Harvest time
- Thread starter Reagan
- Start date
Reagan
5 year old buck +
Giving some to friends and family. I will dehydrate the rest. I dried some out of the last harvest and have eaten them once. I heated up some water to almost boiling, put the dried ones in for 20-30 minutes and then pulled them out and sauté as usual. They went well with my steak.
I've read that you can also grind the dried ones into a powder to flavor soups and stews. I'll try that sometime when cooler weather gets here.
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I've read that you can also grind the dried ones into a powder to flavor soups and stews. I'll try that sometime when cooler weather gets here.
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Reagan
5 year old buck +
The last flush ended up with 5 pounds. If I would have been home and watching these, I would have watered them when they were sprouting. I threw away a big pile of little ones that were to dry. I bet I would have picked 10 pounds if we had some rain.
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Reagan
5 year old buck +
I keep learning as a go. While harvesting the good ones, I picked off dozens of small dried and hard mushrooms a week ago. I left them on the ground to rot. It has been raining all day and now those same inedible mushrooms look fresh. This is after laying on the ground for a week!
I left some dried ones still on the log and they seem to be coming back to life more slowly.
Moisture is the key.
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I left some dried ones still on the log and they seem to be coming back to life more slowly.
Moisture is the key.
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Reagan
5 year old buck +
I am not sure. They have grown so much that I think it may work much like a cutting. I believe there may be a certain amount of energy in then stem and cap. When the conditions were right, they took off.
I have read several websites about shroom cultivation and I have not seen any mention of this. I guess the pros don't abuse their crop like I do. I am very happy with my project so far but it could be better if I wasn't gone so much for work, hunting and some fishing.
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I have read several websites about shroom cultivation and I have not seen any mention of this. I guess the pros don't abuse their crop like I do. I am very happy with my project so far but it could be better if I wasn't gone so much for work, hunting and some fishing.
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Reagan
5 year old buck +
The recent rains kicked them back into gear. I harvested 2.5 pounds tonight. I cut .86 pound two days ago. I'm guessing another pound or two will come off this weekend.
I'm firing up the dehydrator once again tonight. We had a pile sautéed to go with this evenings pork chops.
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I'm firing up the dehydrator once again tonight. We had a pile sautéed to go with this evenings pork chops.
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Jim Timber
5 year old buck +
I think you're letting your logs get too dry. Everything I've been reading says water them weekly if you're not getting rain, but only submerge them when you want to induce a bloom.
Reagan
5 year old buck +
No doubt that my logs were dry. The bark cracked on some of the very small ones. I have only soaked them once and that was over a year ago. It has been a wet year but I should have soaked during a September dry spell but I was more focused on hanging stands and a fishing trip.
I didn't keep track at first but this has been my harvest notes since this summer.
1 lbs. 8-7-15
3.1 lbs. 8-8-15.
2.5 lbs. 8-9-15
9-21-15. 4.93 pounds
Trashed about the same number due to dryness.
10-4-15
0.6 lbs
10-6-15
.86 pounds
10-8-15
2.56 lbs
10-11-15
1.5 pounds
10-13-15
0.5 pounds
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I didn't keep track at first but this has been my harvest notes since this summer.
1 lbs. 8-7-15
3.1 lbs. 8-8-15.
2.5 lbs. 8-9-15
9-21-15. 4.93 pounds
Trashed about the same number due to dryness.
10-4-15
0.6 lbs
10-6-15
.86 pounds
10-8-15
2.56 lbs
10-11-15
1.5 pounds
10-13-15
0.5 pounds
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Jim Timber
5 year old buck +
From what all sources have said, a cold shock soak (24hrs) should be done every 5-6 weeks after incubation is completed, and the logs should be watered once a week.
Have you considered a moisture meter? The firewooding guys seem to all have them so I doubt they cost much. Might be worth looking into; or not - really depends how serious you want to get with this.
My spore kits showed up today. Maybe I should've sent them to the cabin after all. I'm not home. :)
Have you considered a moisture meter? The firewooding guys seem to all have them so I doubt they cost much. Might be worth looking into; or not - really depends how serious you want to get with this.
