|
Some of these posts are very old and might contain outdated information. You may wish to search for newer posts instead.
|
Mikol
tripper
Registered: 09/07/04
Posts: 47
Last seen: 17 years, 9 months
|
Boiling pf jars and stacking
#3246790 - 10/12/04 10:32 AM (19 years, 5 months ago) |
|
|
Here's the deal: Pf tek Boiled jars (no PC) for 1.5 hours 1/2 pt jars inoculated w/ GT First 10 jars inoculated and 9 out of 10 colonized perfectly. I lost one due to contams. I did as much sterilization as I could just like EVERYTHING on this site says.
2nd batch, 3 weeks later. Same procedures except 20 jars shot up with colorado and TC. Almost all of the CO jars are getting contams.
So I've done some thinking about why this is happening and here's my hypothesis. On the first batch with the GTs, I had one jar stacked on top of others in one of the pots and it wasn't half submerged in the water like all the others. And with the second 'batch' almost half of the jars where stacked and not halfway submerged in the water. I think maybe this didn't sterilize these top jars enough and therefore ended up getting contaminated.
These are first timers and I don't want to blame it on a bad syringe because I know the shroomery's venders are reliable. Plus, being a first time (even though hours and hours of reading on the subject has been done), there could've been some error when innoculating.
What do you think? Are the top jars not getting 'cooked' enough? Any help/comments would be really nice. This does tempt me to go out and buy a pressure cooker today though. hah thanks
|
oddiseus
The PsychofunkFirefly
Registered: 10/05/04
Posts: 456
Loc: Doldrums & Faultlines
Last seen: 10 years, 5 months
|
Re: Boiling pf jars and stacking [Re: Mikol]
#3246810 - 10/12/04 10:38 AM (19 years, 5 months ago) |
|
|
Was there steam coming out of the lid from the pot?? I used a steamer and I had no contams you might want to put a rag in the bottom of the pot and crank the heat up so you can assure that the botoms get sterilizied and the tops get steam sterilized. make sure your lid fits good and that steam is definitely building up. Also I think how tight you packed your jars might be a factor as to how much cooking you need to penetrate the inner layers of the PF. Granted I'm still a noob but I've been getting successfull jars everytime. Hope this helps Oh yeah did you make surer you wiped the side of the jar clean before adding verm?? If not the contams will walk right in through some of the leftover residue. Kind of like the verms a wax candle and the contam is the flame. It will just feed
-------------------- Though you can't go back and make a new beginning. You can start today to make a new end. Traveller, there is no path, paths are made by walking If Jesus was jewish...Why does he have a mexican name??
|
Silven
Registered: 08/30/04
Posts: 2,072
Loc: El Mexicano
Last seen: 8 months, 13 days
|
Re: Boiling pf jars and stacking [Re: oddiseus]
#3246835 - 10/12/04 10:49 AM (19 years, 5 months ago) |
|
|
I wouldn't stack them if I was using the boiling tek as opposed to the Pressure cooker.
I'd say that's the biggest link between the contam'ing jars and it needs eliminated. Only boil as many jars as you can fit in the pan without stacking. I run three pans on my stove with 8 jars in each when I'm boiling so that I don't have to stack. The water that runs half way up the jars helps maintain a high temperature in the jars (granted the steam does too), but I would think that the water does moreso.
- Silven
-------------------- What do you bring to the table?
|
Mikol
tripper
Registered: 09/07/04
Posts: 47
Last seen: 17 years, 9 months
|
Re: Boiling pf jars and stacking [Re: Silven]
#3246901 - 10/12/04 11:09 AM (19 years, 5 months ago) |
|
|
Thanks for the responses. I don't pack the substrate mixture hardly at all. And to answer your question oddiseus, the pots are in good working order and don't really let the steam out. I mean it's not a PC, but it does keep steam in pretty well.
I think I'll just make sure not to stack them when not using a PC like I've been doing. Seemed to work great the first time.
|
Sam1912
journeyman
Registered: 09/23/04
Posts: 2,142
Loc: Cali
|
Re: Boiling pf jars and stacking [Re: Mikol]
#3246928 - 10/12/04 11:17 AM (19 years, 5 months ago) |
|
|
IMO no steam = not hot enough.
you should have small amount of steam coming out of the pot.
Sam
-------------------- Protect your civil rights! End drug prohibition. And if you don't care about your civil rights, protect mine! If you want a rating from me, please PM me. For those really newbies, don't expect an answer back, but you can try me anyways.
|
Silven
Registered: 08/30/04
Posts: 2,072
Loc: El Mexicano
Last seen: 8 months, 13 days
|
Re: Boiling pf jars and stacking [Re: Sam1912]
#3246942 - 10/12/04 11:20 AM (19 years, 5 months ago) |
|
|
Quote:
Sam1912 said: IMO no steam = not hot enough.
you should have small amount of steam coming out of the pot.
Sam
Sam's right IMO.
Should be noticeable boiling going on in your pan as well, just not a mad splashing. Enough for a light boil. I usually leave an ever so small gap in between the lid of my pan and the pan to let out some of the steam. Too much steam = condensation = possible leaking into substrate.
- Silven
-------------------- What do you bring to the table?
|
Sam1912
journeyman
Registered: 09/23/04
Posts: 2,142
Loc: Cali
|
Re: Boiling pf jars and stacking [Re: Silven]
#3246985 - 10/12/04 11:28 AM (19 years, 5 months ago) |
|
|
I hate to disagree with someone who agrees with me, but... just a minor correction, Silven. Inside the pot should be all steam, not condensation. Condensation only occurs when steam loses heat. Since the jars are at boiling temperatures, there would be no condensation on the jars or the foil covering it. That's why you don't worry about condensation forming inside the foil. Condensation occurs on the steamer or the lid because they conduct heat(in this case coldness from outside). That's why you put the foil. Keep the lid on tight. Tighter the better because it'll keep the cold air from outside slip inside and make condensate. You don't have to put weight on it or anything, but keep it sealed like it was designed to. If you have a steamer that keeps the jars above the waterline, you don't need to worry about boilning excessively, but it is waste of water. You really don't want to have the jars in there without water... breaks the jars(yeah, I had this happen to me). Get a good boil going and keep your prying eyes out of the pot unless you need to check for water level.
Sorry, Silven... had to add that in there for Mikol's benefit.
Sam
-------------------- Protect your civil rights! End drug prohibition. And if you don't care about your civil rights, protect mine! If you want a rating from me, please PM me. For those really newbies, don't expect an answer back, but you can try me anyways.
|
Mikol
tripper
Registered: 09/07/04
Posts: 47
Last seen: 17 years, 9 months
|
Re: Boiling pf jars and stacking [Re: Sam1912]
#3247454 - 10/12/04 01:37 PM (19 years, 5 months ago) |
|
|
Thanks, you guys are awesome here at the shroomery.
|
Silven
Registered: 08/30/04
Posts: 2,072
Loc: El Mexicano
Last seen: 8 months, 13 days
|
Re: Boiling pf jars and stacking [Re: Sam1912]
#3247464 - 10/12/04 01:39 PM (19 years, 5 months ago) |
|
|
Nadda problem. Good to be corrected than continue being wrong.
- Silven
-------------------- What do you bring to the table?
|
|