom Kit. They arrived earlier in the week. I've brought the Chestnut kit inside a few days ago to let it warm up a bit. Slit it last night, spritzed it, covered it with a small grow tent and will now wait to see how it goes. Only starting the one for now. I love mushrooms but don't want to be over run all at the same time.

I also bought their little grow tents and they do "sort of" stand on their own. But I have these long skinny coffee sticks about 7". Hot glued some to make legs and a square around the top for support. Almost a square approx. 13" around and maybe a tad taller.

View attachment 68099 View attachment 68100

Looking forward to seeing how it works out for you.

 

[dragnlaw]

Well, it took almost a month to have any action. I even turned it on it's side to just try... well, I don't know what I was trying to do but I was getting frustrated with nothing showing but REAL grey mold. Was almost on the point of tossing when I noticed a couple of tiny brown bumps.

So sorry i didn't take a picutre before I cut the big ones off - had them with my breakfast and they are delicious! Pale warm brown gills, the caps had really opened and the stems were fat like oyster mushrooms. Here are two small ones that came away with the larger ones when I was trying to cut them off. Will have them tomorrow I guess.

I also made slits on the end and here are a group of them popping out. I'll give them a couple of days or so before I harvest. Made two more slits on the other sides to see if I get more (I think I should).

and this is the grow tent with parcel on it's side with my coffee cup for size reference

of course this is nothing like the mass amounts you get with your buckets Larry!
I think the expense and time invested in these kits is probably bringing them up in price to compare to truffles! LOL

 

[larry_stewart]

Nice to see someone else give it a go.
in most cases, the indoor mushrooms aren't cost effective.
the outdoor ones are because they can produce year after year (wine caps and shiitakes). ive been weighing them as I harvest to see if im getting my moneys worth. gif you go by Whole Foods prices, I break even. still fun and gives me something to do in the winter.