From the basics of using mushroom kits to working with grain spawn, liquid cultures, and fruiting chambers, Stephen Russell covers everything you need to know to produce mouthwatering shiitakes, oysters, lion’s manes, maitakes, and portobellos. Whether you’re interested in growing them for your own kitchen or to sell at a local market, you’ll soon be harvesting a delicious and abundant crop of mushrooms.
A detailed and comprehensive guide for growing and using gourmet and medicinal mushrooms commercially or at home. “Absolutely the best book in the world on how to grow diverse and delicious mushrooms.”—David Arora, author of Mushrooms Demystified With precise growth parameters for thirty-one mushroom species, this bible of mushroom cultivation includes gardening tips, state-of-the-art production techniques, realistic advice for laboratory and growing room construction, tasty mushroom recipes, and an invaluable troubleshooting guide. More than 500 photographs, illustrations, and charts clearly identify each stage of cultivation, and a twenty-four-page color insert spotlights the intense beauty of various mushroom species. Whether you’re an ecologist, a chef, a forager, a pharmacologist, a commercial grower, or a home gardener—this indispensable handbook will get you started, help your garden succeed, and make your mycological landscapes the envy of the neighborhood.
A practical introduction to growing and enjoying mushrooms at home Cultivating your own mushrooms is simple and satisfying once you've mastered a few basics. Growing Mushrooms for Beginners is full of advice, techniques, and step-by-step instructions for growing a range of edible and medicinal mushrooms at home, whether you have a sprawling backyard, a tiny balcony, or no outdoor space at all. Cultivation at a glance--Get started with a straightforward guide to the basics of the cultivation process, and explore simple setups that require minimal space and investment. A variety of growing mediums--Learn everything you need to know to successfully grow mushrooms on logs, straw, sawdust and woodchips, compost, and in mason jars. Project-specific pointers--Find troubleshooting tips for every growing project, plus instructions for freezing, drying, and cooking with your harvest. Popular mushroom profiles--Explore detailed profiles of 7 novice-friendly mushroom types, like oyster and lion's mane, including their unique characteristics, flavors, health benefits, and specific growing requirements. 30 culinary and medicinal recipes--Discover delicious recipes to showcase your mushroom harvest, from Cordyceps Tea to Tri-Mushroom Curry. Learn how to grow and utilize a wide variety of mushrooms at home with help from this beginner-friendly guide.
An in-depth exploration of organic mushroom cultivation practices, groundbreaking research and myriad ways to incorporate mushrooms into your life "A clear, comprehensive guide that is a gift to amateur as well as professional mushroom growers. This book opens the doors wide to a diverse and fascinating fungal world."—Toby Hemenway, author of Gaia’s Garden What would it take to grow mushrooms in space? How can mushroom cultivation help us manage, or at least make use of, invasive species such as kudzu and water hyacinth and thereby reduce dependence on herbicides? Is it possible to develop a low-cost and easy-to-implement mushroom-growing kit that would provide high-quality edible protein and bioremediation in the wake of a natural disaster? How can we advance our understanding of morel cultivation so that growers stand a better chance of success? For more than twenty years, mycology expert Tradd Cotter has been pondering these questions and conducting trials in search of the answers. In Organic Mushroom Farming and Mycoremediation, Cotter not only offers readers an in-depth exploration of best organic mushroom cultivation practices; he shares the results of his groundbreaking research and offers myriad ways to apply your cultivation skills and further incorporate mushrooms into your life―whether your goal is to help your community clean up industrial pollution or simply to settle down at the end of the day with a cold Reishi-infused homebrew ale. Inside, you’ll find: The Fundamentals of Mushroom Cultivation Innovative Applications and Projects Using Fungi Basic Laboratory Construction, Equipment, and Procedures Starting Cultures and Spawn Generation Detailed descriptions of over 25 different genus The book first guides readers through an in-depth exploration of indoor and outdoor cultivation. Covered skills range from integrating wood-chip beds spawned with king stropharia into your garden and building a “trenched raft” of hardwood logs plugged with shiitake spawn to producing oysters indoors on spent coffee grounds in a 4×4 