All About
Straw Bucket Oysters
Straw bucket grow kits using food safe plastic containers are fun, educational & delicious. Using mushroom spawn and a simple home pasteurization technique, any mushroom lover can make a tabletop oyster mushroom farm using straw at home!
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Getting Ready
Getting Ready
Getting Ready
-Learn what can go wrong! Why do we suggest this strange first step? Knowing what can go wrong is the best way to confidently decide if growing mushrooms indoors at home is right for you. Understanding that things can and do go wrong when growing mushrooms is vital. Knowing why problems occur and what they look like is definitely the way to grow! Learn more here: Know Before You Grow
Select and thoroughly wash a high density (HDPE-2 or PP-5) food safe plastic container 64 oz or larger with a secure snap on or screw on lid. Can't find a container at home? Check in with your favorite restaurant or bakery (but plan to wash it yourself!)
Know where you're growing -Choose a warm, dark spot to incubate and a clean, moisture resistant, well lit place for fruiting.
Make a misting bottle - Reuse a well cleaned food safe spray bottle or a new plant/cosmetic/home misting bottle. Only mist your mushrooms with water you would drink!
Other Supplies - Drill with 1/2" bit or hobby knife to make holes, isopropyl alcohol, paper towels, Micropore or other breathable paper surgical tape (polyfill works too)
Straw & Spawn
Getting Ready
Getting Ready
Although straw is not a common agricultural byproduct in New England, it is the perfect beginner substrate. Straw buckets are easy, resilient, and can last through multiple fruitings. We source our straw from Aldinger Farms in Alden, NY. We try to grab a bale or two whenever we visit Tracey's parents.
Straw is also available at farm and hardware stores. For mushroom cultivation, straw must be chopped fine. Some of the commercial straw sold in stores is pre-chopped. To chop straw bales, we use a chipper-shredder. Many sources suggest a string trimmer in a trash can to chop straw (we haven't tried this). Farm bales can also require extra rinsing to remove field dirt and may have grains that can spout in your kit unless boiled.
Oyster mushroom grain spawn is best for straw kits. Oysters grow quickly on high nitrogen straw to beat out competition and can devour a wide range of substrates. Other wood loving species like lion's mane will not grow on straw.
Our native oyster spawn is made with organic milo. We prefer the smaller size and round shape for easier prep and mixing into bulk substrates.
Pasteurization
Pasteurization
Pasteurization
Caring for
Pasteurization
Pasteurization
Incubation - 1 to 3 Weeks - Store in the dark, preferably between 60-75°F until straw is all white and fully colonized. Mycelium can still develop with light exposure and at lower temperatures, but more slowly and possibly with a reduced harvest volume. Higher temperatures than 75°F may encourage mold and contaminants to grow.
Fruiting - 4-14 Days in a well lit, moisture resistant area with daily misting - Remove tape from holes in container (not the lid). Mist the container 2-5x per day until pins form and as mushrooms develop to maturity
Harvest - Gently pull mature clusters off the pail and trim away any substrate - Mushrooms grown at home can be harvested right into the pan for the freshest and best flavor possible!