If you’re going to commit to growing mushrooms, make sure to select a variety that you’ll like to eat a lot of. Consider the humble button mushroom. It goes by many names: crimini, button mushroom, white mushroom, table mushroom, but the agaricus bisporus is one of the most popular, versatile, and delicious mushrooms you can grow. Hearty enough to grill but delicate enough for salads and sautées, you can’t go wrong with the button. Mushrooms sold as cremini and portobellos (both agaricus bisporus) are essentially white button mushrooms that have been discarded because they lacked the salable whiteness. More recently, as tastes have changed, these once-discarded mushrooms have become more popular, even though they are essentially the same variety. The portobello mushroom is simply an agaricus bisporus allowed to mature slightly, until the cap opens up and plumps. Grow some wine caps. Not as common as the portobello, but similar in texture, flavor, and heartiness, the wine cap stropharia rugosoannulata is a beautiful brownish-red mushroom with a bright white stalk. [1] X Research source Just as versatile as the button varieties, the wine cap could be a change of pace in your kitchen. Impress your friends at a dinner party with this seldom-used mushroom plucked straight from your garden. Grow shiitakes. Cultivated for its nutritional properties (shiitake has proven tumor-reducing effects) this Japanese variety is translated “oak mushroom. " Grown on logs, the delicious and rich caps of the shiitake mushroom are perfect for soups and stews, as well as a killer mushroom risotto. The stems are somewhat tough to chew when cooked, but are still very useful for flavoring broth. [2] X Research source Try out some oyster mushrooms. A popular mushroom to pick, the pleurotus ostreatus is commonly known as the oyster mushroom because of its delicate briny taste and oyster-like appearance. [3] X Research source Grown on logs like the shiitake, the oyster mushroom is easy to grow and even easier to eat.
If you’ve got a dark basement in which to grow your mushrooms, you don’t necessarily need a growing chamber with a lid. Use or build some 6-inch deep trays to grow your mushrooms in. Use an old fishtank or a plastic storage bin for growing mushrooms in drier climates, or if you don’t have a basement in which to grow your mushrooms and need to regulate the temperature more readily.
The medium is very important, because mushrooms–unlike plants–can’t manufacture their own nutrients and need an appropriate mix of sugars, starches, cellulose, and nitrogen. The kind of substrate you’ll want to create for growing your mushrooms depends on the variety you want to grow: A manure-based compost is most appropriate for button varieties. Straw-rich horse manure, aged to the proper pH is appropriate. Many large-scale growers find it easier to make compost from corn fodder, straw, peat moss, tankage, and greensand instead. [4] X Research source To prepare a fruiting substrate for morel spawn, mix together 80% small hardwood chips, 10% rice hulls, 5% soybean meal, and 5% sphagnum, then add a little lime to adjust the pH to 7. 1 to 7. 3. Next, combine 5 parts of this mixture with 2 parts sand and 3 parts potting soil and mix well. [5] X Research source
Alternatively, you can sprinkle your growing chamber with your spawn and cover with compost.
You want to check for the thin, white thread-like mycelium, which serve as the root base of the mushrooms. When you see this spiderweb-like formation happening, place the container in a darkened room or basement, so that the temperature is reduce to 60 degrees Fahrenheit or 16 degrees Celsius, and cover the spawn with a 1 inch (2. 5 cm) layer of regular potting soil.
Don’t pull them up from the substrate and risk knocking loose other mushrooms. Hold them firmly and twist them out, or use a small knife to cut them off near the base. Picking the mushrooms regularly is important–don’t wait. Keeping the ripe mushrooms out of the way allows the flush to continue spreading, leading to a fruitful harvest.
For best results, cut the logs in late winter or spring. The wood is richer in sugars at this time, so the mushrooms have more to feed on. [7] X Research source
If the wood is unusually dry due to a drought or a long storage period after felling (more than one or two months), soak the logs in clean water for a day or two, then let dry completely. [8] X Research source Gently clean off all moss, lichens, and other organisms that could compete with your mushrooms. Drill a diamond-shaped pattern of 3–8 inch (7. 6–20. 3 cm) holes in each log. Use a 5/16th inch (7. 9 mm) drill bit and make each hole deep enough to insert the plug spawn.
If you let the fruiting happen naturally, most or all of your mushrooms will be ready in spring and fall. Commercial growers often practice “forced fruiting” in summer and winter, soaking the logs and controlling temperature and humidity for year-round production. [12] X Research source Forced fruiting is more difficult and labor-intensive.
Some people disagree on the proper method of cleaning mushrooms. You can get them wet, and getting them wet won’t ruin the mushrooms, especially if you’re eating them right away, but you don’t need to. Make sure there’s no large dirty spots on them, and they’re fine to eat.
A pound of fresh mushrooms, any variety, chopped into quarters or halves a tablespoon of butter three tablespoons of olive oil half an onion, chopped (or shallots, if you prefer) two cloves of garlic, chopped half cup of dry red wine a handful of chopped green herbs, like oregano, thyme, or parsley salt and pepper to taste Heat the butter and a tiny amount of olive oil in a pan on medium-high heat until the butter bubbles. Add the onion and garlic and cook until translucent. Add the mushrooms. Do not stir for a minute or two until you hear them start to sizzle. That means the water is being released. Sprinkle them with salt and pepper and toss them to coat them with the garlic and onions. Continue browning the mushrooms. Add more oil as the liquid cooks off and deglaze the pan with the red wine. Let some of the liquid cook off and add the chopped herbs and seasoning to taste. You can eat it now for a delicious side dish or transfer it to a container to chill overnight.