space or on pasteurized sawdust in vertical plastic columns. For those who aspire to the self-sufficiency gained by generating and expanding spawn rather than purchasing it, Cotter offers in-depth coverage of lab techniques, including low-cost alternatives that make use of existing infrastructure and materials. Cotter also reports his groundbreaking research cultivating morels both indoors and out, “training” mycelium to respond to specific contaminants, and perpetuating spawn on cardboard without the use of electricity. Readers will discover information on making tinctures, powders, and mushroom-infused honey; making an antibacterial mushroom cutting board; and growing mushrooms on your old denim jeans. Geared toward readers who want to grow mushrooms without the use of pesticides, Cotter takes “organic” one step further by introducing an entirely new way of thinking―one that looks at the potential to grow mushrooms on just about anything, just about anywhere, and by anyone. "This comprehensive introduction to growing and utilizing fungi has something for all mushroom-inclined readers . . . . Both practical and passionate, Cotter offers extensive and detailed information.”—Publishers Weekly
"Offering clear and comprehensive instructions for low-tech growing for a range of budgets, interests, and scales, this book offers practical inspiration and a sense that "hey, I can do this!" –— DANIELLE STEVENSON, owner, DIY Fungi DIY Mushroom Cultivation is full of proven, reliable, low-cost techniques for home-scale cultivation that eliminate the need for a clean-air lab space to grow various mushrooms and their mycelium. Beautiful full-color photos and step-by-step instructions accompany a foundation of mushroom biology and ecology to support a holistic understanding of the practice. Growing techniques are applicable year-round, for any space from house to apartment, and for any climate, budget, or goal. Techniques include: Setting up a home growing space Inexpensive, simple DIY equipment Culture creation from mushroom tissue or spores Growing and using liquid cultures and grain spawn Growing mushrooms on waste streams Indoor fruiting Outdoor mushroom gardens and logs Harvesting, processing, tinctures, and cooking. Whether you hunt mushrooms or dream about growing and working with them but feel constrained by a small living space, DIY Mushroom Cultivation is the ideal guide for getting started in the fascinating and delicious world of fungiculture.
This guide to growing edible mushrooms covers 19 varieties, from button mushrooms to immune-boosting reishis—plus recipes and preserving methods. Mushrooms are a joy to grow—for food, as a garden feature, or just for fun—and it’s easier than you think! Mushrooms will thrive in your garden, on your windowsill, and even in your basement. The key is to pick the right growing medium for your mushroom—a log, a bale of hay, or a simple pot of dirt—and give it a little shade. Experts Magdalena and Herbert Wurth explain every step of cultivation—whether starting from a kit, a culture, or a grown mushroom you’d like to propagate. From protecting mushrooms in extreme weather to troubleshooting pests, here is expert advice for beginners and experienced growers alike!
Edible mushrooms are a healthy and sustainable option for anyone who likes to grow their own food. They range widely in flavor and growing needs, which means, with a little planning, you can be eating mushrooms every month of the year. You don't need much growing space--or even a garden--as many of them can be container-grown on a balcony, kitchen windowsill or in a cool, dark cellar. If you grow them outdoors, mushrooms thrive in those awkward shady parts of the garden and many can be grown on tree stumps and alongside ornamental plants. Mushroom experts Magdalena Wurth and Herbert Wurth take you through every step of the cultivation process for 19 different mushrooms, helped along by clear tables, drawings, and photographs, and include recipes and preserving methods. For beginners just starting out and growers in search of more advanced techniques, this is the essential reference.
Mushrooms have been used as medicine for thousands of years and their value in boosting immunity, improving memory, and even fighting cancer is being recognized and documented in scientific research. Christopher Hobbs, a mycologist and herbalist at the forefront of contemporary research, profiles the most powerful medicinal mushrooms and explains the nutritional and medicinal compounds in each one. Detailed instructions cover how to select, store, and prepare each variety for use. Whether readers are growing or foraging their own mushrooms, or sourcing them from a local provider, this essential handbook will guide them in making health-boosting medicine.
