Mushroom logs have sprouted!
In April, the Dacha hosted a mushroom log workshop, where participants got to inoculate aspen logs from our property with oyster mushrooms. After a rainy and cold early fall, I’m happy to report that the first crop of oysters have fruited on our logs!
One thing I’ve learned from this process is that logs need to be as fresh as possible for the best result. On some of our logs, which were harvested 6 months before the workshop, I’ve noticed some competing mushroom growth in addition to the oysters. If you’re cultivating mushrooms, make sure you can identify the mushrooms you’ve “planted.”
What’s next in Dacha mushroom cultivation? Shitake logs, perhaps?
If you’re interested in mushroom cultivation, or mushrooms in general, I highly recommend Paul Stamets’ excellent book, Mycelium Running: How Mushrooms Can Help Save the World