My First Grow..

So, to start I researched, read, researched, and read some more on the cultivation of mushrooms and where newbies go wrong. With that said, I found the cheapest pressure cooker available.

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Philippe-Richard-6-Quart-Pressure-Cooker-Aluminum/22790092

Great 6qt pressure cooker for 20 bucks, had it ordered to my local store online (Walmart.com) and picked it up along with some 1/2 pint ball mason jars($9), a bottle of discenfectent spray and gloves($2), and an all clear tub with a approximate 6" depth, 24" length, and 8-10" width after much search at Walmart($9) along with a cheap tub for incubation storage ($3) spraypainted black on the outside to keep dark. Swung by my local hydroponics store and found one bag left of Horticulture Grade Vermiculite for 10 bucks, decently large size bag.

As I was picking up materials for starting, with my spores in delivery, I figured I would complete my list. After a long search at OSH and then Lowe's, I found the perfect 'daytime' 6500k light ($12) to use during the fruiting stage, as the environment does not have natural light available.

[URL=http://s784.photobucket.com/user/xjJeeper69/media/WP_20160326_19_19_31_Pro_zpsj4mxgsuz.jpg.html][IMG]http://i784.photobucket.com/albums/yy128/xjJeeper69/WP_20160326_19_19_31_Pro_zpsj4mxgsuz.jpg[/IMG][/URL]

Not sure if I got the picture of the light to post..

During my initial search at OSH, I found good size bag of Perlite ($6). This was of course after I had two store associates tell me that they don't have it.

I also ordered a 2-pound bag of Arrowhead Mills Organic Brown Rice Flour for $3.80 on Jet.com with free two-day shipping.

https://jet.com/product/product/a526b6d3a5fc46129cb3d684e59eedee

Literally got it next day.

So, in total set-up cost for materials I didn't have without the cost of spores, I spent $'75, give or take a small amount. That includes a Pressure Cooker, 12 Mason Jars, Cleaning Materials, Incubation and fruiting containers, substrate ingredients, and proper lighting.

The anticipation now awaits for the spores to arrive. I did more research before obtaining spores, waiting from two different reputable sources with a variety of different strands to experiment..

As I know that I will be receiving them tomorrow afternoon, I started preparing my jars. I took three lids off the jars and drilled 3-4 holes in each for inoculation points. Hopefully they're big enough for the needle, but I still tried to keep them small to prevent contamination.

I

brought my pressure cooker up to high boiling point with some water in it and the rack that came with it at the bottom.

To make the substrate, I used a mix of 2 parts Vermiculite, 1 part Organic Brown Rice Flour, and 1 part bottled drinking water (mineral enhanced). Filling three 1/2 pint jars, I left a 3/4"-1" gap in each jar to add plain vermiculite for further protection against contamination.

After tightening the lightly-packed jars down with the lids flipped upside-down (rubber seal side up) I wrapped two layers of foil around the lid and upper portion of the jars.

With the water now boiling, I brought it down to the lowest boil (I tested this to be right at Med on my electric stove) and entered the three jars evenly spaced from each other, making sure not to touch the sides. Closing the lid and adding the pressure regulator, I let it go at it for about 1hr 15min at 12 psi (only option for my cooker).

Thought I'd start this thread to have available help if I start to run into issues. I've been testing out how to keep the grow environment at a constant 77-84 degree temperature with the minimal amount of attention needed. The biggest problem I have is overheating the VERY small space closet. I'm using a oil type space heater (old style) with a thermostat built in. I think I'm getting a pattern down to keep it at a constant heat with only having to give attention to it once or twice a day, just need a little more trial and error.

During the testing processs I have accidently gotten the inside of the 'test' tubaware to around 94 degrees in temperature. If this happened during incubation or fruiting for a short span of hours would it have a strong negative effect?

Anyways, I created this thread to in order to receive feedback and get potential help/advice throughout the process when needed. I will be continuing to update this thread (bare with me, I'm new to posting on forums) as I make progress with hopes for positive results in the end.
Let it be noted as well that I have done this in the most absolute clean environment, completely sanitizing the whole inside 'residential' place, using simple green, bleach disinfectant, floor cleaner, Windex, etc. I clean EVERYTHING in what I consider an efficient and proper manner, in every room.