Baby mushrooms! I think I squealed when I saw them. I think I actually squealed.
It’s been about a month since I “planted” my oyster mushroom spawn, and it didn’t really look like anything was happening at all. But then I poked around in there and I could see all these white fibers spiderwebbing their way through the material. Mushroom mycelium! That’s the real body of a mushroom—that fibrous network that colonizes whatever material is being broken down. This hidden matrix can extend for acres in nature, I’ve read. The caps we eat are just the fruits of the larger organism, the gills of which house and disperse the spores for reproductive purposes. Yes, once again, we humans have been tricked into propagating the genes of another species. Color me happy to oblige.
Since we’ve had so little rain lately, I supplemented my daily misting with a few extra cups of water just for kicks. Mushrooms appeared the very next day. It shouldn’t be long now before the bucket is filled. Once the fruits are established, they grow by cell enlargement rather than cell division, meaning they basically balloon out in direct proportion to the available water supply. Within reason. I restrained myself from leaving the hose on all night for the good of the neighborhood. Property values are down enough as it is without having to explain the towering fungus.
I’ll tell you all about the shiitake logs next week.
When I got home the preschooler ran over, ripped off the protective plastic cover, pointed and squealed "Look! Daddy! Baby mushrooms!!!"
Posted by: Husband | May 01, 2009 at 12:08 AM
So jealous! Mine haven't sprouted yet. Beginning to lose hope that they will...
Your mushroom is adorable:-)
Posted by: Tea | May 01, 2009 at 11:14 AM
I can't wait to read about their culinary debut!
Posted by: April | May 01, 2009 at 11:23 AM
Way to go!
Living on the Cape, I can grow great fungus. Unfortunately it is on clothes, books, and photo albums. Maybe I should try my hand at something that is at least edible?
Posted by: andrea | May 01, 2009 at 01:19 PM
andrea: Bet you could make some great blue cheese down there!
April: Me, too. Grow quickly, my pretties.
Tea: Mine took twice as long as they were supposed to. Don't get discouraged. Maybe next week?
Husband: He told me that now we have to hug them so they'll grow big. I thought that was so sweet, so I gave him a hug and told him in no uncertain terms to keep his paws off them.
Posted by: Tammy | May 01, 2009 at 11:13 PM
I actually said "Hee!" at the screen when the picture came up. Mushrooms yay!
Shitaake logs, eh? Not gonna go there. *Straining self*
Posted by: Melissa | May 02, 2009 at 09:04 PM
That would have been somewhat more amusing if I COULD SPELL. *Head desk*
Posted by: Melissa | May 02, 2009 at 09:04 PM