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Here is an easy "try" for those of you who might want to give growing your own mushrooms a whirl: Tee Pee Oyster Mushrooms. These are sold as kits from various suppliers but let me show you how I did it.

I found a tree growing oyster mushrooms!

<a href="http://s376.photobucket.com/user/Skunkum/media/Oyster%20Tree%2001022015%20-%20Copy.jpg.html" target="_blank">http://i376.photobucket.com/albums/oo202/Skunkum/Oyster%20Tree%2001022015%20-%20Copy.jpg</a>

<a href="http://s376.photobucket.com/user/Skunkum/media/Oyster%20Tree%20Closeup%2001022015%20-%20Copy.jpg.html" target="_blank">http://i376.photobucket.com/albums/oo202/Skunkum/Oyster%20Tree%20Closeup%2001022015%20-%20Copy.jpg</a>

At the time I harvested these I wasn't 100 percent sure they were safe.  I reviewed and researched and determined that they were indeed oyster mushrooms, a desirable and edible type. Even though I determined there are no dangerous look-alikes in my part of the world, I only consumed a small portion (bite or two) at first. It is recommended that you always try a small amount the first time you eat a type of mushroom.  It should not be consumed raw the first time you try them.  Also, don't eat all of your supply at the first try, save a sample for ID in case you need emergency treatment.

By the time I positively ID'd these and tried samples a few times, they were past their prime. I don't like to eat mushrooms that are past their prime, so I tossed them on top of the compost pile.

I started doing a little more research on the internet and watched some YouTube videos and discovered that oyster mushrooms are considered to be fairly easy to grow.  Wheat straw is often used as a substrate to grow them in plastic bags.  I found out they could be cultured on dampened corrugated cardboard strips in a plastic shoe box. AND I FOUND OUT YOU CAN GROW THEM ON A ROLL OF TOILET PAPER!


I boiled a quart or two of water in a large deep pot (six quart pot I think- we use it to boil spaghetti). Once it reached a rolling boil I turned it off and used tongs to set a roll of unscented  cheap toilet paper (roll in the center removed) into the pot. I covered it with the lid and let it sit for about an hour until it cooled down enough to handle. I used the tongs to remove the paper from the pot and placed it in a colander to drain, you have to treat the TP gently so it doesn't fall apart. Once it cooled and dried a bit, I tore some clean-ish bits of mushroom retrieved from the compost pile and stuffed them between some of the layers of TP.  It didn't take too long to get tired of that so I just stuffed the rest of the mushroom in the center where the roll was.  I placed the whole mess inside a gallon ziplock bag and sealed it most of the way BUT LEFT ABOUT TWO INCHES OPEN for some slight air exchange. I put the bag inside a cardboard box (Flaps up but not closed) and put it under a dark shelf at room temperature for a month or six weeks.  I checked the bag and noted that mycelium had covered the TP so I put the ziplock bag in a Walmart sack and into the crisper drawer of the refrigerator for a couple of days.  Once removed from the refrigerator, I placed the TP on a styrofoam meat tray, spritzed it with water and covered it with the same gallon bag leaving the bag upside down and open around the bottom (I also spritzed a squirt or two of water into the bag first). I set it on a shelf in a room that gets about 14 hours of light a day (not in direct sunlight). About a week later, I got a mushroom pin!

<a href="http://s376.photobucket.com/user/Skunkum/media/TeePee%20Mushroom%201.jpg.html" target="_blank">http://i376.photobucket.com/albums/oo202/Skunkum/TeePee%20Mushroom%201.jpg</a>
I removed the bag and spritzed it over a couple of days but the thing stuck to the plastic bag and died.

A few days later I noticed this:

<a href="http://s376.photobucket.com/user/Skunkum/media/Tee%20Pee%20Oyster%20Mushrooms%201%20-%20Copy.jpg.html" target="_blank">http://i376.photobucket.com/albums/oo202/Skunkum/Tee%20Pee%20Oyster%20Mushrooms%201%20-%20Copy.jpg</a>

<a href="http://s376.photobucket.com/user/Skunkum/media/Tee%20Pee%20Oyster%20Mushrooms%203%20-%20Copy.jpg.html" target="_blank">http://i376.photobucket.com/albums/oo202/Skunkum/Tee%20Pee%20Oyster%20Mushrooms%203%20-%20Copy.jpg</a>


You don't have to find a mushroom tree or buy a prepared package to try this at home IF you can find a source of oyster mushrooms. If you can find fresh oyster mushrooms at a grocery store or health food store, you can put one inside a roll of toilet tissue and see if you can grow your own!

Apparently oysters are among the easiest and least fussy to grow. Although I tried to keep everything reasonably clean while doing this it was NOT ANYTHING CLOSE to a sterile environment. I used my hands, I used whole chunks of mushroom instead of using only the inner bits that were "sterile" or uncontaminated, etc. As always, your results may vary.

Oh yeah- time frame: Found tree with mushrooms Jan 2, cultured on TP Feb 2, refrigerated two nights Mar 16, noted first pin Mar 31, picked two oysters Apr 11.