rye grass seed preparation

[incognito]

do peeps here just soak for s4 hrs then boil for 10mins? is that to long a soak? will the fukers germ in that time?

most teks i see are ones involving putting grain and water in the jars and pc.

I dont want to do that, i just wanna soak, then short boil, drain and load into jars.

Any thoughts?

[sketchykid]

If it were Millet, I would simmer & Stir for 30mins, drain,

then load into Jars (pinch of Gypsum perhaps) & PC for an hour.

Perfect everytime IME.

I imagine much the same for Rye, prolly different length on simmer

depending on the grain.

[El Presidente Hillbillios]

I soak overnight after a good rinse. My theory behind this is any spores or endospores have time to germinate, then the pc will kill em. Then simmer gently for 20 mins drain, rinse again, drain for 10 mins. Then load into jars and sterilise.

Works pretty well for me

[tripsis]

In reality you don't even need to soak. It is helpful in bringing the grain to the right moisture level and also reduces the risk of bacterial contamination, but a longer simmer and PC cycle will do the same job at the end of the day. Endospores are a risk over-rated in my opinion.

[incognito]

i soaked for 24hours, then boiled for 20mins. I let drain and evap off for about 2 hrs.

the grain seems fine in the jars and is colonising well. thanks.

[Chiral]

I don't see the need to simmer after a 12-24hr soak then rinse and drain very well...seeds get blasted in PC for an hour after this in the jars anyways...I see simmering as causing problems in that if done a fraction too long it can swell the seed and make it crack open and become soggy and a pain in the ass once PC'd... ie; sludgy soft seed that will ferment and become a stink fest, rendering the jar a contaminated soggy mess.

[incognito]

I don't see the need to simmer after a 12-24hr soak then rinse and drain very well...seeds get blasted in PC for an hour after this in the jars anyways...I see simmering as causing problems in that if done a fraction too long it can swell the seed and make it crack open and become soggy and a pain in the ass once PC'd... ie; sludgy soft seed that will ferment and become a stink fest, rendering the jar a contaminated soggy mess.

fair enough.. its working so far!

[ib4u2]

i found this video page just now searching google http://free-mushroom-cultivation-videos.blogspot.com/ it has a rye grass seed video i didnt watch it but maybe it will help

[Fenris]

Milo aka sorghum also works, I wouldn't bother with wheat. If I could get some millett I reckon that might work well, its on the to do list.

After harvesting, put everything back in the jar (or oven bag) and let recolonise. I have had bigger better yeilds months later on the second harvest, Im trying for a third.

[migraineur]

I have a feeling that the theory of soaking the grain for 12-24 hours to reactivate the endospores in order to make them easy to kill was shown to be wrong or the importance of it at least overstated. I will have to do a more thorough search on it later. There's information in Stamets' books that was thought to be true at the time but found to be false later on. The idea that jars needed to colonise in darkness is an example of this. To quote Marc R Keith "the mantra to colonize in total darkness is bad advice and totally incorrect. It's a relic of an age when mushroom growing was in its infancy and not well understood".

The soaking will give you a good moisture content though. Bringing it to a boil on the stove briefly allows you to dry the grain a lot faster because when you strain it then it'll steam dry. If you wash it again after this then you'll lose the benefit of steam drying. Also, if you soaked your grain in gypsum and then rinse again after then you will have wasted your gypsum.

Also, using wheat is fine. I used to use rye but one day I was unable to get it so I switched to wheat which is easier to get and also cheaper. Corn is the grain that people say should be avoided.

[Zen Peddler]

You know you can do mixes of millet or rye grass with 10% binding flour such as BRF and 50% moist verm to make sure it doesnt dry out - you can do quite large jars with this kind of mix.

[buster]

is it crucial to pressure cook jars when sterilizing or can they be boiled in a saucepan?

[Amazonian]

I have gotten away with sterilizing grain without a pressure cooker a few times.... BUT, i am talking like 4 favorable results and 20 failures. I think a pressure cooker certainly would be a good investment though.

When using a large pot, i put a cake cooling rack in the bottom so the jars are not in direct contact with the bottom of the pot, and then I add enough water to cover, say, 1" of the jars base. Its the steam around the jars that does the job as it reaches a higher temp' than boiled water. I have a massive Fowlers sterilizer pot (pot, not pressure cooker) and i can fit 15 x 500gm jars in there at once . I let the steam do its work for about 3 hours-ish (just have to remember not to let the pot boil dry!). Now it may not be the fault of this sterilizing method, i might be getting contams due to other causes like grain too wet, sloppy techniques etc... I have no trouble sterilizing agar. But yeah, it can be done without a pressure cooker.(going by my own experience). Its so rewarding when you can give home grown edible mushrooms to your friends and family.

[buster]

cheers heaps, ye i was thinkin try it without an if it fails really badly ill upgrade to pc. thanks for the link therefore

[Amazonian]

The pot i have doesn't have any knobs. Its not electric. I believe its my sloppy technique that lets me down, i aint called the Queen Of Slap Dash for nothing,lol. I think i need to put more effort in. I am keen to try other grains, instead of wheat, but rye isn't so readily available for me and it costs more. Trial and error.

[Marcel]

There is a process called Tyndallisation whereby you boil something several times, over a period of several days.The theory is that bacterial and fungal spores can survive boiling, but once they've germinated they are substantially more vulnerable to lower heat. Basically, spores are triggered into germination after one boiling session, then killed by boiling the next day, then boiled once more on a third day.

You could use your Fowler's for this if it can be put on a stove top. There are some positive reports of tyndallisation over at the shroomery. It takes a long time, and it's not quite as reliable as pressure cooking, but it's an option for those without a PC.

A Fowler's canner will not sterilise your grain. They're made for preserving foods with high acid content (or have had acids such tartaric added), and even then, they won't have the shelf life of a PCed jar of food or grain or whatever.

[Amazonian]

^ Thanks Marcel, I will try this 'Tyndallisation' technique next time for sure.