My spore kits showed up today. Maybe I should've sent them to the cabin after all. I'm not home. :)
Reagan
5 year old buck +
I considered this a experiment in the beginning. Could I grow them with very little effort? Yes, I did so it can be done. I have produced several pounds before I started tracking the harvest. They have been enjoyed by family and friends and I have two large containers of dehydrated shrooms for future use. All of this was done by only handling logs one time for soaking.
Moisture is the key so I do plan to soak them more often if the rains stop coming.
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Moisture is the key so I do plan to soak them more often if the rains stop coming.
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Erik Hendricks
5 year old buck +
This is awesome. Thank you for sharing. I'm very interested in this and have a couple questions for you.
You had mentioned that you needed more oak logs. Is this because you want to grow more mushrooms or can you only grow one season on a log?
Can you use a oak log that has been dead for a few years laying on the ground or does it have to be a fresh one?
You had mentioned that you needed more oak logs. Is this because you want to grow more mushrooms or can you only grow one season on a log?
Can you use a oak log that has been dead for a few years laying on the ground or does it have to be a fresh one?
Jim Timber
5 year old buck +
You can use any log you want, but the heavier the wood, the more "meat" there is for the fungus to consume and the longer growing lifespan you'll get out of it.
An oak log should grow in production volume (harvest every 5 weeks) for 4-5 years after first fruit (after the incubation period). Aspen might rot out in the first couple years because the bark isn't thick enough to protect it from other predation (micro organisms that want to eat it too), and it's much less dense and thus less food for the shrooms to work with.
You want a reasonably fresh log because of the moisture content still retained in the live wood, and because it hasn't already been colonized by other mushrooms. Do you want a fresh hamburger right off the stove, or the one that's been sitting on the counter at the check out at a truck stop for the past 7 months? :)
An oak log should grow in production volume (harvest every 5 weeks) for 4-5 years after first fruit (after the incubation period). Aspen might rot out in the first couple years because the bark isn't thick enough to protect it from other predation (micro organisms that want to eat it too), and it's much less dense and thus less food for the shrooms to work with.
You want a reasonably fresh log because of the moisture content still retained in the live wood, and because it hasn't already been colonized by other mushrooms. Do you want a fresh hamburger right off the stove, or the one that's been sitting on the counter at the check out at a truck stop for the past 7 months? :)
Reagan
5 year old buck +
I read somewhere on the inter webs that for best results you should cut a fresh tree in the winter, do not inoculate for a couple of weeks, then plant your spores.
Leaving it lie allows the natural defense chemicals to lose effectiveness. A tree in the winter has the highest amount of energy stored. As stated above, heavy wood is better than light wood. Evergreens can not be used.
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Jim Timber
5 year old buck +
I'll be cutting wood next week, and inoculating them during gun season.
Erik Hendricks
5 year old buck +
When you say inoculating what do you mean? I know what it means with seeds like acorn but with a cut log I guess I do not understand. Jim when do you plan on putting the spores in and are you doing the pile them on the south side of the garage and cover them with plastic idea so they do not freeze or putting them indoors?
Sorry for all the questions but if I'm going to do something I want to do it right and you're in my climate.
Jim Timber
5 year old buck +
Inoculating is the process of installing the spores into the wood. https://www.mushroompeople.com/how-to-cultivate-mushrooms-in-natural-logs/
Mine will be piled and covered in black plastic for the winter. They'll freeze, but that's not a problem for them either.
Mine will be piled and covered in black plastic for the winter. They'll freeze, but that's not a problem for them either.
Erik Hendricks
5 year old buck +
Okay thank you. I think I'm gonna go for it.
Jim Timber
5 year old buck +
I'm not planting more trees in the spring, so I figured I'd stick some spores in some slash and see what happens. :) They have to survive in the wild with freezing, so I can't see how it'd kill them off unless dessicated. My intent with the fresh cut wood is that it'll have too high of moisture content now, but will not be dried out too much by spring.
And if they fail, then I'm out $50. I've wasted more money on dumber things in my life. :)
And if they fail, then I'm out $50. I've wasted more money on dumber things in my life. :)
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