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mattymonkey
Feel Like aStranger...
Registered: 11/07/04
Posts: 973
Last seen: 11 years, 2 months
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Wild Branch Farm
#6759939 - 04/08/07 01:40 AM (16 years, 11 months ago) |
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Below are some pics from the start-up mushroom farm I work at. Enjoy
This is our bale shredder, definitely the only way to shred straw!
This is a wood fired boiler the owner of the farm built. It was started as a 55 gallon drum wood stove and he cut off the back. Then built up around the drum w/ spare cement blocks, mortaring in between. There was a bit of metal in there to bind the cement up, I think he used wire fencing. There is a large, maybe 150 gallon, old propane tank encased in cement that the heat/smoke has to go around before it exits threw the chimney. This holds the water, which can be set to either boil and create steam or cycle threw the floors of the neighboring grow rooms.
Boiler work-in-progress
The owner of the farm looks at some steaming straw. Straw is chopped, wetted or soaked, and put into this stainless steel container for pasteurizing. The container is an old bulk tank, used for storage of milk at dairies. The steam is piped underneath a wire screen on the bottom of the tank.
A view w/o the steam. The smaller plastic containers on the table are being steamed w/ sawdust, from wood pellet fuel.
Some of our interests. On the left, Trametes versicolor, the Turkey Tail. On the right, Pleurotus ostreatus, the Oyster Mushroom. Each stack is a different strain collected here in north-eastern Vermont.
OK So to the best of my ability this is how the radiant system works. The big thing in the picture is a expansion tank. The warm water from the boiler first goes here. I believe there is a temp regulator before that makes sure its under 180F. From the expansion tank it splits into two and goes to mini-pumps (the green things). These pumps are controlled by a thermostat (green box w/ Taco).
Water gets piped down into the floor, spread across the two rooms, and out.
Top pipe is hot water going out. It comes down and hits the temp regulator (green thing) where it can be cooled down by fresh water, from underneath.
A pic from inside a room. We are testing spent feed bags for oyster on straw. This pic was taken during a steam so its a bit fuzzy.
An earlier pic, the rooms are rebar framed, w/ blown cement walls.
-------------------- "listening for the secret.. searching for the sound.."
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FreeSporePrints
Registered: 03/06/05
Posts: 1,139
Loc: Rome, Italy
Last seen: 3 months, 25 days
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Hello matty!
Wonderfull pics!!!
Free Spore Prints supports your great project!
..also a long travel is started with a single step!
Feel free to ask us sporeprints or cultures. (this same thing also for all the farm growers of the forum!)
Have a nice Easter
Fabio
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thallus
Stranger thanyou
Registered: 08/15/06
Posts: 629
Loc: Hiding in Plain Sight
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Nice pics, how big is the growing space? how many grow rooms are there? Does this place only use the wood fired boiler or is there another? When cycle threw the floors of the neighboring grow rooms what sort of pump do you use?
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Lephreak
Mark
Registered: 10/12/06
Posts: 28
Last seen: 15 years, 5 months
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Where do you find a bale shreader like that? I am currently using the lawn mower method and that monster looks a whole lot more effcient. Also, how much grow space do you have dedicated to oysters and what kind of yields are you getting? Thanks for the pics and info!
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mattymonkey
Feel Like aStranger...
Registered: 11/07/04
Posts: 973
Last seen: 11 years, 2 months
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Re: Wild Branch Farm [Re: thallus]
#6760420 - 04/08/07 08:06 AM (16 years, 11 months ago) |
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The entire grow space is about 16feet x 50feet, and it is split into two rooms.
Right now it only uses the wood fired boiler, though I think a backup needs to be installed.
The mini-pumps are in the picture, at the bottom.
-------------------- "listening for the secret.. searching for the sound.."
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Lephreak
Mark
Registered: 10/12/06
Posts: 28
Last seen: 15 years, 5 months
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Sorry about the question on yields. I see now the project is just getting started. It looks really cool! Please keep us posted
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mattymonkey
Feel Like aStranger...
Registered: 11/07/04
Posts: 973
Last seen: 11 years, 2 months
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Re: Wild Branch Farm [Re: Lephreak]
#6760474 - 04/08/07 08:35 AM (16 years, 11 months ago) |
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N/p Yields are still a big mystery, well see..
I got the bale shredder from an old dairy farmer. I bet new they are really expensive, but e gave me this one for a few hundred dollars. Check your local dairy operations, they used it for shredding straw for bedding.
-------------------- "listening for the secret.. searching for the sound.."
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Cryogenicz
what?
Registered: 07/01/04
Posts: 2,421
Loc: Oregon
Last seen: 4 years, 10 months
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Nice. I just inncoulated 4 1/2 bags of 8 inch diameter straw tubes. They are about 22lbs each. Oysters.. Tomorrow, Im going to make about another 15 - I have about 200lbs of straw ready to be pasteurized, I would love to get more pictures of that straw pasteurizer and more information on how he made the boiler, I was just talking to my dad today about building a wood burning boiler.. Could you give me Ideas on how he built it?
-Graham
-------------------- www.MycoPath.com Mushroom Spawn, Cultures, Fungi Bags, Casings, Master Grain Jars, Bags for In-vitro, Laboratory supplies, and much more! Mushroom Supplies. Fast Turnaround Times. Great Service. orders@mycopath.com enter code shroomery for 10% off product. www.FungiForum.com
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Hotnuts
old hand
Registered: 02/26/05
Posts: 3,436
Loc: Wild Blue Yawnder
Last seen: 2 months, 23 days
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Re: Wild Branch Farm [Re: Cryogenicz]
#6764590 - 04/09/07 10:12 AM (16 years, 11 months ago) |
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That's a great idea blowing in concrete for grow rooms. Very good idea for sure.
Good work on the radiant flooring rig as well. Very professional looking work.
Thanks for sharing the pictures and good luck to you guys!
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