February 5!

Today was spent working with Sarah.  I helped out with preparing regrind and rehydrating blocks for other experiments apart of Sarah's coffee grind product for Back to the Roots Company.
My own experiment on lighting regimes for oyster mushrooms has come a long way.  I believe in a few weeks we will be able to harvest them.  Here are some pictures that summarize my experiment.

These are all part of the dark treatment.  A few blocks did not colonize, at least on the outside, such as the one in the middle.  However they did still grow mushrooms such as the one below.  From observation, the dark treatment blocks that did colonize seemed to colonize more. 

Dark Treatment, the largest of the oysters.  To answer a question Peggy asked during our meeting, we know when to harvest to mushrooms when they begin to produce spores.  This you can see, and it looks like fine dust.  Then we'll cut and weigh the mushrooms.

Dark treatment.  These mushrooms are nice.  

A light treatment.

These are baby mushrooms growing on the sides of the block that has no hole cut in it.  Since there is no air hole, these mushrooms will not last long, but as of this picture, they are trying to grow along the edge of the ziploc bag and up.
  

For my next experiment I'm still looking for possibilities.  Since this is really the first experiment I am designing myself, I don't want to complicate it too much.  Still thinking along the lines of mycofiltration, but I'm looking up pathogens.  Many of the pathogens in my book however were really dangerous, they trigger tuberculosis and cholera, but there was one that I might really be able to work with.  It is called Aspergillus niger.  This microbe causes black molds which is commonly found everywhere in the world.  Aspergillus niger has proven to be helpful in biotechnology and waste treatment but it can be harmful to human health if not treated carefully.  My mentors said they can also easily obtain this pathogen.