How to Grow Mushrooms From Beer
Mushrooms have been used to flavor beer during brewing. Conversely, beer has also been used to help cook mushrooms. Yet there is a way to use the leftover grains from the brewing process to actually grow mushrooms. The process is relatively simple to produce mushrooms, but results can never be guaranteed. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Leftover brewing grain
- Pressure cooker
- Sawdust
- Plastic bag
- Mushroom spores
Instructions
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Creating Mushrooms From Beer
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Brew some beer. The key to growing mushrooms from beer is the leftover grains created during the brewing process. This moist grain is perfect for mushroom cultivation because it is rich in nutrients. If you want to increase the chances of mushroom growth, the grain should first be sterilized in a pressure cooker to eliminate any microbes that can damage the mushrooms. You should allow the grain to sit in the pressure cooker for at least 30 minutes.
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Place the grain into a plastic bag once the grain has been sterilized and mixed with the sawdust. The sawdust helps absorb the moisture, so add enough to eliminate any puddles. The grain and sawdust should be moist, but not excessively wet. Cut thin slits into the bag. This is where the mushrooms will eventually grow. Find a moist dark spot to place the plastic bag. This is the ideal place for mushrooms to grow.
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Order mushroom spores. In order for mushrooms to grow on the spent grain, the grain must first must be inoculated with mushroom spores. Spores can be purchased or they can be found under the mushroom top as a powder. Mix the spores with the spent grain and leave it alone in mushroom environment.
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Introduce a little light each day. While mushrooms prefer warm, dark and moist places, they do require a small amount of light to cultivate. Do not use direct sunlight. Instead, a few hours of indirect sunlight or fluorescent light, should be enough to stimulate growth in the mushrooms.
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Wait for the fruit. Keep an eye on the mushroom bag. Within a few days you should notice the mushrooms beginning to sprout from the slits in the bag. You can use a variety of mushroom types, but it is best to start with the simplest such as oyster first until you get the hang of it. Then move up to the more exotic mushroom varieties like shiitake.
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References
- Photo Credit mushroom image by blaine stiger from Fotolia.com
