The Essential Guide to Cultivating Mushrooms

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.  With clear instructions and step-by-step photographs, this straightforward guide shows you how to cultivate mushrooms in your own home.
Stephen Russell owns The Hoosier Mushroom Company. He founded the The Hoosier Mushroom Society and travels throughout the year speaking at clubs, festivals, and conferences. He lives in Bloomington, Indiana. Preface



Part 1: Basics for Beginners



1.   Getting to Know Mushrooms

2.   Basic Growing Options

3.   Combating Contaminants

4.   Your First Grow



Part 2: Intermediate Methods



5.   Pressure Cookers and Flow Hoods

6.   Grain Spawn

7.   Casings

8.   Liquid Cultures

9.   Working with Sawdust

10. Midsize Fruiting Chambers



Part 3: Advanced Methods



11.   Agar Cultures

12.   Large-Scale Grain Spawn

13.   Bulk Substrates



Resources

Index

  Harvest Mushrooms at Home



Learn to grow the most popular species - Oyster, Shiitake, Lion's Mane, and Maitake - in controlled indoor environments at home. Beginning with the best ways to ensure success with a kit and proceeding through advanced techniques for creating sawdust spawn, working with liquid cultures and fruiting chambers, and much more, Stephen Russell covers everything the home grower needs to know. A trusted reference for market growers, this book is also the perfect companion for hobbyists craving a steady supply of dinner-table mushrooms.