Author Topic: Tips on Rye Jars that made me succesful. Ripper
Junior Member
(Total posts: 5)
posted January 20, 2000 08:53 AM

Well first and foremost I'd like to say that I'm VERY eager to share knowledge. As far as rye cultivation goes here's my two cents. I don't use a flow hood or for that matter a HEPA filter at all throughout the entire proccess and have had 0% contams since getting my method down good. Lets start out with the basics..

Materials Required
Rye Grain (Preferably from Fungi Perfecti since their grain is of known quality and is grown organicly)
1 Quart Regular Mouth Canning Jars(I use the Ball brand... Kerr would prolly work fine also)
Synthetic Filter Discs (Obtained from Fungi Perfecti... PLEASE BE WARNED! I have used filter discs from other suppliers and they aren't the SAME! Fungi Perfecti's filter discs are thicker and can withstand much more abuse, re-using the others isn't really feasible.. And as far as making your own filter discs from vacuum cleaner bags or this that or the other.. Well I just see it was $.45 a disc isn't alot to pay for piece of mind and a perfect fit)
Distilled Water (this is important not for its sterility but rather because it doesn't leave nasty mineral deposits in jars/pressure cooker)
Pressure Cooker (I use a Mirro 8 Quart, it holds 4 quart jars at once)
The Process(Please note: There is a 24 hour waiting period between preparing the jars at pressure cooking them, so please be prepared)

Day 1
Get your jars outta the box, you don't need the lids, just the retaining rings.. now take your jars and set them out on your counter.. Being sterile isn't really important at this point... Fill each jar with 1 cup of rye, just take a 1 cup measuring cup and dip it in the bag, level it off, this is approximately 180 grams from my repeated tests. Now you need to add water to the jars, I recommend using 200mL. Make sure to take a spoon and press down on the kernels floating so that they also soak. Now place a filter disc in the retaining ring of the jar, screw it on, just snugg...not loose, but not so tight that you can't loosen it with possibly wet hands(Note: only use a filter disc, no lid is neccesary). Now take all your jars and put them in a cabinet or something incubating at room temperatures for about 24 hours(please don't go less then 20 hours-Thats when I've always ran into problems) The reason for this "pre-soaking" is to germinate any endospores which may be lurking in the rye, particullary the bacteria Bacillus.

Day 2
Prepare your pressure cooker to be used, now take how ever many jars your cooker will hold(Please not that Rye CANNOT be cooked on its side like cakes can, all jars must be upright) and place them in the pressure cooker, place lid on, and begin steaming, once steam is coming out of the valve for five minutes, place the pressure regulator on at a setting of 15 PSI. Once it begins to jitter cooker for 1 full hour. Now remove from heat. At this point I use a rapid cool method to get the next batch of jars in. I've heard this and that and the other about how this is dangerous, I've NEVER had any problem whatsoever with it except burning my hands from stupidity =P So what I do is first of all remove the pressure regulator, using an oven mit because its damn hot! Steam will begin pouring out of the cooker. Next I take a knife(one for cutting bread I think.. I'm not to handy around the house) and shove in the handle between the pressure lock and the pot, this causing the pressure lock to release pressure too. After steam stops pouring out I then tap the pressure cooker around with the knife until it releases. Now I remove the jars using an oven mit. Place the new jars on, add water if neccesary and repeat the proccess. While the jars are still REALLY FREAKING HOT, take a towel and fold it over a few times, and begin shaking the jars, you want to make sure the wetter kernels at the bottom mix with the drier kernels on the top.
Next I wait about 6-8 hours until the jars are cool to touch to innoculate. When innoculating I spray myself with lysol(Head Fingers Eyes Toes!) and then wash my hands with a waterless generic hand sanitizer picked up from my local grocery store. I DO NOT flame sterilize the needle I just rub it down with rubbing alcohol, then I loosen the lids to however many jars I'm gonna use on this one syringe(usually about 10-12 jars) and then I shake the syringe, wipe it with rubbing alcohol once more, and lift up the rings(the filter discs will stay in the rings) and squirt just about 1 cc of solution in the jar, and quickly screw the lid back on. after completing all these jars, I shake them vigorously, making sure to pound the kernels off the bottom (you want the spores to get mixed in with as many kernels as possible) Then incubate at 86F for Cubensis for about 5 days, then I go in, check for contams(yet to find one) and shake the jars vigorously breaking up all the kernels invidually(very difficult). You will notice it looks like all the mycelium dissapeared...this is not so. The kernels are still infected with that fungus you love, its just that the fluffy mycellia was broken up(actually innoculating more grain). Then I leave the jars alone until completely colonized(about 10 days for B+ and 8 days for Ecuadors...my experience)

Wheew... Well I hope that was of help to you guys.. Let me know what you think..any corrections possibly. I know this method has worked great for me and I've given detailed instructions to follow so that others can get it to work too...

If you've had success with standard PF cakes, colonize a few cakes and then get some of those filter patch bags. Next, soak your rye overnight with water (fill the water just so it comes to the top of the rye)

Then,put the rye in the plastic bags and pressure cook for 2 hrs (or so) at 15 psi. Next, drop in your standard PF cakes and break them up inside of the bags. In about 2 weeks, you'll have a ton of substrait ready to pour into trays. Case, fruit.