Golden Oyster Mushrooms (Hopefully)

With the weather being as cold as it is there isn’t really much I can grow at the moment. Inside there is no such weather restraints so I thought I’d have a go at growing some mushrooms.
I got given some Golden Oyster Mushrooms spawn for Christmas and its only growing condition is that it needs to be grown at room temperature - the spare room isn’t very full at the moment so I thought that would be the ideal place!

First of all I sterilised the straw by pouring a kettle full of boiling water over each bag (I wanted bigger bags but this was all I could find, although it’s big enough to see if it will work) and then seal the tops and left for two hours. This stops the straw being contaminated by any other fungi.

While I waited a couple of hours for it to cool, I left my rather ill wife at home and went for a nice long walk to the next village and back, using different footpaths. I really enjoyed it, but a couple of the fields were so muddy my boots were twice the size by the end!
When I returned the bags had cooled down so I tipped out the excess water (leaving just a little water in the bottom to keep it moist) and then I added the spawn to the bags. The spawn is carried on dried cereal grains and although the pack says to add it all I just put about a teaspoon in each (it’s like yeast and so long as there is a bit it will grow but it will just take a little longer to multiply). I then tied the bags again and shook them up to spread the spawn. Placed near to a radiator they should have the heat they need (but not too much) with a couple of small holes in the top to allow it to breathe.

Nearly Christmas

It’s been great having loads of time off, although I’m not sure I’ve been making the most of it – I think I’ve slowed down!

Last week I picked up my mum and dad from the airport after their trip to New Zealand and then worked on the farm Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. It was nice having them back (they also brought me a couple of hunting books back, hunting in New Zealand looks good).
I did a couple of jobs for mum in the house (jobs I’ve putting off for years, like putting skirting on around 6 heating pipes) and also a bit of farming. Although Dad has no sheep on the farm since I left he’s now letting the land to another farmer to over winter his sheep. The trouble is we have to check them and as our fences aren’t very good we have to keep moving the electric fence to stop them getting out. Still this job kept me entertained for a day. Whilst I was wrapping up the wire I was next to a little woodland and I noticed some Jew’s Ear Fungus (One of the only ones I can remember from the fungal foray I went on earlier in the year). I was pleased I could identify it and its also a fungus you can pick all year round, all the fallen wood was covered in it. I think if I learn an edible fungus a year I'll be doing quite well (maybe wise to learn about the ones I can't eat as well!).

After Christmas I plan to go back there and gather a load of these mushroom to add to stews and to dry to make mushroom powder for stews etc, if I do I’ll post it on this blog. Not sure what they'll be like, they feel like rubber!

Fungal foray

Been so busy this week that I haven't had chance to write my blog. Work has been killing me, haven't got home before 7.30 and I leave the house a little after 6.00!

Last weekend was good though, very much in the countryside. Saturday was spent doing a few jobs in the garden then driving over to mum and dads farm for a spot of shooting. I went pigeon shooting for starters but they didn't have to be scared as I didn't even see a pigeon let alone shoot one!

Afterwards my brother and I went lamping for rabbits, he drove and I shot, managed to get a good few for the pot and lessen the numbers a little. (I had planned to make rabbit stew in the week but in the end I never had chance as I got back too late each night so they got wasted, I was a bit gutted about that)

Sunday was spent with my brother, we went up to some woods just south of Iron Bridge for the fungal foray we had booked. There was 28 of us on the course (which was too many), we all met up in the green woods centre and then headed for the trees in search of any mushrooms we could find.

After being told how to pick mushrooms safely and what to remember about where we found them, we were quite amazed with how many were about considering how dry it has been. straight away me and Dave found some edible ones (although the slugs had been there first) and soon everyone was coming up with more and more.

After a dinner of mushroom soup we then went to some different woods to find some truffles! My brother was like a little truffling pig and found about five before anyone else had found any! unfortunately the instructor didn't tell us until we'd found them that this type could not be eaten so we were all a little disappointed.

The day was really good and we went home with enough mushrooms to make a nice meal and a little bit more knowledge on what to look for without killing ourselves.

Fruit trees and mushrooms

I spent a nice Sunday on my parents farm pruning the fruit trees in the new orchard with my brother. After doing the pruning course last week and the fact that my brother is a tree surgeon, I felt quite confidant. It was a cold day and we had to wait for the trees to defrost before we started, but we soon had the 3 and 4 year old trees pruned to size, we should hopefully get a bit more fruit off them than we have up till now, they’ve been slow getting established and we’ve only had about 2 apples so far. The plum, gage and damson trees will get pruned in the spring to prevent silver leaf.
After a warming roast dinner we braved the cold again to use up the dowel mushroom spawning kit that had been sitting in my fridge since the spring. To do this we drilled holes in some freshly cut logs every 6 inches, knocked in the inoculated dowels and then sealed the tops with wax. We then found a nice dark corner of mums’ garden to store them in where they won’t dry out. Hopefully in about 6 to 12 months time we should have some Shiitake mushrooms to eat.