That is completely awesome. I had to read back to your previous post and find out what was going on here. Like, they didn't just sprout out of some fencepost or something! Someone should sell these as a commercial product. I'd so love to grow my own shiitakes! I'm assuming you keep these to eat yourself?
Hi Jane I did a workshop with the Otways Agroforestry Network on how to do this. I don't know of anyone in Australia making kits - I probably should look into doing it! There are a lot of exotic mushroom kits availble overseas, but they're grown on sawdust (or 'logs' of compressed sawdust) like most commercially-grown shiitakes. You wouldn't be able to bring fungus into Australia and they wouldn't taste as good as these! You can get a book on doing it yourself at http://www.agroforestry.net.au/main.asp?_=Publications (I wrote part of the fungi biology section) but you still would need to buy the fungi inoculum from someone with a permit.
BTW - yes, this gives me just enough for myself a few times a year. There would be at least a couple kg per year on each log if I kept them in a moist shady environment like a watered shade house. I got 200gm from this harvest - about 7 mushrooms.
Hi Mel...Love your blog...I too love Vintage clothing and gardening....Just wondered where you got the mycelium for your original logs...I'm really keen to grow some in my little kitchen garden..thanks
That is completely awesome. I had to read back to your previous post and find out what was going on here. Like, they didn't just sprout out of some fencepost or something! Someone should sell these as a commercial product. I'd so love to grow my own shiitakes! I'm assuming you keep these to eat yourself?
ReplyDeleteHi Jane
ReplyDeleteI did a workshop with the Otways Agroforestry Network on how to do this. I don't know of anyone in Australia making kits - I probably should look into doing it! There are a lot of exotic mushroom kits availble overseas, but they're grown on sawdust (or 'logs' of compressed sawdust) like most commercially-grown shiitakes. You wouldn't be able to bring fungus into Australia and they wouldn't taste as good as these! You can get a book on doing it yourself at http://www.agroforestry.net.au/main.asp?_=Publications (I wrote part of the fungi biology section) but you still would need to buy the fungi inoculum from someone with a permit.
BTW - yes, this gives me just enough for myself a few times a year. There would be at least a couple kg per year on each log if I kept them in a moist shady environment like a watered shade house. I got 200gm from this harvest - about 7 mushrooms.
ReplyDeleteHi Mel...Love your blog...I too love Vintage clothing and gardening....Just wondered where you got the mycelium for your original logs...I'm really keen to grow some in my little kitchen garden..thanks
ReplyDelete