GROWING GOURMET - Anto2ni.it

114 THE STOCK CULTURE LIBRARY
Figure 94. Mushroom primordia on malt agar media. Upper left: Ganoderma lucidum, Reishi. Upper right:
Agrocybe aegerita, the Black Poplar Mushroom. Lower left: Pleurotus djamor, the Pink Oyster Complex.
Lower right: Hericium erinaceus, the Lion's Mane mushroom.
Chilton, 1983.)
Fragrance: The sensation most difficult to
describe and yet so indispensable to the experienced
spawn producer is that of fragrance.
The mycelium of each species out-gasses volatile
wastes as it decomposes a substrate,
whether that sUbstrate is nutrified agar media,
grain, straw, sawdust, or compost. The complexity
of these odors can be differentiated by
the human olfactory senses. In fact, each species
can be known by afragrance signature. As
the mass of mycelium is increased, these odors
become more pronounced. Although odor is
generally not detectable at the petri dish culture,
it is distinctly noticed when a red-hot scalpel
blade touches living mycelium. The sudden
burst of burned mycelium emits a fragrance that
is specific to each species. More useful to cultivators
is the fragrance signature emanating
from grain spawn. Odors can constantly be used
to check spawn quality and even species identification.
On rye grain, Oyster mycelium emits a
sweet, pleasant, and slightly anise odor.
Shiitake mycelium has an odor reminiscent of
fresh, crushed Shiitake mushrooms. Chickenof
-the-Woods (Laetiporus (Polyporus)
suiphureus) is most unusual in its fragrance signature:
grain spawn has the distinct scent of
butterscotch combined with a hint of maple
syrup! King Stropharia (Stropharia rugosoannulata)
has a musty, phenolic smell on grain
but a rich, appealing woodsy odor on sawdust.
Maitake
mycelium on grain
reminds me of day-old, cold corn tortillas!
Worse of all is Enokitake—it smells like weekold
dirty socks. Mycologists have long been
amazed by the fact that certain mushrooms pro-
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