Mycelial Innoculation

Early last spring I ordered Reishi, Maitake, Lion’s Mane, Shitake, and Pearl Oyster plug spawn from Paul Stamets’ store Fungi Perfecti.  After two months of seeking logs through craig’s list, freecycle, and tree removal services, Grey Lee, then director of Land’s Sake, graciously gave my eight 4′, 6-8″ diameter oak logs which had been cut three months prior.  The logs Land’s Sake gave me could not have been more ideal.  They were just the right length and diameter.  Cutting the logs in early spring helps insure that they have a high sugar content.   The logs were just the right age to innoculate immediately – freshly cut logs contain anti-fungal compounds which require two-three weeks to break down, logs older than a year have a poor nutrient base.  The bee’s wax came from Artist & Craftsman supplies in Central Square.  The whole project cost about $55 and took about four hours once the supplies were assembled.  Below are photos of the innoculation process.

These myceliated dowels were kept in their sealed bag in a drawer in my fridge for two months while Itried to obtain 3-4' oak logs.

Using a 5/16″ drill bit, drill holes spaced about 4″ apart all around the log in a diamond pattern.

Hammer all of the dowels into the log with a rubber mallet.

Seal the dowel-filled holes with melted beeswax. Also paint the ends of the log with wax to improve the log's water retention.

The chickens and ducks watched the process intently, especially Frances Chicken.

Now for the benign neglect period: store logs on rocks (not directly touching the soil) and cover with a breathable shade cloth (not a plastic tarp). Wait.

Entomophthora muscae

Update:  Pics as promised: 

Thanks to the Boston Mycological Club‘s bulletin, I learned the name of the fungus that has been parasitizing the flies in my yard.

Chickens (and ducks) are really wonderful creatures.  They add so much life to a largely dead city yard!  With the addition of my chickens and ducks came the addition of a lot more organic matter from their straw and waste.  This in turn lead to a (very temporary) increase in the fly population.

To balance this increase in flies, an increase in spiders and, it turns out, fungi stepped in!  After a few weeks, the fly population went back down to normal but a WEIRD thing started happening.

On various plants in and around my garden adjacent to the coop, I started noticing flies that were ATTACHED to the tops of stems and leaves.  This was not a property of the plant – it happened on a variety of plants.  This was not a property of the type of fly – there were a variety of flies.  I pulled one of the flies off and noticed that it was attached by white fibers.  No stranger to the fungal realm, I knew this must be mycelium.  But how curious!

Months later an issue of the Boston Mycological Club’s bulletin arrives in my mailbox.  In it is an article describing the fly parasitizing Entomophthora muscae.  The spores of this fungus fall onto an uninfected fly.  The fly ingests the spores and within hours, the fungus spreads through the fly’s body and takes over its brain.

In the evening hours, critically ill insects tend to crawl up verticle surfaces to die at an elevated position. Approximately 3 hours after death the condiophores begin to emerge from the intersegmental membranes to initiate the conidial shower.

Flat Stanley Visits My Chickens & Ducks

Frances chicken pecks Flat Stanley’s head

Potassium duck eats from her feeder.

Flat Stanley found some eggs!

Ducks and chickens make great pets.  They’re sweet and funny, relatively easy to maintain, help revitalize depleted soil, and provide nutritious food.  On Flat Stanley’s visit to Cambridge, he participated in urban agriculture, helping with the morning feeding and egg collection and letting the birds out for the day.  Lucky us!  Even though the days are short and cold, we found two eggs!

Sprouting

All you need to grow tasty, organic sprouts in your own home are:

• a clean, glass jar
• a square of water-permeable cloth such as cheese cloth big enough to generously cover the jar’s lid
• a rubber band
• sprouting seeds
• water

I get my seeds from the bulk section of the Harvest Market.  My favorites are mung, alfalfa, red clover, broccoli, radish, and chickpea.  I find adzuki beans to be far too bitter, sunflower seeds to be unreliable sprouters, and mustard to be too spicy.  Peas, lentils, beans, and nuts can also be sprouted.  There are dozens and dozens of seeds you can sprout and enjoy!

To sprout seeds:

1. Sterilize jar to prevent mold
2. cover the bottom of the jar with about a millimeter of your favorite seed if using any seed smaller than mung beans, about a quarter inch of seed for anything roughly mung bean sized, or a few inches if chickpea sized
3. cover the seeds with about an inch of water
4. cover the jar with a water-permeable cloth such as cheesecloth
5. secure the cloth with a rubberband
6. let soak overnight
7. drain and, keeping the cloth cover secure, rinse with water
8. continue to rinse seeds with water at least once a day until sprouts are the size you want
9. ENJOY!

You can grow your sprouts anywhere.  They don’t need light to germinate but even in a window, they will sprout beautifully if the seeds are viable.

Once your seeds are the size you want, you can keep them in the refrigerator to keep them from continuing to grow.  Once refrigerated, rinse about once a week.

chickpeas don’t need a jar with a cloth lid. because they are so large, it is easy to rinse them without spilling them just in a bowl. keep chickpeas covered in water the whole time. to rinse – drain and then fill with the same amount of water as the initial soak.

alfalfa sprouts taste mild. they’re great on sandwiches!

these go great in stir fries!

Don’t be alarmed if your broccoli or radish sprouts look fuzzy. It’s not mold – this is just how the roots grow.

after five days, all sprouts but the chickpeas were ready for the fridge

I ran out of cheesecloth so I tried using a sheer, sparkly fabric. I knew the dye did not run and that water passed through it easily. It worked great! Since it’s more durable and prettier than cheesecloth, I plan on using this from now on!

Last Season

An aerial view of the coop-roof, raised bed, and container gardens, partially obstructed by the prolific white mulberry tree.  Also showing the bokashi compost bucket.

The window panes, remnants of the cold frame,  kept the chickens and ducks out of the garden until the plants became established.  What a useful thing to have saved from the trash!

The recycled “greenhouse” seed starters in my workroom window – empty salad mix boxes featuring tomatoes, basil, calendula, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, chamomile, salad burnet, lemon balm…