Despite striking out with my attempts at hunting for morels this year, I have been quite successful in finding plenty of delicious oyster mushrooms to bring home for the table. Even though they were not my coveted morels, oysters are a welcome consolation prize for my efforts in the woods.
Golden Oyster (Pleurotus citrinopileatus):
Summer Oyster (Pleurotus pulmonarius):
Once at home, I took to cleaning the oysters of any dirt, bark, and insects that may have hitched a ride from the woods to my apartment. In all, I collected several pounds of golden oysters (much of which was shared with friends) and a few ounces of pearl and summer oysters each.
For each species, I removed portions of the caps to be used for collecting spore prints. To do so, I placed the oyster caps on a piece of aluminum foil with a glass placed over the top of the cap. The glass helps to maintain a humid microclimate around the cap to encourage them to continue dropping spores rather than dry out. A fork was placed underneath the lip of each glass to create a gap for fresh air exchange as well. After 24 hours, the glasses were removed, the caps discarded, and the resulting spore prints set aside for storage.
With these spore prints, I now have all of the materials I need to grow my own oyster mushrooms from home. I will create a post detailing the process for growing oysters from home soon. Until then, then I will have to rely on what I am able to forage from the woods. Thankfully, wild-grown and home-grown oysters are equally delicious!
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