husk Posted December 17, 2007 (edited) hey just wanted to start a mushroom growing, hunting and eating discussion thread, obviously mainly focusing on tasties/medicals/oddities/unheard of's... i guess i'll start it off with a few questions: what are yr favourite species to grow and why? what are yr favourite to eat? any recipes? what species are you most interested in growing 1st/next/again? what species have you found (wild) here in australia and where were they? what species have we may not have heard of? especially natives... ok hope some of u are feeling inclined! peace x Edited December 17, 2007 by husk Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
husk Posted December 17, 2007 i suppose i should answer a few... Saffron milk caps (Lactarius deliciosus) have been my most favourite to eat so far. they have a firmer, dense texture than the regular Portabella's (A.bisporus) and have a really nice 'spice' to them too. i have only just tried oysters (Pleurotus ostreatus), yesterday in fact, and i'm interested in growing them soon. i would like to grow Pleurotus eryngii also after seeing the success others have had here. i have only found L.deliciosus in the 'wild' (pine plantaions in western highlands on NSW) and i am keen to find native edibles. well thats me so far... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PD. Posted December 17, 2007 Im with ya on the saffys husk, i love em. Easy as to find and usually in large numbers. I usually just cook em up in a creamy pasta with a bit of bacon or salami. They are also good just cooked in a lil butter with salt and pepper on a bit of toast. mmmmmmmm I really enjoy morels aswell. Have had really shitty dry spring weather the last few seasons so i havent been able to get any fresh ones for a bit but the dry nicely for later use. Try on sandy granite soils in native surrounds for morels. Try find your own patch, i doubt anyone will tell you exact locations of these lil blighters though, very well gaurded secrets them locations hehe. Would love to grow some morchella but i am wayyyy too lazy for that. I usually stumble upon a few edibles here and there when out takin pics of subs, always a bonus. GO SUBS Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
watertrade Posted December 17, 2007 *what are yr favourite species to grow and why? My two favourite species to grow are H ulmarius and G lucidum - both because they are easy to grow and you can’t really go wrong with them. They fruit regardless of how much I neglect them. *what are yr favourite to eat? any recipes? My favourite is probably king oyster or white elm – or maybe shiitake. Easy to prepare, nothing to strong about them. Good all round cookin’ shrooms. *what species are you most interested in growing 1st/next/again? If I ever get time to grow fungi again I want to get my Morchella elata and Morchella esculenta patches in my garden started and fine tune mass indoor cultivation of Agrocybe aegerite. Also I would like to get my hands on Grifola frondosa (Maitake) *what species have you found (wild) here in australia and where were they? unfortunately I don’t get out much *what species have we may not have heard of? especially natives... ? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ace Posted December 17, 2007 what species are you most interested in growing 1st/next/again? I'd love to have a crack at them luminescent shrooms - there was a thread on here a couple months back about them (species name escapes me). Not sure if anyone had any luck with getting a culture going, but I'd be interested to see where that project is up to. Dont think they are edible, but would make for an interesting project. Go Glow in the Dark Shrooms!! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
gecko Posted January 1, 2008 what species are you most interested in growing 1st/next/again?I'd love to have a crack at them luminescent shrooms - there was a thread on here a couple months back about them (species name escapes me). Not sure if anyone had any luck with getting a culture going, but I'd be interested to see where that project is up to. Dont think they are edible, but would make for an interesting project. Go Glow in the Dark Shrooms!! Omphalotus nidiformis ...yeah I've got a 2kg bag of of sawdust fully colonized. It's been sitting in office for a few months now. Just gonna wait for some cooler weather and put it outside and drench it, see what happens. Or, maybe spawn some logs with it. It's a poisonous species, not to be eaten. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ThunderIdeal Posted January 1, 2008 i saw a huge quantity of glowing fruit bodies in the vicinity of dayboro, from the car window. not necessarily omphalotus but what i'm thinking now is there were so many i'd have no guilt in just taking a heap and freezing them. then you could whip them out at parties, for some unknown reason, maybe stick them to your clothes are scatter them around your tripping zone or throw them at people. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
