Mushroom Kit Care Instructions
 
Oyster Mushroom Kit 1. Place your mushroom kit in a dark, preferably cool location (i.e. kitchen cupboard, corner of a garage, tool shed, closet, etc.), indoors is best, and let it incubate (sit undisturbed) for approximately two weeks or until the straw is coated (in mycological terms, “cheesed up”) with thick, ropey white stuff (this is mycelium, the main part of the mushroom organism, the “roots” if you will…). 2. Now that the kit is full colonized (“cheesed up”), it’s time to introduce it to a moist environment. You can create this in a number of ways. The simplest is to acquire a plastic bag, larger than the one your kit occupies, and create a hood, or humidity tent, with it, around your kit. You can do this by inflating the bag with air, and bringing it down over the kit, tucking the ends underneath the kit. There needs to be airspace between the exterior layer of the kit and the newly added plastic bag. This will give space for the mushrooms to grow while also trapping humidity, thereby giving them ideal growth conditions. Alternative options include placing the kit inside a sealed (air-tight lid) 5 or 10 gallon fish tank or in a greenhouse (which should have pan ideal humid atmosphere). a. This new environment should be located in a place which gets some natural light. 3. Using a spray bottle, mist inside the humidity tent (unnecessary if growing in a greenhouse) twice per day, preferably once in the morning and again I the evening. 4. Continue misting until the mushrooms emerge and mature. This should take about two weeks. You can expect at least one additional crop two weeks after harvesting the first. a. Some air exchange may be necessary. Every so often, open up the humidity tent and fan in new air, a build up of CO2 can impede mushroom formation. b. Note: Once mushrooms start to emerge, take caution not to touch them, this can damage their formation and stop their growth. 5. Harvest, cook, and enjoy! a. Ideally, mushrooms should be harvested before they start releasing spores. Mushrooms can mature rapidly, depending on temperature, moisture levels and other conditions. Check your kit often to avoid missing the ideal harvest time. b. Always cook your freshly harvested mushrooms before eating them. Great recipes and cooking suggestions can be found at http://www.oystermushrooms.net/recipe_001.htm http://www.oystermushrooms.net/recipe_001.htmshapeimage_2_link_0