Reishi!

Ganoderma lucidum

(Same Ganoderma lucidum 8 days earlier)

I unwittingly grew reishi mushrooms :)

I was forced to sort through the mass of rotting mushroom bags under my desk and was shocked to see Reishis, Ganoderma lucidum, growing out of a bag. Reishi is one of the most famous mushrooms in Chinese Medicine, but I never grew out a reishi culture....hmmm?

The label on the bag said Lentinula edodes (Shiitake) from Spore Works. I realized this was one of the cultures that had been donated to the UW Farm and it must have been mislabeled.

But I don't mind :)

I'm going to grow them, dry them, grind them up (somehow), mix them into melted chocolate and make my own reishi chocolates like they do at Fungi Perfecti.

I might get a few more...see the new ones forming?

mushrooms!

Yahoo!
My mushroom bags went crazy while I was in the Caribbean.
Here is the Hericium (Lion's Mane) busting out of the filter patch:

The Oysters were going crazy, too (no photo...) and here are the Shiitakes:

I poked holes in the bags to allow increased Oxygen flow which should stimulate fruitings.
I'll keep you posted.= :)

Kombucha

We started some kombucha at the UW farm.

It's a fermented tea. The basic instructions are: brew tea, add a lot of sugar, and lay on a round "pancake" that is a culture of both yeast and bacteria.
In two weeks it produces a sour, vinegar-y tea to drink. I happen to like it a lot, but many people don't care for kombucha.
In Russia, kombucha is revered as a folk health remedy. Many "health nuts" grow it here in the US and there are several brands of kombucha for sale in stores.
Some people (including the beloved Paul Stamets), however, do NOT like kombucha and feel it is unsafe and unwise to brew your own since a bowl covered with muslin is not much by way of sterile environment.
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/00039742.htm
http://www.fungi.com/info/articles/blob.html
I used to make my own for a few months back in 2006, so I am happy to be making it again with the Farm!

culture update

Culture update:

(I could NOT get the picture straight)
2 bags lost due to mold!
How?! I autoclaved them! Turns out mold grew only on the larger bags, so they must not have sterilized all the way through. I will not fill the bags as full next time.

on a positive note:

Other bags looking great.
See the mycelium growing thick and healthy?

Injera

Tonight was the culminating feast of the last 4 days of yeast bubbling, spice grinding kitchen prep.
Homemade Ethiopian Feast!

Adam and I have had Ethiopian/Eritrean food several times here in Seattle and we love it.
I recently came across a vegetarian recipe website that had a section on Ethiopian food. The recipes worked great and everything was delicious. It totally tasted like what we have had in restaurants.
So, there are two main spicing ingredients to prepare: Niter Kebbeh (spiced butter) and Berbere (spice mix). These you can use in many recipes.
Making Niter Kebbeh (spiced butter)

Strained Niter Kebbeh (spice butter) ready to use

The Injera is a sourdough "crepe" used as a plate and you can dip and wrap pieces of the injera around bits of stew when eating with your hands. Don't forget to begin making this at least 3 days before you want to eat it :)
Basically, I made everything on that Ethiopian page (above link). To have more variety, I made the Yemiser W'et (lentil stew) less spicy than the Yetakelt W'et (veggie stew) by omitting the extra paprika and cumin.
After making these recipes, I feel like I could easily incorporate the spiced butter or spice mix into other homemade meals to make the tastiest food :)
I love Ethiopian food!
Also, when I cooked the injera, I saved about 1/2 cup to start another batch. We can't wait for it to get ready!

culturing :)

I've been culturing!

I got the spring buzz a few weeks ago and started growing out some of my cultures that had been in storage for 2 1/2 years....
It was great because it coincided with the UW Farm starting a "fungi on the farm" committee, which I joined, of course.
*I grew these on a medium of oatmeal agar and Bacto agar (an antibacterial).
Here are a few photos:
Pleurotus pulmonarus, the Phoenix Oyster

Hericium erinaceus, the Lion's Mane

and Pleurotus ostreatus, the Oyster, or Tree Oyster

Once the cultures were healthy and strong, I mixed sawdust and spent beer grains about 50/50 and added water.

I sterilized this mixture in autoclavable bags, and allowed to cool. This took longer than expected.

Then, I set in small chunks of the mycelium, cut directly from their dish and zip-tied the bags closed.

I had a helper :)

Now, we wait.

hand insurance

I need to insure my hands...I need hand insurance.
Everything I do relies on my hands and my "fine motor skills."
From writing, typing, scraping mildews, micropipetting, and working with small samples at work to sewing, knitting, drawing, gardening, cooking, canning, and blogging for fun.
Both my livelihood and my creative outlet rely on my hands.

I have a feeling I will be one of those old ladies with very knobby, well-used hands.

Hands, I would be lost without you!

fermentation

Hello all!
Here is a great how-to video from Sandor Ellix Katz, author of Wild Fermentation.

In his book and on his website you can learn about the ancient and modern craft of fermentation.

Delicious examples:
Sauerkraut
Miso
Tempeh
Sourdough
Pickling
Wine, Mead, Beer, etc.

Here's the video, have fun!!

Shiitake

Guess what I found in my closet?!
My shiitake (Lentinula edodes) mushroom bag from Fungi Perfecti!
I went to Paul Stamets' Gourmet and Medicinal Mushroom Cultivation Seminar back in November and had forgoten/ignored my shiitakes growing on woodchips since then.



looks like there is something inside....



A few good mushrooms!
So perfectly grown and with no bugs :)



The woodchips are quite decomposed.



Fungi are beautiful:

I ate the fresh ones and they were delicious.
I've been meaning to get going on my mushroom cultivation skills...When I am finally and completely graduated (two more weeks) I will.