Growing mushrooms on straw

Cut the straw into 2 to 3 cm long pieces and soak it in water overnight (weight it so that it is under water at all times). After soaking, drain completely and steam for 1½ to 2 hours or immerse in water heated to 60°C or more for 1 hour.

The contents of the bags are crushed by shaking the bags lightly or by pushing them against the floor a few times. Do not press the contents with your hands, as they must remain airy. Tie the bags tightly and finely file the entire surface, using medium-sized nails, a pencil or a screwdriver. Cut the corners at the bottom of the bags to allow the excess water to drain out. This prevents water from collecting at the bottom of the bag and causing the contents to rot.

Leave the bags in a warm room (20 to 24°C) for 1 month, then move them to a cooler room (below 20°C) with high humidity and low light, enlarging the holes in the plastic bag if necessary. Under these conditions, fungi start to sprout from the substrate. During mushroom growth, it is recommended to spray water over the room every day. Mushrooms should not be soaked as this can cause them to rot. Up to three mushroom harvests can be expected from the bags. Do not remove the bags from the overgrown substrate as the fungi will grow through the holes in the bags.

Fungi sprout from mycelium inoculated substrate on cereal

Once the mushrooms have stopped sprouting from the straw, it can be applied to fresh stems for further cultivation. Only straw that has not moulded or dried during mushroom cultivation is suitable for this purpose.