simmering rye grain

[incognito]

is this where im fucking up and why my jars take soooo long to colonise?

i have just been soaking the rye for 24 hrs, rinsing the rye through a sieve thoroughly, allowing to drain then putting into my jars and pc-ing for an hour.

the grain seems a little sticky at the bottom.

should i be simmering the rye for 20mins after the initial soaking to soften the grain up??

would love to know the perfect water ratio on rye grain.

plus my jars took so long to start to colonise, then when they started soon went backwards and reduced itself to a slush, this i believe was due to me inserting TO much filter wool into the breather and innocuation holes and causing an anaerobic (spelling?) problem within..

im so excited to be growing but am havin hassles. jars are ket at a temp of 28 degrees.

any help appreciated.

[gecko]

I use equal parts water/rye

eg. 4 cups water / 4cups rye -a bit of brown rice in it helps as a buffer to soak up excess moisture, sometimes I use a few paper pellets.

teaspoon of gypsum (helps keep grains separated and supplies Calcium)

a pinch of lime (Calcium carbonate)

soak over night -mainly to germinate mould spores and make them more vulnerable to sterilization temps.

put into rice cooker and press start

when finished, mix redistribute grains ( with wild birdseed, sunflower seed float on top),

load into jars and PC 1 hr

For my jars I drill hole in lid then insert 8mm vinyl tube about 10-15mm long and

seal around it with silicone roof and gutter sealer.

when set the vinyl tube is stuffed with polyfil.

When packing into the PC the tops of the jars are covered with a square of Al foil.

The Alfoil helps protect them ( tops of jars) from contams while they are taken from the PC to flow hood or glove box.

hope this helps

[incognito]

)

soak over night -mainly to germinate mould spores and make them more vulnerable to sterilization temps.

put into rice cooker and press start

when finished, mix redistribute grains ( with wild birdseed, sunflower seed float on top),

load into jars and PC 1 hr

hope this helps

 

thanks man that does help alot,

my question is how long do u pc the grain for before loading into jars, and do u pc the grain with water? or without? then u strain all the water out before loading into jars,,,,right??? sorry im just struggling with my jars at the moment......from what i can make out ill simmer the grain for 45 mins after soaking for 24hrs, rinse, then drain completely b4 loading up jars.

i think my initial mycelial growth which is followed by a rapid decline and later contams was due to the fact my bottles couldnt breathe due to the extreme packing of the breather holes with polyfills, and the bottles perhaps overheating, the container in which the bottles are stored was 30 degrees, meaning inside the jar could be near 40? thats no good i presume, and a whole lot of funky stuff occured thereafter. i will hang with this. i will earn my mycophile wings yet!\

any spore donations merrily accepted!!!! btw this rye grain i have scored (i think annual ) looks NOTHING like any of the american depictions in mushroom texts. i wonder if the same laws apply? their rye looks much chunkier.

anyone recommend any good spawn mixes and how to prepare thereoff? i can hear peeps shout 'shroomery' but im on internet cafe time and this place has much more interesting people innit!!

Im sure i shall be fine for the rest of the process as ive grown b4 but this is the first time that i have used this ryegrass, ive heard it to be the bees knees but im having nothing but tears.

edit-looks like my only error is not simmering, will do a new lot and simmer and note the difference.

Edited September 24, 2007 by jono

[gerbil]

http://www.shaman-australis.com/forum/inde...c=16098&hl=

Get a copy of GGMM - stamets, you'll love it.

Ric cook or soak the grain to get them up to a certain level of moisture THEN put them in the jar and THEN PC them. Yes you need water in the Pressure Cooker, the water level sits well below the jar lids but moisture can consense through the polyfill (or if the lid comes undone alot) and give more moisture in the jars, but it's generally no issue. You don't take the grain out of the jar once it's been PC'ed (hmm i think you know all this but got your terms mixed up in the post)

You don't need to simmer grain if you soak, i've had lots of success with just a soak or just a simmer or just a rice cook. You should not have water in your grain jars (besides the moisture in the grain and possibly SMALL areas of condensation in the jar, but that is usually just from the moisture on the grain coat / from the moisture of the pressure cook.

Milo and millet are good grains to play with IME, milo more forgiving than millet and less fiddly, but both are fine if you understand the right proportions for the specific grain stock. You want the grain plump with water but just before it starts to split, so moisture content and cook time is relevant here, but if you use a rice cooker just focus on water content and the rest is sorted.

What are you trying to grow? many ways to do the same thing but P. eryngii really took to milo and millet, milo is fun 'cause of the larger grain size and i like the red / white contrast with silky rhizomorphic mycelium mmm yum.

Once you get the grain sorted then you can think about the further substrates to play with, particularly then the substrate will be defined by the species, saprophytes can usually be done with straw/paper/bran/gypsum/lime, coprophytes with manure/straw/bran/gypsum/lime, that is very general and mixes can get very intricate.

Edited September 24, 2007 by gerbil

[Hyphal]

You could try this method as well -

Get a pot of water on the boil. Turn off the heat, and then after it has cooled for about 5-10 mins dump in your grain. Stir, cover and let sit for minimum of 2 hours - overnight works well. Also, to know how much dry grain to use - I find if I want to fill 8 jars, I use 5 jars worth of dry grain.

Rinse and strain thoroughly before loading into your jars. I find its absolutely perfect every time.

[incognito]

quoting gerbs,-Ric cook or soak the grain to get them up to a certain level of moisture THEN put them in the jar and THEN PC them.

sweet gerbil thanks so much for ur info(and the rest of youse)

this annual ryegrass i think has to be simmered to soak in the water content. soaked and simmered now and will let know how i went. thanks again.

[blangschpeer]

Just a quick question/hijack, is it really necessary to pressure cook the grains? Anyone had major successes without doing so?

[Peyofox]

( just edited wrong post )

Hows the rye going?

Edited October 5, 2007 by ReclusE

[AndyAmine.]

Ahhh, I see... your using RYE-GRASS not RYE-GRAIN, correct?

RyeGrass is great for sclerotia growth but not as good as millet/WBS for Straphoria etc.

All grains/rice should be well rinsed of starch before cooking, this is very important for good results with minimal stickiness/sliminess!

My mate does smiliar to hyphal suggests with good results, his method is to:

Wash the grains in water 3 or 4 times, mixing it up really well with his fingers,

Boil a pot of water, take it off the element/flame, a

Add the grains and put the top back on for 20 mins

(making sure to keep an eye out for bursting grains which means its too hot or been too long)

Rinses grains with COLD water to stop it cooking,

Put grains in a pot and mix in your additives:

FRESH, cold pressed, Seaweed extract

Coffee grits

Gypsum

Crushed oyster shell

Lime powder

Add fresh water and soak in the fridge, refreshing with new water every 4hrs to prevent fermentation (no more seaweed tho)

My friend finds all other methods create too much fermentation in the spring/summer weather.

Good luck!

Edited October 8, 2007 by AndyAmine.

[Peyofox]

Ahhh, I see... your using RYE-GRASS not RYE-GRAIN, correct?

Isn't rye grain the product of rye grass?

I haven't heard of anyone using rye grass?

Edited October 8, 2007 by ReclusE

[incognito]

have had good success with rye grass now, soaked 24 hrs , rinsed, = thoroughly then boiled 10 mins and drained for 10 mins. had a few contams, but have wipped up an outdoors bed an everything is travelling noicely. will let know about yield, have mex and szyzergy growing in the same plot. fingers crossed.