Seedy Saturday - Mushrooms, Alt Ag, and A Fantastic Time

I was off yesterday (Friday) and was searching Facebook Marketplace for free or reduced 'stuff' I could use in the garden. After all, I don't have, nor do I want to, spend hundreds and hundreds of dollars on growing my garden.

One of the notices was 'Mushroom Compost $1 a block'.

Hmmm...

The ad was for the used material from mushroom growing. And since I just paid almost $5 for a bag of mushroom compost, this sounded really interesting.

After contacting the seller, I set off to pick up my 50 free pavers (Huzzah!) and then made a quick jaunt over to pick up the mushroom blocks.

First, as it turns out, Alt Ag, the name of the business, is only a few miles from where I lived before buying the house. How did I not know this?

Alt Ag shares the building with a recycling company and occupies a space which is about the size of the downstairs area of my house. I was greeted outside the entrance by Todd, the owner of the business.

I have to say up front, my initial impression was Todd looked like someone who was running a niche business. Secondly, boy is he passionate about what he is doing!

I asked if it was possible to get a quick tour of how he grows mushrooms, which he was more than happy to do. Let me say, Todd is one of the nicest people I have met in a long time. His enthusiasm for what he is doing is infectious and his whole demeanor makes you want to just sit down and have a long chat with him. 

Please note - I was not taking notes during this tour. I was just so excited. This was like a trip to Disneyland and going behind the scenes to see how the magic was done. Therefore, any mistakes in the steps taken to grow mushrooms are all mine.

One thing I wasn't aware of is how 'scientific' the whole process is. It's just not throwing 'stuff' in a bag and letting the mushrooms grow. Another thing is now little of the mycelium (I hope I remember correctly) is needed to 'seed' a bag with sterilized wheat to grow out the spores needed to then put a tiny chunk into a second bag of shredded pine bark and soy bean. 

The bag is then set to let the bag become full, and it turns white, with the spores. 

When ready, it is moved into a 'tent' (which I didn't take pictures of) for the mushrooms to grow. 

The tent, when I looked through the window, had bag upon bag of 'white' bags with mushrooms growing out the side. The ones I saw were the Lion's Mane mushroom.

I have heard of Lion's Mane, but I had never seen them in real life before. They look like huge, white brains. Which is appropriate, since Lion's Mane is supposed to be good for brain health. 

Also on the tour was the area where Eric, his only employee at the present time, was setting up the Petri dishes and how they accomplish a sterile environment. I saw where they sterilize the wheat and how they pasteurize the pine bark mixture to ensure the best and safest environment for the mushrooms to grow in.

Another thing which excited me was the fact there are sometimes opportunities for volunteers to help out! I was dancing around, "Pick me! Pick me!"

Todd sells his mushrooms to the public at our local Farmer's Market on Saturdays and also to local restaurants. And apparently the need for his mushrooms is growing, as a second grow tent will be added shortly. GO, Todd!

We loaded up my 20 blocks of mushroom compost into the back of the SUV and off I went, dreams of mushrooms in my head.

Once home, over the fence the bags went, to be loaded into a wheelbarrow and moved into the back. My plan for a lot of this batch - because I will be going back for more - is to set up mini-raised beds for strawberries. I have some drawers from an Ikea dresser which was damaged in a move. I will remove the bottom, lay down cardboard and then layer the compost and soil and set them up to plant strawberries in over the next couple of months. 

Another thing I will be picking up will be a 'kit' to grow my own Lion's Mane mushrooms, and maybe eventually, some other kinds for my use at home. Todd told me one use for the Lion's Mane was to make 'crab' cakes, substituting the crab with the mushroom. That sounds so tasty.

As an advocate for utilizing Farmer's Markets, CSA's, and local farm stands, Todd's business really fits right in, especially since he advocates for these things also. 

I can't wait to see how this compost works in the garden, and maybe, get a couple of mushrooms out of the deal (Todd told me it was possible with the spent compost).