Small Scale Mushroom
Cultivation
History
Mushrooms have been revered for
thousands of years in cultures around the
world for their edible and medicinal
properties. Though cultivation outside of
their native habitat is a fairly recent
development.
There is historical evidence of mushrooms
in cultures across the world including
Rome, Egypt, Aztec and South American
cultures.
Cultivation began in France in 1650 when
a melon farmer discovered volunteer
button mushrooms on his manure pile
and decided to relocate and ultimately
propagate them.
Nutrition
Not only are mushrooms high in
B/D vitamins and trace minerals,
but they have proven to have
antimicrobial properties and have
been shown to significantly aid
the immune system. They also
assimilate into the system quite
well as fungi is so closely related
to animal species.
Medicinally, several varieties have
been trialed in cancer treatments
and proven to retard tumor
growth and the effects of
radiation treatment.
Penicillin, streptomycin, and
tetracycline are all fungal
extracts.
Fungi
Mushrooms are saprophytes, meaning
that they feed and thrive on
decomposition. That’s why we tend to
find them on fallen logs, compost piles,
the forest floor, etc. They colonize the
decomposing material, otherwise
known as substrate, in a similar way to
root systems, but instead a branching
set of hyphae called mycelium.
Mycelium holds the record as the
largest living organism recorded. From
the mycelial network emerges the
fruiting mushroom. The fruit grows to
maturity and then releases its airborne
seeds called spores. The few spores
that land on arable land and survive
begin to colonize and repeat the
process.
Mushroom Life Cycle
Sterile Culture Transfer
To successfully propagate
mushrooms, the first step is to
collect a sterile tissue sample. With
this sample we will contain the
spores of the mushroom to a sterile
medium that can be stored and
used to inoculate grain in the next
step of the process.
Though there is fancier tech
available, glove boxes provide a
sterile environment with visible
access to make home culturing
more plausible. Though it is
sometimes best to trust the
mycologists, for sake of consistent
results.
Agar Culture
Agar is a starch based medium that
effectively cultures and stores the
tissue sample. It is an ideal
environment for spores to flourish
and offers a plentiful food supply.
The two most common forms of agar
used in mycology are potato dextrose
agar (PDA) and malt dextrose
agar(MDA).
These are also used to propagate
bacterial and viral cultures. It is
essential to work with this in a totally
sterile environment.
Grain Spawn
Once you have created or procured your
agar culture, the next step will be to
inoculate some sort of finer substrate that
than can then be used as spawn for
logs/bales/etc. The grain used is generally
either wild bird seed, rye seed, or grass
seed.
The grain is put into a sterile bottle or jar
and is then pasteurized in a pressure
cooker. Once pasteurized, it is then left to
cool, as not to cook the agar culture. Once
cool it is inoculated with the agar culture.
The grain is then kept covered at a fixed
humidity and a comfortable temperature.
In several weeks time the grain is fully
colonized and you will see that the
mycelium has enveloped the grain.
Nutrition
Substrate
Being that mushrooms are
saprophytic, they have a wide
range of what can constitute their
diet. In the natural world anything
that offers decomposition,
moisture, carbon dioxide, and
carbon is a suitable environment.
The time it takes to inoculate is
directly based on the density of
the substrate. For example, duff is
going to take a lot less time to
become fully inoculated than say a
fallen log. Knowing and observing
this, we can recreate the
conditions of the natural world in
the way that best suits our
timeline.
Inoculation
Methods of inoculation vary
slightly between different types of
substrate, but the basic principle is
more or less the same. Break up
the spawn, distribute it evenly
throughout the pasteurized and
reasonably moist substrate. From
there it is mostly cut off from
airflow and extreme temperatures
so that humidity can build up and
support the decomposition of the
substrate.
In our case with shitake logs, there
are some finer points to include in
the process.
Nutrition
Log Plugs
First, we are ideally using fresh cut oak logs or some similar
type of softwood, and looking for younger trees that have a lot
of sapwood and not too much hardwood (the path of least
resistance for the spawn). The ideal diameter is about 4 inches,
but that’s flexible plus or minus an inch. We then cut them
down to 40 inches and gave them an initial soak (optional).
From there you are to drill 5/8x5/8 holes into the log at an 8
inch triangulated spacing, with the spacing a little heavier on
the ends of the logs (usually a couple inches in for practicality’s
sake). Once the holes were bored out, we then plugged them
with the shitake mushroom spawn (you could alternatively
hammer in compressed wood spawn plugs) and then sealed
them with a warm mixture of paraffin wax and mineral oil. This
ensures protection and seals in the moisture that the spawn
requires.
Once finished with this step we started our first soak. The logs
like to stay relatively moist throughout their development, and
under-watering them can lead to dormant or ineffective
inoculation. The average rule of thumb is a 12 hour soak every
2 weeks, but that rate is obviously dependent on weather and
the amount of evaporation occurring in the season (i.e. water
more in the summer). Keeping the logs protected from
extreme weather and loss of humidity, find a safe space for
them in the winter and incorporate them into a shady grove in
the summer.
Nutrition
Spawning
Over the course of inoculation you will
begin to see mycelium cover the ends
of your logs. This is called the spawn
run, and the mycelium is in the
process of vegetating (rooting) and
colonizing the substrate. Not until it is
fully colonized will it be ready to go
into fruiting. This can take up to a
season depending on the substrate
being used. In the case of logs, usually
9 to 12 months
The closer we stay to the previously
mentioned ideal conditions, the more
of an opportunity the spawn will have
to thrive.
Other Substrates
Fruiting
Fruiting
Harvest
The most rewarding stage of the process for most of
us, we now get to reap what we have sown. Once we
are getting towards comfortable fruiting conditions
(spring + fall) and the spawn has successfully
colonized, we can now prepare the logs for fruiting. A
little more exposure and airflow, along with ample
watering, will trigger the plants into wanting to
produce their fruits and ultimately their spores for
sake of survival.
You will fist begin to see pinheads emerging
sporadically, the initial formation or birth of the fruit.
From there it will develop into a full fruiting body,
usually gaining a bit of color as it comes into maturity.
As you pick them in their prime, be sure not to disturb
any of the newly developing pinheads. Harvest
season varies based on species and substrate, but
with shitake mushroom logs you can expect for the
fruiting season to last for about 30-45 days. The log
will then return to dormancy until the right conditions
present themselves once again. The cycle continues
Maintenance
Watering is the most critical
point of mushroom production,
as is the case with all living
organisms. Consistent and
mindful watering will reward
you in the end.
Second to that is a suitable
environment for your spawn to
flourish. Fungi love dimly lit,
humid and temperate
conditions. You can build such
an environment yourself or find
a just as accommodating niche
naturally occurring somewhere
on your property.
Environment
Varieties
Mushroom People
 Paul Stamets
David Arora 
Resources
Everything by Paul Stamets
http://www.mykoweb.com/articles/cultivation.html
http://www.sceltamushrooms.com/history-of-mushrooms
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2013/05/13/mushroom-benefits.aspx
http://www.fungi.com/shop/grow-mushrooms-on-logs-and-stumps.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fungiculture
http://mushroominfo.com/growing-mushrooms/six-steps-to-mushroom-farming/
Our Experience
Mycoremediation
Video in links list
Old Fortune Farms
Offering organically grown vegetables, herbs,
flowers, mushrooms and eggs.
Establishing perennial fruit gardens this year,
hoping to expand our variety every season.
Offering CSA shares and attending Farmers
Markets around NWA.
oldfortunefarms@gmail.com
The End!