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 jlocke85
Stranger
Registered: 12/05/05
Posts: 113
Loc: MI
Last seen: 15 years, 10 months
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 Just got a Pressure Cooker -- now what? 
#5989905 - 08/23/06 04:07 PM (17 years, 7 months ago) |
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Hey,
So last year I did some growing of oyster mushrooms on coffeegrounds or newspaper, but when I came across a 23qt pressure cooker that appears to have never been used at a thrift store (it was $40 and wouldn't go any cheaper, but it seemed worth it), I couldn't resist the temptation.
What is the cheapest way for me to start growing some oysters or other mushrooms with this thing? I have a glovebox I built back in Jan., but the gloves are no longer attached (caulk failed). Is there any other substrate that can be PC'd other than sawdust that can be directly inoculated with a liquid culture? I suppose I could just make grain jars and use them to inoculate coffee/paper again and hope the yields will be more reliable (which was probably more due to my cold room than anything).
I have no cultures or spawn left anymore, though. I have one syringe of pink oyster but I don't know if its going to stay warm enough so that it'll fruit before it gets too cold. I'm sorry if this was all a lil' rambly. I'm just kind of excited about getting the PC but without access to sawdust nearby not sure what to really do now. (My library has put SurfControl on their router so I can't really easily browse the shroomery, the proxy I'm using is a lil' wonky.)
Edit: I also have access to woodchips as well. I can just go to the city compost facility and get as many as I like for free. Is it possible to PC these and use them for a substrate (with or without supplementation)?
Edited by jlocke85 (08/23/06 04:36 PM)
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falcon
Registered: 04/01/02
Posts: 8,043
Last seen: 11 hours, 50 minutes
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Re: Just got a Pressure Cooker -- now what? [Re: jlocke85]
#5989962 - 08/23/06 04:29 PM (17 years, 7 months ago) |
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An easy way to grow any kind of oyster mushroom, that is still fairly cheap is to inoculate grain and then take the colonized grain and inoculate pasteurized cotton seed hulls.
The yield with cotton seed hulls is good. You can get cotton seed hulls at
feed stores, they come in 50 pound sacks for 12 to 15 dollars.
To pasteurize the cotton seed hulls you put them in a pot, bring to a boil and then simmer for 20 minutes. Then drain them, let them cool and add spawn and stuff it in plastic bags.
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jlocke85
Stranger
Registered: 12/05/05
Posts: 113
Loc: MI
Last seen: 15 years, 10 months
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Re: Just got a Pressure Cooker -- now what? [Re: falcon]
#5989989 - 08/23/06 04:44 PM (17 years, 7 months ago) |
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Thanks for the idea, I'll look into that. I'm interested also in doing this in reusable containers if possible. Instead of using plastic bags, would wide mouth quart jars work for fruiting? Or any other option? If not, no big deal, just a thought I had.
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 GnuBobo
Frilly Cuffs Extraordinaire
Registered: 06/17/04
Posts: 43,754
Loc: Charisma
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Re: Just got a Pressure Cooker -- now what? [Re: jlocke85]
#5990049 - 08/23/06 05:09 PM (17 years, 7 months ago) |
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2 liter pop bottles might be an option. And can you get bales of straw or do you have any cabinet shops you can go to? Woodworking shops typically have lots of shavings they don't use. And you can always try newspaper or cardboard. 
--------------------
Jerry Garcia. JERRY GARCIA! JERRY GARCIA!!!!
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Corporal Kielbasa
Registered: 05/29/04
Posts: 17,235
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Re: Just got a Pressure Cooker -- now what? [Re: falcon]
#5990118 - 08/23/06 05:37 PM (17 years, 7 months ago) |
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Straw costs five dollars a bale.
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jlocke85
Stranger
Registered: 12/05/05
Posts: 113
Loc: MI
Last seen: 15 years, 10 months
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It looks like there may be a couple cabinetmakers in town (or not too far away). I also seen a couple sawmills listed that aren't in my town, but I think are maybe a half-hour away? Maybe I'll try giving them a call tomorrow.
Yeah, I can get straw around here, too. Its about $3/bale, unless price has changed that much since last Fall. I suppose if I can get on this soon than I'll be able to get something going instead of not until late October (in Michigan) my first time last year.
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Corporal Kielbasa
Registered: 05/29/04
Posts: 17,235
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Re: Just got a Pressure Cooker -- now what? [Re: jlocke85]
#5990367 - 08/23/06 06:36 PM (17 years, 7 months ago) |
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The price on straw here has been going up. If i buy ten bales i get them for 3.50 from a farmer. Or i spend five at Agway for one bail.
Farmers here don't grow it much anymore or so i hear. No need for it so they say.
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falcon
Registered: 04/01/02
Posts: 8,043
Last seen: 11 hours, 50 minutes
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Straw costs five dollars a bale.
Straw grown oysters are a lot less expensive than cotton seed hulls and easy. Cotton seed hulls are pretty much good to go out of the bag and don't take up as much space as straw. For me cotton seed hulls are easier.
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Corporal Kielbasa
Registered: 05/29/04
Posts: 17,235
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Re: Just got a Pressure Cooker -- now what? [Re: falcon]
#5990894 - 08/23/06 09:01 PM (17 years, 7 months ago) |
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I never scene them around here. Maybe its because i am up north away from the cotton growing areas.
