GROWING GOURMET - Anto2ni.it

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GROWTH PARAMETERS
Fragrance Signature: Rich, sweet and farinaceous.
Natural Method of Outdoor Cultivation: Inoculation
of logs or stumps outdoors using
sawdust or plug spawn a la the methods traditionally
used for Shiitake. This is one of the few
mushrooms which produces well on walnut
logs. Oaks, beech, elm and similar hardwoods.
(The "paper" barked hardwoods such as alder
and birch are not recommended.) Once inoculated,
the 3-4 foot long logs should be buried to
1/3 of their length into the ground, in a naturally
shady location. Walnut is comparatively
slow to decompose due to its density, providing
the outdoor cultivator with many years of
fruitings. A heavy inoculation rate shortens the
gestation period.
Recommended Courses for Expansion of
Mycelial Mass to Achieve Fruiting: This Figure 346. Dr. Andrew Weil in China with H.
erinaceus forming on oak log.
mushroom, in my experience, requires greater
attention to the details of mycelial development
for the creation of spawn than most other species. The mycelium grows relatively slowly on
nutrified agar media, with fruitbodies often forming before the mycelium has grown to a mere 25
mm. in radius. Furthermore, the transferring of mycelium from agar to grain media using the traditional
scalpel and wedge technique, results in comparatively slow growth, taking weeks to colonize
unless a regimen of diligent and frequent shaking of the spawn jars is followed.
Hericium erinaceus is a classic example of a species which is stimulated by agitation in liquid culture.
I wait until primordial colonies form upon the mycelial mat on agar media. At that time, cultures
are cut into sections and placed into an
Eberbach-like stirrer. Once blended, the myceliated fluid, now
rich in the growth hormones
associated with primordia formation, is expanded by transferring to sterilized
grain filled spawn jars. The result is an explosion of cellular activity.
Two colonies of mycelium grown out on standard 100 x 15 mm. petri dishes are recommended for
use with every 1000 ml. of sterile water. Once stirred, 20-50 ml. ofliquid inoculum is poured into every
liter to 1/2 gallonjar. The jars are then thoroughly shaken to evenly distribute the liquid inoculum,
placed on the spawn incubation rack, and left undisturbed. Soon thereafter evidence of mycelial recovery
can be seen, often with numerous white dense spots. These dense white spots are sites of
rapidly forming primordia, now
numbering many times over than that which had formed in the original
petri dishes. The spawn jars must be used immediately for further expansion either into more
sterilized grain or sterilized wood, lest the primordia develop into sizeable fruitbodies. Should the latter
occur, further use ofthese spawnjars is not recommended since the developing mushrooms will be
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