This is what Ron swears each of THF’s restaurant customers asked him on a regular basis. He used this line as his justification to start a new project. We already have a set of logs that we hope with grow nameko mushrooms and made one attempt at totem growing of oyster mushrooms. We did have some success with the oysters, but using

this method meant there was no way for us to force fruiting and that we would just have to wait for nature to take it’s course. That was not going to work for Ron.

So last summer he decided he wanted to try growing oyster mushrooms in buckets. He decided on the PoHu strain as they are considered the most productive one. This is an even more complicated process that inoculating shiitake logs. First he had to find a deal on and buy food grade white buckets. And we are now the proud owners of a huge clambake pot with insert along with the heater needed for it. Just where the heck are we going to store that when not in use?

When he had all the supplies on hand; the work started. He had to measure, mark and drill holes in each bucket. This is what the mushrooms will grow out of. Then he had to chop the straw that he would layer with the spawn in said buckets. He did this out at THF as it is messy job. He shoved it all into a couple of garbage bags and brought them home with him. Chopping is not only necessary for ease of use, but for getting rid of the seeds. We learned that harsh lesson last year. Once the straw was ready, it now needed to be pasteurized. That meant lining the pot insert with one of our old sheets and filling it with the straw. That was dropped down into the pot and it was filled with water. The pot, of course was already sitting on the heating element. Heat was applied and then he waited for the water to reach between 160 to 180 degrees. It has to remain there for 2 hours in order to be pasteurized. This involved Ron’s best work. He sat in a chair several feet from pot and waited. Making sure the flame did not go out and that the temp stayed relatively constant.

Once the straw was ready he called me on me to help with the really hard part. We had to lift the insert filled with soaking wet straw out of the pot and carry it to the set up tables.

While I am a seriously hard worker and have a strong back (thank you parents), I don’t have as much upper body strength as I needed. It was a nearly impossible task. I honestly don’t know how we did. Not once but numerous times of the course of this project. Every time we did this I tried to think of some way for us to get it done easier. Ron is now planning to have a hoist system built. He is going to move the process out to THF this year and wants to be able to get it done by himself.

The tables were covered with plastic sheeting and the straw filled sheet was laid out on top of it. We spread it out, making sure to keep the straw inside the sheet. Then we covered the whole thing up with the sides of plastic to keep assorted things like bugs out. Now he waited as it had to cool enough to be handled.

The marked buckets were given a quick spray of cleaner and with food grade gloves on, Ron layered the straw and oyster spawn into the bucket. He packed it down solidly after each layer and filled it to the top. Then the lid was banged on and it was ready to be taken out to THF.

Of course that was not the end of the work. Each bucket to set inside a black plastic bag with a wood cross piece on top to keep the plastic away from the side. And every couple of days they had to be looked over and misted.

Once the mushrooms were truly showing, they were taken out of the plastic bag and just set on the table. This year was mostly an experiment to see if Ron could get them to grow and what time frame they needed. He wants to have another type of mushroom he can sell when he needs to. I hope he was paying attention to the time frame, because I wasn’t.

Though all of the pictures I took might just come in handy. If only we had numbered each bucket so we knew what series they were part of. That specific info would probably be helpful this year. Being Ron, he now has plans to expand production. To that end he is going to have his Amish builder come up with a rack system for him to use. Ron has the plans in his head. The hard part will be getting the rest of us to understand it. The buckets will be suspended along the rack so he has easier access to them for spraying and harvesting.

He can’t wait to get started with the building this spring. Personally I am more worried about what Jo will talk her dad into. She loves the shiitakes and thinks the oysters are great too. They have a mild flavor and a velvety texture. She was looking over the Field and Forest Products catalog and has grand plans to grow more of the mushrooms they offer. Just what we need in our already complicated life.