|
| |
Shitake Growers Handbook: the Art and Science of Mushroom
Cultivation. Przybylowicz, P. and J. Donoghue. 1990. Kendall/Hunt Publishing
Company. pp. 240. (Book)
Did you know that if you don’t have a greenhouse for growing
mushrooms in the Pacific Northwest that you can still grow them in the Spring,
Fall, and Winter? That’s when rainfall and temperature conditions are optimal
for cultivating fungi. After your mushrooms have, well, mushroomed, they can be
harvested and then dried for consumption throughout the year. In many Eastern
cultures, mushrooms are served as a separate food group because of their unique
health benefits.
Beauséjour lists a variety of mushrooms, and their
cultivation, along with praise for their nutritional attributes and aesthetic
beauty. Details include descriptions and pictures of their natural habitats, as
well as their edibility. Consider the health benefits of mushrooms in your
diet, and include them as part of your eating habits at a time when the garden
is relatively slow.
Fungi Perfecti, LLC. 2006.
www.fungi.com
Did you know that fungi recycle plants after they die and
transform them into some of the richest soils? If not for mushrooms and other
fungi, the Earth would be buried in several feet of debris and life on the
planet would soon disappear! Some mushrooms even produce compounds that
allegedly fight cancer. Fungi Perfecti, a family-owned, environmentally-friendly
company packs its website with kits, pamphlets, books, gifts, and interesting
mushroom facts for any interested member of the family. We ordered one of these
kits and have been pleased with the Shitake mushrooms (now on their 3rd harvest)
and Fungi Perfecti’s customer service. One page of mushroom recipes and a page
designed for kids’ games occur on the site. Did you know you could make
beautiful colors by boiling wild mushrooms and dipping cloth into the resulting
broth? It is a good website for the whole family to investigate and learn of the
superior benefits derived from the underrated mushroom.
As an aside, if you have greater ambitions, their website
includes directions to growing mushrooms outdoors, after they show you how to
make your own bin.
If you are truly serious about growing your own mushrooms
check out this PDF file on growing mushrooms outdoors. For that matter, check
out as much information as you can get your hands on and learn to identify what
you are eating. This site provides tips on agar media, plates, spawn, spores,
cultivation, and equipment as well as examples for growing specific mushroom
species.
| |
|
