On December 4th, I began the day by learning to make substrate with Sarah. We mixed a variety of nutrients with the organic material which we then sterilized in pressure cookers.
Then I proceeded to mix and pack substrate and mycelium into plastic square containers for the fungi to grow in. It was messy business, especially when I transferred a liquid agar culture.
Sarah then proceeded to show me examples of contamination. Some were very obvious while others not so much. We actually walked by two people, working with some contaminated mushroom and it was not pleasant to smell.
Since we finished early, Sarah gave me more perspective of her work. She told me about a project where she was trying to make a replacement for floral foam which contains many harmful substances. Then she gave me a mushroom set part of an informal experiment, with the coffee grinds mentioned in earlier posts, for me to grow. The pictures beneath are of the pack she gave to me. Hopefully the mushrooms will successfully grow because then they can be harvested and eaten.
Next time, I get to begin working on my DoE (Design of Experiment).
Nice post, Adina. You provide a good sense of your progress and current status. I am excited for the next post, and to learn about your personal mushrooms!
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