Growing Gourmet and Medicinal Mushrooms

by Stamets, Paul

• ISBN13: 9781580081757
• ISBN10: 1580081754
• Edition: 3rd
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2000-12-01
• Publisher: Random House

Summary

After years of living in awe of the mysterious fungi known as mushrooms-chefs, health enthusiasts, and home cooks alike can't get enough of these rich, delicate morsels. With updated production techniques for home and commercial cultivation, detailed growth parameters for 31 mushroom species, a trouble-shooting guide, and handy gardening tips, this revised and updated handbook will make your mycological landscapes the envy of the neighborhood.

Author Biography

PAUL STAMETS is the founder of Fungi Perfecti and codirector and founder of the Rainforest Mushroom Genome and Mycodiversity Preservation Project. He is the author of two seminal textbooks, The Mushroom Cultivator and GROWING GOURMET AND MEDICINAL MUSHROOMS, has been published in numerous journals, and is presenting more lectures on mycology than he can keep track of. An advisor and consultant to the Program for Integrative Medicine at the University of Arizona Medical School and the 1998 recipient of the Collective Heritage Institute’s Bioneers Award, Stamets lives in Kamilche Point, Washington with his collection of more than 250 medicinal mushroom cultures.

Table of Contents

Foreword	xiii
Acknowledgments	xv
Introduction	xvii
Mushrooms, Civilization, and History	1	(4)
The Role of Mushrooms in Nature	5	(12)
The Mycorrhizal Gourmet Mushrooms: Matsutake, Boletus, Chanterelles, and Truffles	5	(4)
Parasitic Mushrooms: Blights of the Forest	9	(2)
Saprophytic Mushrooms: The Decomposers	11	(2)
The Global Environmental Shift and the Loss of Species Diversity	13	(1)
Catastrophia: Nature as a Substrate Supplier	14	(1)
Mushrooms and Toxic Wastes	14	(1)
Mushroom Mycelium and Mycofiltration	15	(2)
Selecting a Candidate for Cultivation	17	(4)
Natural Culture: Creating Mycological Landscapes	21	(18)
Methods of Mushroom Culture	24	(1)
Spore-Mass Inoculation	24	(1)
Transplantation: Mining Mycelium from Wild Patches	25	(1)
Inoculating Outdoor Substrates with Pure Cultured Spawn	26	(3)
When to Inoculate an Outdoor Mushroom Patch	29	(1)
Site Location of a Mushroom Patch	29	(1)
Stumps as Platforms for Growing Mushrooms	29	(4)
Log Culture	33	(6)
Permaculture with a Mycological Twist: The Stametsian Model for a Synergistic Mycosphere	39	(6)
Materials for Formulating a Fruiting Substrate	45	(10)
Raw Materials	46	(1)
Suitable Wood Types: Candidate Tree Species	46	(4)
Cereal Straws	50	(1)
Paper Products: Newspaper, Cardboard, Books	51	(1)
Corncobs and Cornstalks	51	(1)
Coffee and Banana Plants	52	(1)
Sugarcane Bagasse	52	(1)
Seed Hulls	52	(1)
Soybean Roughage (Okara)	52	(1)
Supplements	53	(1)
Structure of the Habitat	54	(1)
Biological Efficiency: An Expression of Yield	55	(4)
Homemade vs. Commercial Spawn	59	(2)
The Mushroom Life Cycle	61	(12)
The Six Vectors of Contamination	73	(6)
Mind and Methods for Mushroom Culture	79	(6)
Overview of Techniques for Cultivating Mushrooms	82	(3)
Culturing Mushroom Mycelium on Agar Media	85	(12)
Preparing Nutrified Agar Media	85	(2)
Pouring Agar Media	87	(1)
Starting a Mushroom Strain by Cloning	88	(3)
Cloning Wild vs. Cultivated Mushrooms	91	(1)
