We got Shiitakes!!!

And they might get some

Last night we finished the last of our 350 mushroom bolts.  Jo had the day off and Ron swung by to pick her up after he left work.   By the time I got there, Ron had drilled maybe half of the 15 logs we had waiting for us. Jo had inoculated those and they were waiting for me to wax them up.  I jumped right in and soon Ron was done with the drilling and he and Jo were doing the last inoculations. For those of you who are keeping track, Ron is the winner of the inoculation dork prize. Not only did he skip filling holes on more than a few logs; he actually missed 3 in a row, on the same log. A feat that was unmatched by any of our other workers.

Then it was my turn.

Last log being waxed and then carried out to our trailer for hauling across the stream.  Ron drove the 4 wheeler and Jo and I put on the tall boots and walked over.   We unloaded the logs, again putting them in stack of 25.

Unfortunately as we are growing our Shiitakes in a forest setting, it is impossible to get a single of all of them. Not only are there too many trees in the way, but they are scattered about the place. The goal is to keep them in the “dappled” shade. Too much sun will dry the logs out. And I don’t want to be out there with hose or bucket trying to keep 550 logs damp.

A job well done. You would think that now I can take the rest of the year off. After all this is a mushroom farm and we have our logs all set for 2016. They just need to be monitored, shifted into leaning stacks, and tagged. Surely we are done for the year. Surely you jest.
What is next you ask? More rock picking. Oh joy.

Ron, Jo and I were out at THF this morning at 7 am.  Ready to bust through as many of remaining logs as the 3 of us could manage.  The plan was to work until the heat got too much for Ron.  With Ron manning the grinder, Jo inoculating and me doing the waxing, we figured we could make a major dent before we ran out of steam.

We had just gotten into a good routine when Jesse arrived. Once again, to the rescue. With him taking over the grinding that freed Ron to help with the inoculation. And we just kicked it into gear. We took load after load across the stream to stack them in shade of the pine forest. Pallets of twenty-five to make it easier to tag them next week. That is a project for Ron and Don. No heavy lifting involved.

We had to move Jesse’s work station twice to get him out of the sun. Next year we will have a better plan to provide more complete shade. Ron’s plan is to have 1,000 logs out on THF. I figure that by the time we have that many out there, we will worked out all the bugs and each station will be just the way we need it to be. Until Don and Jesse come up with another idea.
We stopped for a quick lunch. Hot dogs on the grill again. Have to admit it was a bit hard to get going again. All 4 of us were tired by this time. But the end was in sight. Then Don showed up. Gave us the boost we needed to make that final push.

And then finally it was the last log we had to get done today. Such a feeling of relief. And Ron had been right about the time it would take us, it was just about 2 pm.

Ron and Jesse took the last load across the stream while Jo, Don and I gathered up all the stuff we needed to take home. We loaded up the trailer to get it all up to the car, hugs all around and we headed home. Ron was staying behind again to decompress and talk with the boys.
It has been a long weekend but such a feeling of accomplishment. Ron is right, this is better than a gym membership. But it will be so nice to go to work tomorrow and be able to sit down while I work.

Home from THF.  Car unloaded, leftover food put away, cleaned up and drinking a hard cider.  So happy to be home, satisfaction of job well done.  Ron stayed at the farm, wanted to decompress there.  Once everything was stored away, he wanted to sit down, drink some cold water and listen to the stream and birds.  That actually sounded nice, but Jo and I wanted to get home.  I really needed to get my boots off.

What a wonderful day.  The weather could not have been better, but thank goodness we were set up in our tent.  Once the sun got going, it got a lot hotter.  Very little mud to deal with.  Tomorrow, yes, we are heading back out to finish up, I will just wear my sneakers.  Will be easier on my feet.

Ron’s friend from work, Shelly was the first to arrive.  She got there before Jo and I did.  Very nice lady and easy to talk with.  So much so that I finally had to tell Ron to stop talking and get to work.

No hesitation from Shelly, she jumped right, learning how to use the grinder to drill the diamond pattern in each log. Once Ron was assured that she could handle it, the 3 of us started in with the inoculation and waxing of the logs. We had just gotten into a rhythm when Don and John arrived. They ignored my offer of breakfast and jumped right into work. Then Vicki, her husband John and her friend Jeannie, Lynne and her son Carl found their way to THF.

Don, who I firmly believe should have been a teacher, took over showing our volunteers the ropes. Within short order we had a team up and running and the finished logs were stacking up in our trailer. What a crew we had. With a serious work ethic that really paid off for us. They just kept going. The energizer bunny’s got nothing on these guys. John and Shelly took turns on the grinder not wanting to do any other job. Jesse, once again came to the rescue with his battery powdered drill. Ron had, of course bought extra drill bits and Jesse was able to use one of them to greatly increase the number of logs we got done.

The rest of us rotated between jobs, filling in when a slowdown occurred. Even with the changes and upgrades we made this year, it is clear that more improvements can and should be made.

