Category: Setup

Prepping Grain Spawn

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My last batch of grain spawn was in pints that I’ll be dividing in half for my baby buckets. As those are almost ready to go into buckets, I want to prep a new batch of true half pints to run my recipe with. Last time I was a bit short of grains using a 1 dry grain to get 3 wet ratio, so this time I’ll be trying 1 : 2*. My plans:

  • Soaking the grains overnight
  • Rinse, then cook for 15-20 min until al dente
  • Drain and letting steam dry it out
  • Loading into jars and pressure cooking for 90 minutes

I use rye berries from Azure Standard for my grain spawn.

*(Edit: 2024-07-21: with 1:2, I did 6 cups to yield 12 and instead got 20. 20/6 is back to the 1 dry to 3.3 wet ratio. Next time, for 12 wet: 12/3.3 = 3.6 cups dry)

Mushroom Baby Bucket Recipe (Ver 1 – FAILED)

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Edit (2024-08-19): Experienced heavy contamination. Likely the bran, hwp combo.

It’s bucket day! And it’s time to get down and dirty with bucket prep, planning the substrate mix quantities, prepping it and seeing what it yields. I have a 16qt pressure cooker and so 12 half pint jars fit perfect in it. This is my first go at this small setup, so I’m documenting to see what happens!

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Pressure Cooker Level Up

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Using a pressure cooker was outright scary for me the first time, but with the help of some friends and the reference to this awesome video, I got over my jitters. However, a year on, and it seems I’ve slipped up. I was watching a video on cordyceps and noticed he said he did not put the pressure regulator (cap that wiggles) on right away. He waited until a full steam got going, then did so. I went back to video for a refresher course and sure enough, do not put the regulator on right away. I also made note of the altitude comments he made, confirming that I should be reaching a pressure of 11 at my altitude.

Fixing the Humidity Sensor

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In my previous set up, I had initially bought a monitor with a corded sensor.  Cord or not, the monitor itself I came to learn was horribly inaccurate.  It took purchasing a bunch of other monitors to compare and find this out and no doubt it contributed to some over humidified oysters I lost last year before I had to pack it all up because of the intense summer heat.  About the only thing it did correctly was sync to my phone app with alarms.

This time, with the new tent setup, I am determined to find a more accurate monitor.  After some research, I settled on the Govee monitor that has all the same wifi, app, alarm functions but is supposed to be highly more accurate.  I specifically was leaning toward a closed monitor as I’ve seen the humidity destroy others.  I left it in with the previous monitor and saw what a failure the previous monitor was.  The Govee so far has held up when I use other monitors to check it!

Planning First Bucket Grow

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I was inspired by a video by GrowVeg on growing mushrooms in buckets and I’m really starting to break down what I want to do with the current jars.  I’ve updated my Inventory and am planning to divide my current jars into shoe boxes and buckets.  I have always wanted to stick to a smaller setup, so being conscious of this, I bought four 2.5 quart buckets and plan to drill 1/2 inch holes in them per the advice in a Northspore video I watched.  The buckets do fit on the shoe rack shelves I put on there, albeit tight, but I plan to use those mostly for shoe boxes, and maybe the top shelf for some buckets as well as the foot or so on side of empty space.

Circulation Schedule for Air and Humidity

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Example of my setupAfter much trial and error with mechanical timers, leaving air or humidity on for x min every x hours, I found I couldn’t find the right balance for my Martha. I wanted a finely controlled timer and the solution ended up being cheaper than you think!  I purchased “smart plugs”, you can usually find a 4 pack on Amazon for about $20. Make sure they have what’s called a “circular” schedule (most do) and you’ll have all the control you’ll want!

Right now, my goal is a 80% humidity level and my current schedule is:

  • Humidifier 1 minute every 30 minutes.
    • Be sure to adjust the dial on humidifier for how much you want released each time. My round dial is off at 12 o’clock position, I have the dial at 4 o’clock.
  • Fresh air fan is 1 minute ever 6 hours.
    • Still working on this one and might change later.

Tossed the Martha, Got a Tent!

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The Martha was rusted and just a pain in the ass to put back together after the move.  I also was tempted by the fact that I could have the lights covered and not bother the room it was in.  So, I got a 24x24x48 Melonfarm grow tent!  I’m using the same lights and fan I had before and a shoe rack with $1 disposable cookie sheets from Dollar Store for shelving.  I set it all up and will dial it in as the jars colonize.

Pressure Cooker vs Induction Stove

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Learned almost too late you SHOULD NOT put a pressure cooker on an induction stove (glass top stove).  It can cause it to crack!  So, my solution was a hot plate.  My pressure cooker is 16 qt, so a bit smaller than the 23 qt most people get for canning.  It managed to get up to pressure, but just not ideal.

Starting with a Martha

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After some research, getting started with a Martha.  The lights are from Walmart, humidifier from Amazon and fan from dollar store.  I used a pipe joiner from Home Depot, cut a hole in the top of Martha and put a black filter and fan inside it.  It helped to stabilize the fan and carry its weight.

Edit: (2023-07-14) The monitor seen here appeared to work properly but never was accurate when I used the corded sensor nor even setting it inside itself inside the Martha.