Afternoon Workshop:
Straw Inoculation
Growing Mushrooms on Straw
Mushrooms usually need some kind of substrate to grow on. Some yummy organic matter they can break down into food. Straw works really well!
If you don’t have easy access to cut logs or wielding a chain saw is not your thing then straw inoculation might be your best way to get into mushroom cultivation.
Certain mushrooms species will “clean” the straw of any pesticides that were sprayed on it breaking them down into hydrogen and carbon that can safely be returned to your garden soil. The mushrooms you eat will contain no trace of these toxins.
This is a low-tech, no waste, regenerative way to grow mushrooms and easy enough to do at home.
What you get
Access to Chris’s 30 years of experience growing and working with mushrooms
An initial understanding of how mushrooms grow
Overview of how mycelium creates fruiting bodies
How to pasteurize your straw for optimal results
Which mushroom species to choose
Hands-on demonstration of pasteurizing straw
How to inoculate straw with mushroom spawn
Hands-on practice at inoculating straw and bagging it for cultivation at home
Take home a straw bag you have inoculated ($20-25 retail value) which will flush mushrooms several times over the following 60 days
Decades of Experience
Chris Parker has been growing various kinds of mushrooms for 30 years. He created the Southeast’s premier resource for mushroom cultivation supplies - Asheville Fungi.
Chris is also deeply experienced in permaculture, organic gardening, regenerative agriculture and herbal medicine. He has gained all this knowledge from his ancestors, local teachers and through his own study.
During this afternoon workshop Chris combines practical demonstrations, hands-on experiential learning, presentations and is available to answer questions about your specific growing situation.
Straw Inoculation session at Backyard Mushrooms Weekend Campout
Join us for the afternoon on our 30 acre forest farm in the Blue Ridge Mountains