Growing mushrooms: This is how you can grow shiitake, mushrooms, etc. yourself

Shiitake, porcini mushrooms & Co.
Growing Mushrooms: How to Grow Your Own Cultures at Home

Depending on the weather conditions, edible mushrooms are in peak season in September and October. If you want to enjoy fresh mushrooms, oyster mushrooms or king oyster mushrooms all year round, you can grow your own cultures at home.

Mushrooms from the forest are tasty, but they are also contaminated: heavy metals such as cadmium or mercury are only found in small quantities, but you should not overdo it with consumption. Cultures from the supermarket, on the other hand, are completely harmless: they not only contain a lot of protein, but are rich in vitamins – which makes them a sought-after meat alternative for vegetarians and vegans. However, popular varieties like king oyster mushrooms come with a hefty price tag, so why not grow your own mushrooms? This is actually a lot easier than many people would think.

The first steps to growing your own mushrooms

For successful cultivation you actually only need two ingredients: the fungus and a nitrogen-containing breeding ground, the so-called substrate: straw, sawdust, coffee grounds or even a tree trunk are suitable as a substrate. However, since it can be very difficult for laypeople to produce their own mushroom cultures (mycelium), growing kits are recommended for in-house cultivation: These contain everything you need for a productive harvest. In addition, fungal tissue has already spread in the substrate supplied – this means that the edible fruit bodies form more quickly. After just a few weeks you can harvest, process and eat your first mushrooms, oyster mushrooms or king oyster mushrooms.

Another tip: Mushrooms love moisture, but are otherwise undemanding when it comes to where they grow. Nevertheless, most varieties prefer a shady spot to a sunny one. Mushrooms even grow without direct daylight, for example in the cellar.

Growing mushrooms: These varieties are available for at home

In addition to the right location, two other factors play an important role in cultivation: To prevent the mushrooms from drying out, they need a moist substrate. In addition, the ambient temperature should be adjusted to the individual needs of the mushroom variety. The following ready-made sets provide you with various mushroom cultures as well as the appropriate substrate.

1. Shiitake mushrooms

Rich in vitamin D (ergosterol), shiitake is a popular edible mushroom – not only in Asian cuisine. It grows in the wild on beech and oak trees, but can with this set be bred at home. It contains a fully grown organic culture including instructions, which is activated at a room temperature between ten and 20 degrees. The humidity should be at 90 percent if possible: to achieve this, you can use a small Glasshouse insert. According to the manufacturer, you can harvest the first shiitake fruit bodies after three to four months.

2. Mushrooms

The champignon is also a popular edible mushroom in German kitchens. Raising it is so simple that you don’t need any prior knowledge. In this set There are two different cultures: white mushrooms and brown stone mushrooms. For a productive harvest, the soil should always be kept moist, and the right temperature (12 to 18 degrees) also plays a major role. Light, on the other hand, is not that important. In addition to the mushrooms, the scope of delivery includes two boxes with suitable substrate as well as a bag of covering soil and a foil cover for covering. The first fruiting bodies should appear after four to six weeks.

3. Oyster mushrooms

Because of their veal-like taste, oyster mushrooms are often used in vegetarian or vegan dishes. They also contain lots of B vitamins, C and D as well as folic acid. For successful cultivation, the growth temperature should be between twelve and a maximum of 18 degrees, and the mushrooms also like light and high humidity. In this set There is a finished, pre-grown culture that is delivered in a seven kilogram box (40 cm x 28 cm x 23 cm). This simply needs to be cut open on the sides and moistened to activate the mushrooms. According to the manufacturer, you can harvest after three to four weeks.

4. King oyster mushrooms

The most expensive mushroom in this series is the king oyster mushroom, which is… this set can also be grown at home: It prefers a cool (10°C to a maximum of 18°C) and moist environment, and it also needs light to grow. The scope of delivery includes an organic mushroom culture that weighs between 2.5 and three kilograms. According to the manufacturer, you still need to add the following items: a coaster (approx. 40 cm), a flat stone and three spacers – for example wooden skewers or thin branches. If you follow the instructions correctly, you can harvest your first king oyster mushrooms after just seven to 28 days.

Important: If you have ordered a breeding set, it should be used shortly after delivery. Why? Growth is activated by transport. Otherwise there is a risk that the mushrooms will spoil.

Harvesting mushrooms and storing them correctly: This is what you should know

If you want to harvest mushrooms, you should proceed carefully so that the culture can continue to grow. It is best to turn the fruiting bodies out of the substrate so that no stalks are left standing – otherwise bacteria could settle on them and cause the remains to rot. Once you have harvested all the mushrooms, give the culture a rest period of two to three weeks. New fruiting bodies should then form. The more care you take with the breeding set, the longer you will have it. After four to five harvest phases, however, the substrate is so depleted that new mushrooms will no longer form. It is then disposed of in organic waste (or compost).

If you have harvested so many mushrooms that you cannot use them all, proper storage is the be-all and end-all. If you store the fruiting bodies in the refrigerator, they will last for several days. Alternatively, you can also freeze or dry the mushrooms, for example in a dehydrator or in the oven: Cut the bodies into thin slices and let them dry in the oven at 50 degrees until there is no more moisture in them. The mushrooms can then be stored for a longer period of time and eaten later.

Source: Utopia

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