How to Grow Mushrooms from Scratch: A Practical Guide to Cultivating Portobellos, Shiitakes, Truffles, and Other Edible Mushrooms

by Magdalena Wurth, Herbert Wurth

Overview

Yes, you can grow mushrooms from scratch!

Why grow mushrooms?

Mushrooms are a joy to grow—for food, as a garden feature, or just for fun—and it’s easier than you think! How to Grow Mushrooms from Scratch covers 19 varieties, from button (always versatile) to reishi (a medicinal powerhouse). Plus, here are delicious recipes, preserving methods, and more.

Where can you grow mushrooms?

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.

How to grow mushrooms!

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!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781615194919
Publisher:	The Experiment, LLC
Publication date:	09/18/2018
Pages:	144
Sales rank:	361,695
Product dimensions:	6.80(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.70(d)

About the Author

Magdalena Wurth is an agricultural scientist and enthusiastic home mushroom grower. She was born into a family that has a long history of mushroom growing and enjoys cooking with homegrown mushrooms.
 
Herbert Wurth, her father, has been working on the cultivation of mushrooms in the laboratory and garden (he is a former chemist) for over 30 years. He is committed to sustainable agriculture and crop diversity. Together they run the Waldviertler Pilzgarten which offers resources, classes, and advice to home mushroom growers.

Table of Contents

Authors' Note 6

Introduction: The World of Mushrooms 8

1 Cultivating Mushrooms in the Garden 14

Mushrooms from Logs 18

Inoculation with Mushroom Spawn 19

The Development Stages of the Mushroom Garden 25

Cultivated Mushrooms as Features of Garden Design 32

Mushrooms from Straw 35

Inoculating with King Stropharia Spawn 37

Cultivating Oyster Mushrooms on Straw 40

Mushroom Portraits 42

2 Cultivating Mushrooms Indoors 56

Mushrooms on Straw Pellets-Practical and High Yielding 56

Mushroom Kits-The Perfect Way to Cultivate in Wintertime 58

Mushrooms from Compost 61

Additional Mushroom Portraits 64

3 Cultivating Mushrooms in Woodlands and Fields 67

Cultivating Truffles-The Secrets of Mycorrhizal Fungi 67

Important Points in Truffle Cultivation 68

Establishing a Bed for Mushrooms 70

Preparing a Mushroom Bed 71

Speciality: Shaggy Mane in Beds and Containers 72

Inoculating Tree Stumps-Edible Mushrooms Encouraging Biological Succession 75

4 Container-Grown Mushrooms for Courtyards, Balconies, and Patios 80

Setting Up a Mushroom Garden on the Balcony or Patio 80

5 "Protected" Environments for All Seasons 85

Erecting a Protective Roof in the Garden 85

Small Indoor Greenhouses for Edible Mushrooms in Winter 86

A Mushroom House for the Garden 86

Special Technique: Reishi in Pots 87

6 Pests and Competing Organisms in Mushroom Cultivation 90

7 Propagating Mushrooms-From Spore to Spawn 96

For Specialists, Experienced Growers, and Novice Experimenters 96

An Overview of the Working Stages of Mushroom Propagation in the Lab 101

8 The Use of Mushrooms in Medicine 108

9 Recipes and Processing Edible Mushrooms 118

Shiitake 118

Oyster Mushrooms 122

Sheathed Woodtuft 124

Button Mushrooms (Champignons) 125

King Oyster Mushroom 126

Lion's Mane 128

Wood Ear(Jelly Ear) 128

King Stropharia (Garden Giant) 129

Making Mushroom Powder and Processing Medicinal Mushrooms 130

10 Marketing Organic Mushrooms on a Small Scale 133

Case Study: Home Produced Fresh Mushrooms at Gasthaus Seidl, Vienna, Austria 133

Appendixes 136

Bibliography and Recommended Reading 139

Index 140

Acknowledgments 144

About the Translator 144