How to Grow Mushrooms in a Sterilized Rye Spawn Bag

Mushroom soup, sauteed mushrooms, beef stroganoff are some of the delicious dishes that are made even more delicious with oyster mushrooms. Oyster mushrooms are expensive, but you can easily grow your own in a sterilized rye spawn bag. These sealed bags of rye seed have been sterilized, so no stray fungus will compete with your mushrooms for nutrients. The pre-filled bags and liquid mushroom spore culture are available on the Internet.

Things You'll Need

Sterilized rye spawn bag
Liquid oyster mushroom spore culture

Syringe

Instructions

- 1
  Inoculate your bag by injecting 2 cc of liquid oyster culture or spore solution into the center of the bag. Gently mix the solution into the center of the rye.
- 2
  Place your bag in a warm place. The ideal temperature for mushroom growth is 84 to 86 degrees F. Place it in your garage in the summer, or on top of a heated appliance such as your refrigerator or dryer. The rye in the bag will turn white as the mushrooms colonize.
- 3
  Break the clumps of rye apart with your hands when the bag looks completely white. The mushrooms will re-colonize and produce a stronger mushroom network.
- 4
  Puncture the bag making small X's in the plastic. These holes should be in the middle of the layer of colonized rye and be spaced 2 inches apart all around the bag. The mushrooms will grow through the holes seeking oxygen. This process is called "fruiting" the mushrooms.
- 5
  Harvest the mushrooms by breaking them off when they reach the desired size.

Fungus Culture

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Growing Mushrooms