Katherine Martinko is an expert in sustainable living. She has a degree in English Literature and History from the University of Toronto.

Last month, I received an unusual birthday gift in the mail. My sister sent me what she described as a "mouldy log" in her card, but this is really a miracle waiting to unfold. It is a substrate inoculated with mushroom strains, and if taken care of properly, it will produce firm, chewy king oyster mushrooms.

My children are completely confused by it. "This old thing grows mushrooms?" they cried in disbelief. I have to admit that I am as skeptical as they are, but I followed the instructions, including cutting open the plastic bag, spraying the blocks with non-chlorinated water 3 times a day, and tapping the plastic bag to allow air to circulate. 

Our efforts paid off. Within a few days, small bumps appeared, and soon their size doubled every day. They grow so fast, almost as if they grow before our eyes. When we harvested them, they were one of the most delicious things I have ever had-a consistency similar to scallops, fried in butter and olives, and added a little garlic and fresh basil at the end. Even the children who I hate mushrooms are a little scared.

The whole idea of ​​DIY mushroom growing fascinated me, so I contacted Emily Nigh, the founder of Forest Floor, a new mushroom growing company in Winnipeg, Manitoba. When I described my kit to her, she expressed enthusiasm. 

"You can grow a large number of different kinds of oyster mushrooms-king oyster, Italian mushroom, pearl mushroom, blue mushroom, golden mushroom, pink mushroom, etc. Although they all have the typical oyster shape, the gills extend down the stem , But they can be in all different shapes and sizes," Nigh said. "My favorite is growing in large clusters. The smaller the hat, the more delicious it tastes. It should be harvested while the hat is still curled."

She said that oysters are often a popular choice because they are not picky about conditions and are very delicious. They should also be cooked often.

My kit uses plastic bags to keep the substrate moist, but Nigh says she prefers plastic food-grade barrels. "Most growers grow in thin plastic sleeves with filters, but this generates a lot of plastic waste," she said. "More and more urban growers, especially indoor growers, are experimenting with alternatives."

"What is the base material made of?" I asked. I thought it was a piece of wood, but Nigh said it might be straw or sawdust inoculated with mycelium.

"Mycelium is a mycelium, cultivated under aseptic conditions with sawdust and a small amount of grain," Nigh said. "Unless there is a laboratory, most growers will not produce their own strains, but there are many good sources of cultured strains."

"The mycelium is the vegetative part of the fungus and is made up of a network of white filaments-you can see that the bag is white before it results," she added. "When you poke a hole in the bag, it releases carbon dioxide and introduces oxygen. The inflow of fresh air will trigger the fruit in the hole, just like flowing out of a hole in a tree."

This is why my kit says to put it in a cool, dark place and seal it with a plastic bag until I am ready to start growing. As soon as air and humidity hit it, the hyphae become active.

Nigh explained that although the mushrooms grown on my substrate taste delicious, it works better when grown on logs. (Although, she is doing some experiments on coffee grounds). This is her specialty, and she strives to replicate the forest environment in her own urban backyard.

"My specialty is oysters and shiitake mushrooms. They are grown outdoors on cut logs in various ways. The so-called'forest-grown' mushrooms are excellent in flavor and freshness, but their spawning period is very long. ——Up to two years before they came to fruition," Nye said. "This process involves drilling holes in the logs (different wood types, depending on the type of mushroom) and inoculating them with strains. Then they are placed in a cool place and soaked according to the schedule to prevent them from drying out. I currently have Hundreds of these logs are stored in turns."

After harvest, Nigh packs both fresh and dried mushrooms — she prefers to dry them because it can significantly increase the vitamin D content — and then load them into her electric cargo bike and ship them to the farmers’ market. 

Her company Forest Floor is based on interest in small-scale urban agriculture and how much food can be produced in a small space. "Our goal is to keep my market base within a small area that can be accessed and provided by bicycle," she told me.

I am sad to see that my DIY kit is a once-and-for-all deal. If I spray it often, it may bear fruit again in two weeks. But if it doesn't, I can plant it in the garden, and maybe harvest another crop in the fall. In any case, Nigh said, "Once the kit bears fruit, it is a good compost."

If you have never tried a DIY mushroom planting kit, I strongly recommend you to try it. For kids, this is a great home science experiment, faster and more significant than any other food growing project I have tried.

As more and more people try to reduce their meat intake, mushrooms will only become a more important part of our diet-if we can produce mushrooms at home or buy them from local growers, it would be better NS.

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