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Heres a post for anyone interested in mushroom growing. This document is my personal notes on making brown rice flour (BRF) cakes and using the Pf Tek procedure to fruit. The video series the notes are taken from can be viewed here:
Lets Grow Mushrooms! BRF/PF Tek Series
Brown Rice Flour (BRF) cakes are highly nutritious mixes of nutrients and soil for mycillium to feed on/grow in to. A simple mixture of vermiculite, brown rice flour, and water.
5 1/2 pint mason jars (1 cup)
A roll of medical micropore tape to cover holes
A drill to make holes in jar lid
A Big mixing bowl & stirring spoon
1 cup brown rice flour (240ml)
1 cup water (240ml)
2 cups vermiculite (480ml)
In the mixing bowl, add 2 cups vermiculite (480ml) and 1 cup water (240ml)
Mix the water and verm together well. Really need to mix well so rice flour coats verm.
Once the water and verm are mixed, add 1 cup brown rice flour & mix (240ml) and mix well.
Drill or punch 4 small holes in each jar lid for innoculation and gas exchange. Put micropore tape over lid holes.
Begin filling jars with BRF mix *** DO NOT PACK, make sure its fluffy with plenty of air *** DO NOT FILL, make sure top 1/2 inch (1cm) of jar is clear.
lightly use fingers to push down BRF mix off inner wall of jar.
Clean inside rim above substrate by using a dry paper towel to wipe inside lip all around. Do this to help reduce moisture which helps keep contamination out.
Fill the rest of jar with DRY vermiculite (NOT BRF mix!) REMEMBER NOT TO PACK!
Seal the jar with lid facing rubber side up (upside down) this makes it easier to take off later.
Finally, Place aluminum foil over lids.
Steam sterilization of the jars and BRF mix is an important step to prevent contamination. Experienced mycologist often use pressure cookers. Fortunately for beginners who don't have one, similar effects can be achieved with the humble stove, pot, and boiling water.
Large boiling pot with lid
A hand full of Mason jar rings for spacers
Some Aluminum foil
a cooking stove
Place a layer of jar rings on bottom of pot snuggly to act as spacers
place aluminum sheets on top of the layer of rings
Put another layer of rings on top of foil
Pour enough water in to just come up to the top jar ring *** JARS NEED TO BE COMLETELY OUT OF THE WATER!!!! Leave space between jars and water. This prevents water from splashing up under the foil into the jar lid holes.
Steam sterilize by bringing pot to a boil and letting the jars steam for 90 mins. Turn stovetop to high. Once water boils, reduce stove to a lower setting to a minimum point where the water will still boil. Make sure water continues to boil and make steams. Dont let water boil dry!
Only start the 90 minute countdown after boiling/steam production starts.
Innoculation is the act of putting spores in our substrate. Its important to build a glovebox when innoculating to reduce the possibility of contamination with other undesireable spores floating in the air.
Innoculating glovebox (clear plastic tub with glove holes)
Latex gloves
Tyvec wrist sleves
Butane/alcohol lighter for clean flame sterilization
Medical alcohol
Spore syringe
Get clear plastic tub with lid from dollar store
Use drill with circular hole saw attachment to make two glove holes. Scissors and a file will probably work too if you don't have a drill or hole saw laying around, just make sure there are no sharp edges around hole to cut gloves
Sanitize gloves with alcohol
Shake the syringe
flame sterilize the syringe needle until red hot
Let needle cool two seconds
Hold jar at an angle, shoot syringe towards outer glass walls
Flame sterilize syringe needle between jars
Allow jars to sit on a shelf at room temp (75-81F) for three weeks or until fully colonized. WAIT UNTIL FULL COLONIZATION! jar should be solid white with mycillium.
If green forest mold shows up, that jar is a lost cause. If you want to save the jar then boil the contaminated jars in water for an hour BEFORE you open up the jars and and dump em out. DO NOT OPEN CONTAMINATED JARS INDOORS!!!
Smell cakes for mushroom smell
Remove cakes from jar. Tapping the jar on a hard surface helps to pop the cake out
Gently scrape loose verm crud off cakes with hands
Rinse cakes well under water
Place cakes in pot of cold water
Place weight to hold them down and soak for 24 hours. Heavy plates should work.
Get bag of pearlite
Get clear plastic tub with lid from dollar store
Drill lots of holes into tub on all sides, including bottom and lid.
Rinse pearlite out with water. Allow it to drain well
Fill bottom with pearlite about 2-3 inches
Rinse birthed cakes well after their 24HR soak
After rinse, roll cakes in dry vermiculute. Make sure cake is coated really well!
Place birthed cakes in fruiting chamber
Finally, Let the magic happen!