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redcrow

Registered: 03/25/22
Posts: 384
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Grain jars
#27777982 - 05/15/22 09:56 AM (2 years, 7 months ago) |
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I understand that most here disapprove of any media they haven't processed themselves. And I grok the "I trust my own work more that someone else's" attitude. But I'm considering buying some prepared grain jars to inoculate with with agar. I've proven to myself the folly of trying to inoculate grain bags with MS syringes, and hoped going this route would be more effective.
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dyel



Registered: 10/15/21
Posts: 920
Last seen: 3 months, 4 days
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Re: Grain jars [Re: redcrow] 1
#27777991 - 05/15/22 10:01 AM (2 years, 7 months ago) |
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my problem with them is mainly price, just get a pc and save your money
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MTZ
In between



Registered: 12/17/21
Posts: 702
Loc: Northern rockies
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Re: Grain jars [Re: redcrow]
#27778044 - 05/15/22 10:37 AM (2 years, 7 months ago) |
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And you should probably learn agar. It'll be a game changer for you.
-------------------- Rehears your death every morning and night. Only when you constantly live as though already a corpse will you find freedom in the martial way, and fulfill your duties without fault throughout your life. ~ The Book Of Samurai
........
I live in the void. I can go to the in between anytime I desire. I visit the spirt world.
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redcrow

Registered: 03/25/22
Posts: 384
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Re: Grain jars [Re: redcrow]
#27778071 - 05/15/22 10:51 AM (2 years, 7 months ago) |
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I've got a El Cheapo PC that's supposedly capable of generating 15 psi. It has no gauge so I'm not sure it's up to the task of thoroughly sterilizing quart jars full of grain. I'd still have to buy empty jars and raw grain. And the hassle of processing the grain, filling the jars, and sterilizing them. If I consider what my time is worth, the difference in overall cost of going DIY vs using prepared jars is insignificant.
Edited by redcrow (05/15/22 10:53 AM)
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redcrow

Registered: 03/25/22
Posts: 384
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Re: Grain jars [Re: redcrow]
#27778074 - 05/15/22 10:53 AM (2 years, 7 months ago) |
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Agar I can and have managed. It's no where near as labor intensive and doesn't stink up the house.
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B Traven
Stranger



Registered: 03/10/20
Posts: 3,374
Loc: Central Megalopolis
Last seen: 11 minutes, 13 seconds
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Re: Grain jars [Re: redcrow]
#27778128 - 05/15/22 11:25 AM (2 years, 7 months ago) |
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The thing for me is not just about cost and trusting someone else's work, it's about sterilizing my grain one day and inoculating it the next. I visualize the process like it being the first life that colonizes volcanic soil. I used to sterilize materials and then let them sit around, but to me it's just an unnecessary additional risk of contamination, drying, etc. Not to mention, my jars go straight from PC to SAB, spending no more than a few seconds in open air. Perhaps that's overkill, but it's worth it to me to just eliminate all that from consideration when troubleshooting bacterial issues. I've basically gotten it to a point where I might have bacterial cultures, but I can always track it back to the CULTURE, as opposed to randomly wonky jars. And that is invaluable to me.
Ordering from someone else, without knowing how long the material sat around, and then going through the additional time/potential exposure of shipping, would be unacceptable to me at this point.
If I were unable to sterilize grain due to smell or other considerations, I'd probably just go back to PF cakes.
I do think that, from syringes to bulk substrate, doing stuff yourself is ideal. Regardless of how much you trust someone else's work, you have a 0% chance of learning from THEIR mistakes!
Grain prep is a bit of a pain in the ass, but I honestly don't find it to be any more work than an elaborate, time-consuming meal. And you can generate A LOT pretty quickly. Raw grain is pennies on the dollar compared to prepped grain, and you can literally use recycled jars in a pinch. Any glass jar containing shelf-stable food should be up to spec.
-------------------- Beware of advice- even this.
Edited by B Traven (05/15/22 11:30 AM)
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redcrow

Registered: 03/25/22
Posts: 384
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Re: Grain jars [Re: redcrow]
#27778643 - 05/15/22 03:49 PM (2 years, 7 months ago) |
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Speaking of significant PIA's, the bottom of my bargain PC de-laminated during today's 90 minute sterilization of a small batch of PF tek jars. The run completed with no further damage, but until I can pony up the bux to replace the PC with something more durable, I'm afraid this conversation is moot.
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Tight Lunchbox
Drunk cat


Registered: 11/06/16
Posts: 2,117
Last seen: 9 months, 21 days
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Re: Grain jars [Re: redcrow]
#27778655 - 05/15/22 03:54 PM (2 years, 7 months ago) |
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Here is a 23 quart presto for only 120 bucks.
-------------------- "it's all a joke between mom contractions and coffin fittings"
The most useful tool for noobs
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redcrow