gecko Posted January 4, 2008 i saw a huge quantity of glowing fruit bodies in the vicinity of dayboro, from the car window. not necessarily omphalotus but what i'm thinking now is there were so many i'd have no guilt in just taking a heap and freezing them. then you could whip them out at parties, for some unknown reason, maybe stick them to your clothes are scatter them around your tripping zone or throw them at people. Sounds like that may be Mycena chlorophos I had a go at growing them via tissue culture, but failed. I'd like to have another go with spores someday. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
cycle Posted January 9, 2008 I've been reading the Mushroom Cultivator again. I've had a go at making culture before with a little success from spores. But I didn't take it any further. What are you opinions on sterile substrates? Does the final substrate: straw, compost, manure, etc have to be sterile? The book is great but some of it seems to be overkill. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
watertrade Posted January 9, 2008 (edited) I've been reading the Mushroom Cultivator again. I've had a go at making culture before with a little success from spores. But I didn't take it any further. What are you opinions on sterile substrates? Does the final substrate: straw, compost, manure, etc have to be sterile? The book is great but some of it seems to be overkill. Hi Cycle, Your substrate selection is dependant on what species you want to grow. Different substrates require different treatments. For example growing oysters can be as easy ( and it is) as chucking some straw in an esky with some hot water - waiting, then cooling on your best outside table. stuffing into bags with spawn and your away. generally speaking the more nutritious the substrate the more treatment it needs. Let me know what species you want to grow and I can be specific about possible substrates you might be interested in using. Cheers Edited January 9, 2008 by watertrade Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MORG Posted January 9, 2008 Saffron milk caps (Lactarius deliciosus) have been my most favourite to eat so far. On field work in the central tablelands recently I spotted some very large salmon/peach coloured mushrooms growing under pines with all the late Spring rain. Mere days later at my local Sydney fruit shop I saw the same for sale as "Pine forest mushrooms, $20/kg". Turns out they were Lactarius deliciosus and I'd ignorantly passed them by. Never again. I'm going on a special shrooming trip next Autumn for them. I'm yet to savour them. Regarding bioluminescent fungi; this has always been on my life-list of things to see. One rainy night in a Sumatran jungle earlier this year I stumbled over these glowing bright green. Pity I didn't have the camera equipment to get a photo by their own light but look at the photo, imagine you turn the lights out and see the amazing green glow. Now on my life-list of things to do is photograph these buggers by their own light! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ace Posted January 9, 2008 they were Lactarius deliciosus and I'd ignorantly passed them by. Never again. I'm going on a special shrooming trip next Autumn for them. I'm yet to savour them. Harry showed me a huge forest full of them in the hills around canberra. Once you get here we should go for a trek and I'll show you them (late autumn is the best time, if I remember correctly). I took a huge plateful home hoping they'd be really nice, but I didnt find them to be that nice (I think the possibility that they could be mis-ID'ed entered my mind too often to really enjoy them). Mind you, I've never really liked mushrooms (taste-wise), but I guess these probably would be quite a delicacy to those who really enjoy fungal tastes. Still, I'm kind of interested in trying some cooked up properly into a nice meal - I only tried some fried in butter (probably not that healthy either!)... Any one ever tried truffles? I know there is a place in the UK that sells oak and hazel trees infected with truffles for consumption HERE (they also sell huge amounts of lophs!! Almost makes me want to pack up and move to England!). Not sure if there is something similar in Aus, but it'd be quite an interesting venture I'd love to try them - they are meant to be one of the most intense and divine flavours. And they are worth a fortune! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Hyphal Posted January 10, 2008 Any one ever tried truffles? Not sure if there is something similar in Aus, but it'd be quite an interesting venture I'd love to try them - they are meant to be one of the most intense and divine flavours. And they are worth a fortune! You will find a good bit of info and reading here - http://www.wineandtruffle.com.au/truffles.asp They are in the Southwest of WA and are getting pretty bumber harvests happening. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