But on a side note, what we do have is pallets of about 1 ton of wood stove fuel aka pelleted sawdust. Pretty much a cubic yard of sawdust that with water will expand to the hugest pile of sawdust one could ever want.
A 50 pound bag of wood pellets is also five dollers.
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jlocke85
Stranger
Registered: 12/05/05
Posts: 113
Loc: MI
Last seen: 15 years, 10 months
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I tried getting my hands on some of those woodpellets this last winter, but I called several times and they just never were in like they said they were going to be. Not sure if everyone is just switching over to cornburners and the demand is lower.
I'm up north, too, so I'll have to see if I can find cottonseed hulls or not. Might not. The taking up less space in comparison to straw would be a good thing for my current situation.
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Corporal Kielbasa
Registered: 05/29/04
Posts: 17,235
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Re: Just got a Pressure Cooker -- now what? [Re: jlocke85]
#5991049 - 08/23/06 09:45 PM (17 years, 7 months ago) |
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Buy them now. Home dept got them in on monday here. Within 5 hours they sold to pallets. They are probably down to a couple more pallets. They go quick and sell out fast. By the time October is hear you will have a real hard time finding them. But now they are still available.
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jlocke85
Stranger
Registered: 12/05/05
Posts: 113
Loc: MI
Last seen: 15 years, 10 months
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Score.
I just talked to a nearby sawmill that said I could shovel sawdust for free. Its all hardwood and untreated. It'd be $15 to load a truck, too, but I don't need that much right now, nor do I readily have access to truck.
I should also have an oyster (P. pulmonarius) culture in next week or two. So, I think I should be able to do this. Should I just inject the culture into sterilized sawdust, let it colonize and fruit it (and/or use it to spawn more)? I've only used spawn before, except for a small mycobag or two.
Edit: I think I have some large spawn bags left, too, but no sealer. Any other way of sealing?
Edited by jlocke85 (08/24/06 09:04 AM)
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Corporal Kielbasa
Registered: 05/29/04
Posts: 17,235
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Re: Just got a Pressure Cooker -- now what? [Re: jlocke85]
#5991974 - 08/24/06 08:54 AM (17 years, 7 months ago) |
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Do you work with agar?
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jlocke85
Stranger
Registered: 12/05/05
Posts: 113
Loc: MI
Last seen: 15 years, 10 months
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No, it is something I'd like to eventually, but not so far.
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Corporal Kielbasa
Registered: 05/29/04
Posts: 17,235
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Re: Just got a Pressure Cooker -- now what? [Re: jlocke85]
#5992006 - 08/24/06 09:18 AM (17 years, 7 months ago) |
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So how is your culture being sent to you? Already in a syringe?
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jlocke85
Stranger
Registered: 12/05/05
Posts: 113
Loc: MI
Last seen: 15 years, 10 months
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Oh yeah. Sorry I didn't make that more clear.
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jlocke85
Stranger
Registered: 12/05/05
Posts: 113
Loc: MI
Last seen: 15 years, 10 months
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Re: Just got a Pressure Cooker -- now what? [Re: jlocke85]
#5995420 - 08/25/06 09:34 AM (17 years, 7 months ago) |
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Of course, now I find out that it won't fit on my stove.. I'm so dumb.
Well, it sits on it, but I have an oven overhead, so it doesn't sit directly center on burner. It doesn't seem like it'd be wobbly, but I don't know if I wasted $40 (or I have to wait until I can afford a propane burner or something to set it on) or not. I'm going to can some tomatoes in it and see if it seems safe for me to try using it for high-pressure, longer time purposes.
Edited by jlocke85 (08/25/06 10:21 AM)
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phalcon005
Registered: 12/21/05
Posts: 217
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Re: Just got a Pressure Cooker -- now what? [Re: jlocke85]
#6004624 - 08/28/06 01:11 PM (17 years, 7 months ago) |
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FYI, mid-post you talked about using reusable fruiting containers and this is something I've been fixated on and played with a bit. Oysters are so bloody easy, recently I had some grain spawn I neglected to shake so I simply let the quart wide mouth jar incubate for about 30 days. After a few days in my fruiting chamber it started forming primordia like crazy. I've also toyed with 2-liters quite a bit with marginal success so far (but I'm optimistic). What I've grown successfully fully colonized containers using clear two-liter bottles that have the top cut off of them and a small hole drilled into each of the five low points on bottom. I've only had success using pasteurized fruiting medium that I mix with greater than ten percent spawn. At this point I put plastic wrap over the top which is secured with a rubber band and let it sit in a dark place. The sources of my contamination are the holes in the base or top in the plastic wrap, but once I made sure there was no sitting water in the containers I haven't had a noticable problem with contamination. The only contaminant I saw was the common green mold, I believe it is trachoderma. I've recently started adding 10% peat to my fruiting mix after reading in mushworlds shiitake growing manual (straw substrate chapter) that 10% peat moss decreased Trichoderma contamination by 50%, while the nutrients boosted yields by 30%.
That's my two cents, I'm shutting up now.
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