Registered: 03/25/22
Posts: 384
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Re: Grain jars [Re: redcrow]
#27778690 - 05/15/22 04:07 PM (2 years, 7 months ago) |
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Presto is the brand of the PC that just failed so spectacularly after 3, count 'em 1, 2, 3 uses. NOT going back there again. When it cooled down enough to safely have a look inside, I discovered the entire lower tier of jars had toasted media in their bottoms. Not a fun time.
On the brighter side, it's a beautiful day outside
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redcrow

Registered: 03/25/22
Posts: 384
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Re: Grain jars [Re: redcrow]
#27778775 - 05/15/22 04:51 PM (2 years, 7 months ago) |
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So... I think this is a worthy successor to the Presto POS. Yeah, it's more than I want to spent, but my IRS refund will more than cover it.
Edited by redcrow (05/15/22 04:56 PM)
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Tight Lunchbox
Drunk cat


Registered: 11/06/16
Posts: 2,117
Last seen: 9 months, 21 days
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Re: Grain jars [Re: redcrow]
#27778778 - 05/15/22 04:52 PM (2 years, 7 months ago) |
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What exactly are you referring to?
-------------------- "it's all a joke between mom contractions and coffin fittings"
The most useful tool for noobs
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Tight Lunchbox
Drunk cat


Registered: 11/06/16
Posts: 2,117
Last seen: 9 months, 21 days
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That link isn't working for me. Weird.
-------------------- "it's all a joke between mom contractions and coffin fittings"
The most useful tool for noobs
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The Fresh Prints
Smell ya later



Registered: 05/19/12
Posts: 1,377
Loc: Bel-Air
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Re: Grain jars [Re: redcrow] 2
#27778785 - 05/15/22 04:56 PM (2 years, 7 months ago) |
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Prestos are great. Sounds like user error to me
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redcrow

Registered: 03/25/22
Posts: 384
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Quote:
The Fresh Prints said: Prestos are great. Sounds like user error to me 
'Fraid not. User guide followed to a "t"
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redcrow

Registered: 03/25/22
Posts: 384
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Re: Grain jars [Re: redcrow]
#27778788 - 05/15/22 04:59 PM (2 years, 7 months ago) |
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Sorry about the bogus link. It's an All American brand 10.5 quart.
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Tight Lunchbox
Drunk cat


Registered: 11/06/16
Posts: 2,117
Last seen: 9 months, 21 days
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A 10.5 quart AA is undersized for anything but agar imo. I have the AA921 and I love it, but I bought it on sale over five years ago. If I were to buy one today it would be a presto.
-------------------- "it's all a joke between mom contractions and coffin fittings"
The most useful tool for noobs
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The Fresh Prints
Smell ya later



Registered: 05/19/12
Posts: 1,377
Loc: Bel-Air
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Re: Grain jars [Re: redcrow]
#27778799 - 05/15/22 05:04 PM (2 years, 7 months ago) |
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Love my 921... I find myself using the prestos more often though
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Tight Lunchbox
Drunk cat


Registered: 11/06/16
Posts: 2,117
Last seen: 9 months, 21 days
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It's fucking heavy as shit when it's full of grain jars. Luckily I don't have to move it far, but at a previous house I had to lug that thing up a flight of stairs.
-------------------- "it's all a joke between mom contractions and coffin fittings"
The most useful tool for noobs
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smalltalk_canceled
Babnik


Registered: 07/13/20
Posts: 3,174
Last seen: 12 hours, 35 minutes
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Re: Grain jars [Re: redcrow] 1
#27778806 - 05/15/22 05:07 PM (2 years, 7 months ago) |
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Sounds like you'd benefit alot from posting pictures of the prepped grains and how your sterilized jars look coming out of the PC, OP. Along with pictures of the agar plates you use to make inoculate.
Also try straw pellets if you can get them, its cheaper than grains, easier to prep imo. Would allow room for more mistakes. Less time wasted.
If your main complaint is time, and the frustration of repetition, know that you cannot beforehand judge the time needed for you to aquire the skills you think you should have aquired by now. Its probably just some cheap mistake that you're not seeing in your own process, that'll make you facepalm later.
Managing to create inoculate through agar, and then hydrating substrate and sterilizing it correctly, before making a clean transfer, are basic but critical skills in what you are doing.
Its the heart and blood of mushroom production, which latter stages depend on so gruesomely. Dont give up on a skill, that in theory, will allow you to work with millions literally millions of mushroom species to the admiration of friends and family. Its crazy!
if you think you have these skills already, do agar wedges to grain jars. thats extremely reliable.
-------------------- Willpower is the one true virtue
  
Edited by smalltalk_canceled (05/15/22 05:11 PM)
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redcrow

Registered: 03/25/22
Posts: 384
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Quote:
Tight Lunchbox said: A 10.5 quart AA is undersized for anything but agar imo. I have the AA921 and I love it, but I bought it on sale over five years ago. If I were to buy one today it would be a presto.
Agreed. My yearly windfall will cover the larger unit, no problem. SWMBO has already signed off on the 21 quart unit. Weight isn't an issue for me. Just wondering about quality.
For those of you who are pleased with your Presto's, I am truly happy for you. But for me, once bit, forever shy.
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