The essential guide to cultivating mushrooms Simple and advanced techniques for growing shiitake, oyster, lion's mane, and maitake mushrooms at home

Stephen Russell, 1984-

Book - 2014

Learn to grow the most popular species - oyster, shiitake, lion's mane, and maitake - in controlled indoor environments at home. Beginning with the best ways to ensure success with a kit and proceeding through advanced techniques for creating sawdust spawn, working with liquid cultures and fruiting chambers, and much more, Stephen Russell covers everything the home grower needs to know. A trusted reference for market growers, this book is also the perfect companion for hobbyists craving a steady supply of dinner-table mushrooms.--COVER.

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2nd Floor 635.8/Russell Due Dec 1, 2024
Subjects
Published
North Adams, MA : Storey Publishing [2014]
Language
English
Main Author
Stephen Russell, 1984- (-)
Physical Description
232 pages : color illustrations ; 23 cm
Bibliography
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN
9781612121468
  • Pt. 1. Basics for beginners
  • Getting to know mushrooms
  • Basic growing options
  • Combating contaminants
  • Your first grow
  • Pt. 2. Intermediate methods
  • Pressure cookers and flow hoods
  • Grain spawn
  • Casings
  • Liquid cultures
  • Working with sawdust
  • Mid-size fruiting chambers
  • Pt. 3. Advanced methods
  • Agar cultures
  • Large-scale grain spawn
  • Bulk substrates.
Review by Booklist Review

Elaborating on the gospels for small-scale mushroom growers, Paul Stamets' influential Mushroom Cultivator (1983) and Growing Gourmet and Medicinal Mushrooms (1993), Russell delves into beneficial at-home cultivation methods and challenges home mushroom growers commonly encounter. Emphasizing that there is no right or wrong methodology, he structures his guide in the step-wise manner of building blocks, starting with the basics mushrooms' many uses (not including as poisons and hallucinogens). Plentiful illustrations and photos complement sections on cultivation, growing options (including ready-to-grow kits that are great for beginners), and combating contaminants. Perhaps most directly engaging is The First Grow, a detailed overview of incubation, sterilization, fruiting in a terrarium, and harvesting. Russell then moves on to more advanced approaches. Complete with a handy list of resources, this is a comprehensive guide that boosts confidence as well as skills and should draw traffic in this growing (yes, pun intended) interest.--Scott, Whitney Copyright 2014 Booklist

From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Library Journal Review

Starred Review. Russell, owner of the Hoosier Mushroom Company and founder of the Hoosier Mushroom Society, has written a step-by-step, how-to guide for growing gourmet mushrooms at home. The book stresses indoor cultivation methods for consistent, year-round yield. The author starts with the basics for beginners who want to supply their own dinner tables, then moves to more complex ways for raising enough to sell at farmers markets. He intends the book to be a comprehensive reference for small-scale growers to replace classics like The Mushroom Cultivator: A Practical Guide to Growing Mushrooms at Home (1984) by Paul Stamets and J.S. Chilton and Growing Gourmet and Medicinal Mushrooms (2011), also by Stamets. VERDICT Thorough and clearly written with helpful photos on nearly every page, this guide is a must for anyone who wants to move beyond premade growing kits. With Russell's emphasis on building basic skills, advice for avoiding common mistakes, and sections on troubleshooting, the book will be a valuable resource for those interested in growing a variety of gourmet mushrooms.-Stefanie Hollmichel, Univ. of St. Thomas Law Lib., Minneapolis (c) Copyright 2014. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.