Are you kidding me? Give me all the shrooms. I just can't help a good (or stupid) mushroom joke. But mushrooms are where it's at folks - I'm totally besotted with these fun guys... boom. Sorry.
Please forgive my blurry ish photos. I'm spending time with my son and prospective daughter in law for the first time in four months, as Melbourne is finally let out in a sort of Freedom Day, except we're not free at all, what with QR codes and vax passports and blah blah blah. I'm just vowing to retreat even more into the natural world where I still feel a sense of wonder and freedom. Mushrooms kinda just do their thing, right?
I bought some DIY mushroom growing boxes from aussiemushroomsupplies.com.au. Around 25 bucks a box, but if you buy 10 of the same you can get it for about 17 bucks a box. I think my spare bathroom is going to become a mushrom growing factory. Super essay - tear open the side, spray every day with water. Voila. Mushrooms. I'm totally addicted and just want to buy ALL the mushroom kits. Surely I can buy a box a payday, right?
You haven't lived til you've had a roast mushroom gravy from mushrooms you've grown yourself.
Mushroom Gravy
Throw a couple of handfuls of mushrooms in a baking tray. Drizzle generously with olive oil, salt and pepper, and thyme. When done, put in a blender with a few tsp of cornflour, some water to cover, and stock to taste. Whizz 'em up til gravy like - add more water if needed. If you're a meat eater, add the pan juices instead of water.
The babies below are REISHI mushrooms. Ohhhh boy. Reishi is my adaptogen plant of choice. There's nothing better for the nervous system than this baby. Bitter, granted - you'll NEVER turn it into gravy - but it's a medicinal wonder funghi extraordinaire, even touted for cancer. You name it, reishi nails it. And even better, it grows in warmer temperatures, humid even - think a hot summer in China, I'm guessing. They grow a lot slower than the oyster mushrooms.
You might notice they are resting in a bed of perlite. I experimented with a terrarium, although I think I overdid it on the holes. That's okay, I might tape them up. The perlite helps with the moisture and creating humidity. I'm so, so excited about growing reishi.
But wait - there's more!
My husband also bought me a Mushroom Cultivation course from Milkwood Permaculture (based in Tasmania). You can view it here if you're interested - it starts next week.
Could I BE more excited? Nup. Oh... except for bees...
.... but that's another story, as I don't have mushroom for that here....
Sorry.
Have you ever grown your own mushrooms?
With Love,
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