Another workstation for a grinder to start with. A better way of keeping up with the amount of melted wax we need too. The sun proved to be a problem for our grinders. They were the only ones stuck outside the tent. Next year – a new plan, just for you, John.

Once again, our Jo showed what she is made of. Once she gets going on a job, she is a such a solid worker and just gets things done. Though she did take a few breaks for more coffee.
I tossed the hot dogs on the grill and and we took a short break for food and rest. Refreshed we jumped back into work. Ron was still taking each wagon load across the stream with a different helper each time. He wanted to make sure they got to see the end result of their hard work. And he got a captive audience to once again share the story of THF and his vision for it.
We will be back out there again tomorrow . We got well over half the logs done today, but there is no rest for a mushroom farmer. For those who could not make it today, you are more than welcome to come tomorrow to help out.   We three will be heading out at 7 am.  Ron wants to avoid the heat, getting as much done before the sun takes the fun out of his day.

This is Ron’s manta every time he starts a project. Living in Rome NY, he saw numerous uncles, cousins, his grandfather and one brother enter the local factories.  Even his mother had worked in a factory during WWII.  Something she is still, at age 94 so proud of.  He decided early on that was not for him. After graduation, he spent the next 21 years in the US Army, learning even more about how to get things done. But while in high school he was steered toward the non college prep classes. So he spent a lot of time in shop working with tools and learning how to use them. Having all those local factories around, the school ended with lots of donated supplies. Hardwood lumber, steel stock and some industrial machinery. Lets just say, the shop class was well stocked.

Whether it is putting together a dresser, set of shelves, mushroom log support system or his latest contraption, the man figures out how to get things done.  I don’t know  exactly what to call it, but the log holder/spinner pictured above,  we plan on using for our mushroom inoculation. It will hold each log and allow us to rotate them much easier. Last year we had to work on one side, put the tools down, pick up the log and rotate it. Then repeat; turning it a total of 4 times.  Ron is always thinking about way to get things done easier.
Am not so sure where his need to take over the family room with every project comes from. Of course right now, it might have something to do with the current temperature outside and that our garage is not heated. And I have no intention of letting him buy a heated workshop to put out in our backyard or at THF.
Jo and I are usually dragged into each project, unless we are lucky enough to be working that day.  More good family time.

Murphy cat will miss having the table right in front of the family room door. It gives her a lovely view of our backyard and all its birds, squirrels and other critters. If only we can teach her to fetch tools for Ron, she would become a welcome member of our work crew.

After a brief scare, the weather channel has assured me that Saturday April 16 is going to be fabulous.  Sunny and 66 degrees for the high.  So happy.  We did have lots on rain on Monday so we will still be dealing with a bit of mud.  Please wear solid shoes or work boots.  And if you want to get across the stream to take a tour the rest of the farm, you will to bring a pair of tall boots.  Would not suggest you plan to wear them all day though. Unless they are comfortable.  Most of the work will be done standing and walking.  We will have a couple of pairs that you can borrow if need be.  Or you can take a chance on hitching a ride in our trailer.

Wear work clothes that you won’t mind getting dirty and dress in layers.  It will be cooler in the morning.   We will have extra work gloves, but if you have your own, please bring them.
We plan to get started at 9 am and will go as long as the work and our crew lasts.  It would be wonderful to not only get all the logs inoculated but also across the stream and stacked in their final resting place.

It is easy enough to find us.  THF is right on Route 26 in Augusta NY.  Parking will be along the road where our street number sign is.  Make sure you pull in far enough to be safely off the road.  There is a lot of traffic along that route.  You will know you are in the right place when you see Ron’s red Transit.  You will drive past us and use Munz Road as your turn around spot.

Once you park you will walk to the entrance, just past our street sign and then head down the path.  By the time you get there, Ron will have everything set up and ready. He is so excited that I have had to put my foot down and tell him that, no, he is not camping out and he will wait until the sun comes up before he heads over.

Our work stations will be in the tent. Tables set up for the drilling, inoculating and waxing. I can tell you from experience that each job is harder than it sounds, so we will have people switch jobs after awhile. After all, you need to learn all aspects of this project.

Being us, and knowing full well that stuff happens, we will try to be prepared for all unexpected events. First aid kit, protective eye wear, bug spray, tissues and lots of TP will all be on hand. Along with an assortment of tools and duck tape. Breakfast and lunch are on us as well as snacks and some treats.  Coffee will be available and hot water for those tea drinkers. Like me.  Water and juice too. If there is anything special you need, please let me know. Lynne, we already have your Fritos. Please let us know if you are coming so we can have a rough head count.

Fair warning we have lots of tripping and snagging hazards out on THF.   We will have a burn barrel set up, so you can toss any little branch into that to get it out of your way.  Again we remind you about the left behind garbage we are still dealing with.  So keep your eyes open while moving about the place. And lousy cell service out there. Just so you know.