Local mushroom grower and Ithaca Farmers Market craft vendor Steve Sierigk taught the workshop. "I'm not an expert," he said. "I've just been doing this a while." Sierigk learned how to cultivate mushrooms 20 years ago by studying photos in a Japanese book and now tends about 120 logs which produce about 100 pounds of mushrooms annually.
At the workshop, participants learned how to drill holes in logs, fill holes with mushroom mycelium, and cover them with wax.
One important factor, according to Sierigk, is to start with a log that retains some moisture and natural sugars. It is also important to use a log that has not been overrun with native fungi, since they will outcompete the weaker shittakes. Sierigk also discussed the need to soak logs periodically.
Later, participants walked through the forest to learn about proper mushroom log placement and agroforestry strategies.
Hm, I wonder if I can use the old, damp firewood we "inherited" from our home's previous owners. Thanks for the info - I am going to check it out!
ReplyDeleteDefinitely ask the experts and have fun!
ReplyDeleteI think one issue could be that other fungus has already infested the log -- shittake mushrooms aren't exactly robust (ya know, they won't take over the yard or anything), so native fungus has the upper hand if it's already present in the logs)... but you can always try and see what happens. Just make sure you get an expert to identify the mushrooms before you eat them!