This can be a real lifesaver if you have a contamination in your only
culture, or one of a kind dirty mushroom.
Buy some Natures Gold Premium Aspen. It is sold as hamster litter in a lot of grocery stores and super discount stores. It is made of extremely clean aspen shavings.
Fill jar half full, add enough water to cover the bottom 1/3 of the jar.
Place upside down canning lid with single center hole. Cover with foil and boil or pressure cook.
Open contaminated jar, pick out a little bit of clean mycelium from the contamination. Drop thru hole so it lands on top of shavings. Cover, place in normal incubation conditions. The mushroom mycelium will grow, and the contamination doesn't start on the shavings. You can also place a dirty piece of unwashed mushroom on shavings. They will usually start growing mycelium and no mold or bacteria. I know it sounds to good to be true, but try it, it works. The aspen is clean and is a good source of food for mycelium, but mold and bacteria doesn't appear to like it. You will get about a 20% contamination rate, but for what you can save, it is excellent.
It also is a nice additive to mushroom substrate and for wood lover spawn.
Try it! It is amazing!