How to Collect Spores	91	(1)
Germinating Spores	92	(3)
Purifying a Culture	95	(2)
The Stock Culture Library: A Genetic Bank of Mushroom Strains	97	(12)
Preserving the Culture Library	97	(2)
The Stamets ``P'' Value System	99	(2)
Iconic Types of Mushroom Mycelium	101	(7)
The Event of Volunteer Primordia on Nutrified Agar Media	108	(1)
Evaluating a Mushroom Strain	109	(10)
Features for Evaluating and Selecting a Mushroom Strain	110	(9)
Generating Grain Spawn	119	(26)
Formulas for Creating Grain Spawn	121	(2)
First-Generation Grain Spawn Masters	123	(3)
Second-and Third-Generation Grain Spawn	126	(3)
Autoclavable Spawn Bags	129	(4)
Liquid-inoculation Techniques	133	(1)
Spore-Mass Inoculation	133	(4)
Liquid-inoculation Techniques: Mycelial Fragmentation and Fermentation	137	(4)
Pelletized (Granular) Spawn	141	(1)
Matching the Spawn with the Substrate: Critical Choices on the Mycelial Path	142	(1)
Spawn Storage	143	(2)
Creating Sawdust Spawn	145	(4)
Growing Mushrooms on Enriched Sawdust	149	(18)
The Supplemented Sawdust ``Fruiting''' Formula: Creating the Production Block	150	(2)
Testing for Moisture Content	152	(1)
Choosing a Sterilizer, aka Retort or Autoclave	153	(1)
Sterilization of Supplemented Substrates	154	(3)
Post-Autoclaving	157	(1)
Unloading the Autoclave	158	(1)
Atmospheric Steam Sterilization of Sawdust Substrates	158	(2)
Inoculation of Supplemented Sawdust: Creating the Production Block	160	(4)
Incubation of the Production Blocks	164	(1)
Achieving Full Colonization on Supplemented Sawdust	165	(1)
Handling the Blocks Post-Full Colonization	166	(1)
Cultivating Gourmet Mushrooms on Agricultural Waste Products	167	(12)
Alternative Fruiting Formulas	168	(1)
Heat-Treating the Bulk Substrate	169	(1)
The Hot Water Bath Method: Submerged Pasteurization	170	(1)
The ``Phase I'' Chamber: Steam Pasteurization	171	(4)
Alternative Methods for Rendering Straw and Other Bulk Materials for Cultivation	175	(1)
The Hydrated Lime Bath	175	(1)
The Bleach Bath	175	(1)
The Hydrogen Peroxide Technique	175	(1)
The High-Pressure Extrusion Method	176	(1)
The Detergent Bath	176	(1)
Yeast Fermentation	177	(2)
Cropping Containers	179	(18)
Tray Culture	179	(4)
Vertical Wall Culture	183	(1)
Slanted Wall or A-Frame Culture	183	(1)
Bag Culture	184	(2)
Column Culture	186	(5)
Bottle Culture	191	(6)
Casing: A Topsoil Promoting Mushroom Formation	197	(4)
Growth Parameters for Gourmet and Medicinal Mushroom Species	201	(230)
Spawn Run: Colonizing the Substrate	202	(1)
Primordia Formation: The Initiation Strategy	202	(3)
Fruitbody (Mushroom) Development	205	(2)
The Gilled Mushrooms	207	(142)
The Himematsutake Mushroom Agaricus blazei	208	(9)
The Portobello Mushroom Agaricus brunnescens	217	(8)
The Black Poplar Mushroom Agrocybe aegerita	225	(4)
The Shaggy Mane Coprinus comatus	229	(4)
The Enoki Mushroom Flammulina velutipes	233	(6)
The Clustered Wood-lovers	239	(1)
The Brown-Gilled Woodlover Hypholoma capnoides	240	(4)
Kuritake (The Chestnut Mushroom) Hypholoma sublateritium	244	(4)
The Beech Mushrooms	248	(1)
Buna-Shimeji Hypsizygus tessulatus	249	(6)
Shirotamogitake Hypsizygus ulmarius	255	(4)
The Shiitake Mushroom Lentinula edodes	259	(17)
The Nameko Mushroom Pholiota nameko	276	(6)
The Oyster Mushrooms	282	(2)
Golden Oyster Mushroom Pleurotus citrinopileatus	284	(6)
