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| Shiitake Mushroom Logs, Deerholme Farm, 2010 |
If you would like to expand your food self-sufficiency or grow food to sell or share with others, then growing mushrooms is an excellent food cultivation method.
I didn't even know you could cultivate mushrooms until I visited my brother-in-law, Chef Bill Jones, on Vancouver Island in BC. He was giving me a tour of his Deerholme Farm, when I saw a bunch of propped up logs with spots of green painted on them. He told me they were Shiitake mushroom logs that one could insert plugs infused with mushroom spawn and grow mushrooms in the logs. I was so intrigued to find another method of home food production. What I really liked about this method is that it didn't take up much space so it would be great for an urban yard.
Bill gave me the names of a few companies in Canada that sell outdoor log inoculating kits and as I looked at their websites, I found a few that sold indoor kits as well. The indoor kits are bags of growing medium that can grow different types of mushrooms. Some varieties can grow in the dark, in a dimly lit room or in indirect sunlight. So even if you live in a tiny apartment, you could grow your own food.
I completely love it when I find a method of growing food that is suited for small scale or home use. I love it when I can find a solution to food growing even if someone says that they can't grow food because they don't have a yard, a balcony, windows, time or even aggressive and destructive cats. I am thinking more and more that there are no excuses left for not growing your own food, or at least some of it.
Another exciting thing about mushrooms is that they have a lot of preservation methods, you can dry them, pickle them, freeze them or harvest them continually. There are lots of recipes on line and good cookbooks out there. Check out this (shameless plug for Bill Jones' book) The Savoury Mushroom.
It is recommended to eat from the Food Kingdoms: Kingdom Monera (kelp), Kingdom Protista (yogurt), Kingdom Plantea (tomatoes), Kingdom Fungi (Oyster Mushrooms), Kingdom Animalia (tuna). Try to expand your food cultivation into the 5 Food Kingdoms so that you have a diverse diet.
I am just a beginner with mushrooms, but in the short time I have gotten into it, here are some resources that I have found:
www.wyliemycologicals.ca
www.themushroompatch.com
www.gourmetmushrooms.ca
You might have to buy mushroom spores from your own country as some countries do not allow spores to cross borders. Do a search for mushroom growing kits and buy local.
Check out this fellow's video and pay attention to his set up. He made a shaded area in his yard using a pergola and shade cloth. Think about how many suburban and urban spaces are in the shade and how that space is wasted but could be turned into a food production area.
When you start getting good at growing mushrooms, then learn how to save spores, just like you save seeds. Find diverse mushroom types that are suited to your area and needs. Preserve the spores.
The other idea that I find incredibly inspiring is when you find an easy method of planet remediation. Check out this fellow talking about fungi and how it turned an oil soaked mound into a vibrant source of life using just mushrooms.
What I also found interesting is when he talks about when a huge asteroid hit Earth, resulting in dark clouds blocking sunlight and massive mushroom towers grew. I instantly thought of when Mt. St. Helen's erupted in the United States in 1980 and how for a time the sky was filled with sun shielding ash. When the volcano erupted in Iceland in 2010, again ash filled the skies. In areas that are experiencing temporary darkness or even seasonal darkness such as winters in the Arctic could grow mushrooms as an emergency food source or as a seasonal business.
It really is that easy to grow that kind of mushroom. Does not need much space too.
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