NSF

So you write morel in the title and you get 8 replies in a 24 hour period, you write xanthodermus and you get none?! (I wish I knew the unicode for interrobang) I've since convinced myself that the shroom is in fact Agaricus Augustus. I just hope i'm correct.

No steam escapes during heating...oh wait, just as I typed that I realised what you said...no steam escapes during heating (but does escape once desired pressure is reached?) and then as the pressure drops (heat input ceases) then no air enters.

Does that then mean it forms a vacuum as it cools if you make this mod?

I was under the impression (prepared to be told I'm wrong) that when they cooled they formed a vacuum, then when it comes to time to open them (like RR does) you do it in front of your flow hood, so it can only suck in clean air (his flowhood is in his bedroom). But maybe the vacuum only happens on the steriliser not on the pressure cooker? You can change one or two parts on the PC to make it a steriliser...what are they? Is it hard to do?

You lucky son of a gun. I realise you didn't pay for it, or pay for shipping but where'd it get sent to you from and how much was the shipping? I only ask because $190 shipping are the quotes I'm getting...sheesh!

I was just in Coles the other day and had absolutely no idea of the range of bird seed in there. So I took a couple of pics...Watertrade, would you mind pointing out which is the seed to go for? Especially now that Coles have re-branded, trying to convince us that we'll love their products (cretins). http://tinypic.com/r/iw6bmo/7 http://tinypic.com/r/2qc4leu/7

I just looked up the specs on your Pentax K200D Lord Mayo and I also did some maths. So IF you happened to want to do a full A4 image then that would have to be just under 9 megapixels. Your cam does 10.2 so you should be sweet. Maybe a little less cropping and a bit more macro is the order of the day. Cheers, tech head

@Tripsis: So where are some good places to look? What am I looking for? Fallen trees? What species? gullies? leaf litter? Oh and in Victoria there's also this club http://www.fncv.org.au/fungi.htm but I think I might be about 40 years too young to join!

I'm keen to get out and learn from others in the art of hunting around Victoria in the next few weeks/months. It would be cool to meet some people and head out. Anyone in Vic a member of a club/society? If I come across any hericium I'll keep a print or tissue sample for you. I've never seen it in the wild but I've never been to the Otways either.

I will up a better pic tomorrow but no, it's not a bolete (sadly) it's gilled. Anyone in aus found any porcini or grown any?

I did re-size them down and we have a massive internet connection but it could well have been a port issue. (more likely some proxy) But thanks for the reminder about imageshack! http://img222.imageshack.us/i/img2168z.jpg/ http://img831.imageshack.us/i/img2169k.jpg/ http://img148.imageshack.us/i/img2170z.jpg/ Oh and no bluing when bruised.

Well i'm now a city kid who misses the country but in recent days, with rainfall and tropics like humidity i've noticed shrooms springing up everywhere. How are the edibles going out in rural and bushy areas? Worth a drive on the weekend?

*Stuffed up*

@kalika you don't have to get a positive ID, i've sent in photos (normally pairs with shots showing shroom and substrate and one of gills and stipe) they will ID them and reply slowly with an email. Very handy mycologists.

Hey kalika, i was born and raised in the yarra valley, my folks are still out there, where'd you find these interesting specimens? Do you remember town or trail names? You could submit these to fungimap too. And i should have also said great photos! Hence my curiosity.

I know that if I listened to migraineur then I wouldn't need to ask this question but what the hey! light malt extract...this is the home brew ingredient isn't it? http://www.coopers.com.au/corporate/malt-extract Yes, that could be the stupidest thing I've asked out loud.

I like it and I will be using it! But just thinking out loud...it would work for sterilising grain jars (maybe bags?!?!) but what about agar? If something germinates in agar then isn't it ruined-ish?

That may be true, I still want that tank like construction of the AA though, that's just me. I reckon punkin's versatile steriliser/pastueriser/still would have more than $130 worth of copper in the tubing alone! It's an impressive rig! You do pose a good question though...when people have cooked with a pressure cooker do you put the bird/animal into a dish and on top of the trivet? Then some water in the bottom of the PC to steam it all up? Or just throw all casserole type ingredients in and give it a rapid cook?

Well I think this makes my decision on PC a clear one, although I won't be getting a PC (sort of) I'll be getting a Pressure Steriliser, an All American one. But...I hear you can convert an All American Pressure cooker to a steriliser. Has anyone done this successfully? Is there much to it? Oh and what's the best place/price that anyone has found an All American for (including shipping)? Is it worth getting the electric one? Just plug it in and stress less?

There is a government funded move to try and do this already. http://www.rbg.vic.gov.au/fungimap/ At present they are only collecting information, they aren't then sharing it back with the community but I think that won't be far away. I've contacted them, as I work with maps and spatial data about putting the information online. I think it will happen in the next little while. They ask for coordinates but they don't input with much accuracy, in effect, this protects the person submitting from having their patch raided. I have no idea what their standpoint on actives is though. And despite them having 100 target species they gladly accept any finds I have and are quite good at identifying species if you send in 2 photos of your find. One in natural environment and one with the underside exposed.

As in those orange or yellow foam ones? Or those pink and yellow striped ones? Or the ones swimmers wear?

So it's a bit like a mini spud gun? You just take a little core? But do you take several cores without removing the needle from the jar? Or do you take a plug, spit it into a grain spawn jar, flame sterilise and back into the salsa jar? How many 'cores' do you use to colonise some grain or rice flour?

@hillbilly: great tek...where's a good place to source injection ports? Edit: i just saw your other thread about these, so i'll wait and see what turns up. Also, just how much agar can you suck up with the syringe? Doesn't the gel clog the needle?

Considering how little rain we've had of late (although I was overseas for a few weeks so maybe I'm wrong) I'm shocked you are able to find fruit. Great job! Not only are you photos well composed but the species you are finding are just fantastic. If ever you'd like a companion on your excursions then PM me and I'd happily come along. Oh and FYI, if you want to print a full A4 photo at 300dpi (300dpi is what printers demand) then you only need an image that is 2480 X 3508 pixel. I don't know how many megapixels your SLR is but it's looking sharp from here!

Yep, I much prefer the KISS policy.