The Abalone Mushroom Pleurotus cystidiosus	290	(5)
The Pink Oyster Mushroom Pleurotus djamor	295	(6)
The King Oyster Mushroom Pleurotus eryngii	301	(4)
The Tarragon Oyster Mushroom Pleurotus euosmus	305	(3)
The Tree Oyster Mushroom Pleurotus ostreatus	308	(8)
The Phoenix or Indian Oyster Mushroom Pleurotus pulmonarius, ``P. sajor-caju''	316	(5)
The King Tuber Oyster Mushroom Pleurotus tuberregium	321	(5)
The Caramel Capped Psilocybes Psilocybe cyanescens complex	326	(8)
The King Stropharia Mushroom Stropharia rugosoannulata	334	(7)
The Paddy Straw Mushroom Volvariella volvacea	341	(8)
The Polypore Mushrooms	349	(38)
Reishi or Ling Chi Ganoderma lucidum	352	(15)
Maitake or Hen-of-the-Woods Grifola frondosa	367	(10)
Zhu Ling or the Umbrella Polypore Polyporus umbellatus	377	(5)
Turkey Tail or Yun Zhi Trametes versicolor	382	(5)
The Lion's Mane Hericium erinaceus	387	(8)
The Wood Ears Auricularia polytricha	395	(6)
The Jelly Mushrooms	401	(8)
White Jelly Mushroom Tremella fuciformis	402	(7)
The Cauliflower Mushrooms	409	(6)
The Cauliflower Mushroom Sparassis crispa	410	(5)
The Morels (Land-Fish Mushrooms)	415	(16)
The Morel Life Cycle	417	(4)
The Development of Indoor Morel Cultivation	421	(1)
The Black Morels Morchella angusticeps and Allies	422	(9)
Maximizing the Substrate's Potential through Species Sequencing	431	(4)
Harvesting, Storing, and Packaging Mushrooms for Market	435	(8)
Harvesting the Crop	435	(2)
Packaging and Storing the Crop for Market	437	(2)
Drying Mushrooms	439	(1)
Marketing the Product	440	(3)
Mushroom Recipes: Enjoying the Fruits of Your Labors	443	(12)
Cultivation Problems and Their Solutions: A Troubleshooting Guide	455	(68)
Agar Culture	458	(1)
Grain Culture	459	(2)
Straw Culture	461	(1)
Supplemented Sawdust Culture	462	(1)
Pre-harvest Period	463	(1)
Harvest Stage	463	(2)
Post-harvest	465	(2)
APPENDICES
Appendix 1. Description of Environments for a Mushroom Farm	467	(8)
The Laboratory Complex	467	(1)
The Growing Room Complex	468	(7)
Appendix 2. Designing and Building a Spawn Laboratory	475	(6)
Design Criteria for a Spawn Laboratory	477	(2)
Good Clean Room Habits: Helpful Suggestions for Minimizing Contamination in the Laboratory	479	(2)
Appendix 3. The Growing Room: An Environment for Mushroom Formation and Growth	481	(8)
Design Criteria for the Growing Rooms	483	(4)
Managing the Growing Rooms: Good Habits for the Personnel	487	(2)
Appendix 4. Resource Directory	489	(14)
Recommended Mushroom Field Guides	489	(1)
Mushroom Book Suppliers	490	(1)
Annual Mushroom Festivals and Events	491	(1)
Mushroom Cultivation Seminars and Training Centers	492	(1)
Mushroom Study Tours and Adventures	493	(1)
International Mushroom Associations	493	(1)
North American Mushroom Societies and Associations	493	(4)
Mushroom Growers Associations	497	(1)
Sources for Mushroom Cultures	498	(1)
Sources for Mushroom Spawn	499	(1)
Sources for Marketing Information	500	(1)
Mushroom Newsletters and Journals	500	(1)
Mushroom Museums	501	(1)
Sources for Medicinal Mushroom Products	501	(1)
Mycological Resources on the Internet	502	(1)
Appendix 5. Analyses of Basic Materials Used in Substrate Preparation	503	(16)
Appendix 6. Data Conversion Tables	519	(4)
Glossary	523	(6)
Bibliography	529	(24)
Photo and Illustration Credits	553	(2)
Index	555