GROWING GOURMET - Anto2ni.it

302 GROWTH PARAMETERS
over the yields from unsupplemented
wheat straw. Interestingly, the protein content
of the dried mushrooms also rose to
38%.
Royse & Zaki (1991) found that the
equal addition of the commercially available
supplements Spawn Mate il® and Fast
Break® at a combined rate of 168g. perkg.
of wheat straw substantially enhanced
yields of "P. flabellatus". In these tests,
biological efficiency increased from 22%
to 77% in a 28 day harvest period. I would
expect that the yields of other Oyster species
would be similarly improved.
Recommended Containers for Fruiting:
Polyethylene bags or columns, trays,
or racks.
Yield Potentials: Given good crop management,
biological efficiency rated at
75-150%, largely dependent on the age of
the fruitbody at harvest. Some strains of
this species are equally as productive, in
terms of biological efficiency, as the most
vigorous strains of P. pulrnonarius and P.
ostreatus.
Harvest Hints: Mushrooms should be
picked when moderately young, and
handled carefully so as to not bruise the brilliantly colored gills. This mushroom spoils rapidly, with a
shelf life of no more than 4-5 days from the date of harvest.
Form of Product Sold to Market: Fresh or dried. Mushrooms are best presented, gills up, for
maximum visual impact. However, the unique pink color makes marketing an interesting challenge
depending upon the market niche. In markets like New York and Los Angeles, "pink is hot" and the
color, as a friend once told me, "sells itself". As one can imagine, this mushroom may not sell as
well as the non-pink varieties in less sophisticated, rural American markets.
Nutritional Content: Not fully known to this author. Probably similar toP
pulmonarius. Bano et al. (1978)
reported that the mushrooms grown
from unsupplemented wheat straw compared to wheat straw supplemented
with cottonseed powder resulted in protein contents of 30 and 36%, respectively. Supplements and
spawning rates have a direct impact on the protein content of the Figure 273. This variety of the Pink Oyster mushroom
fruits in only 10 days from inoculation into pasteurized
wheat straw.
mushrooms grown.
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