Releasing The Lion's Mane!

An Awesome Edible Mushroom!

Not the Lion's mane I'm talking
about!

For those who do not know;  That is a species of Mushroom!   (And where I get an African Cat "of size" anyway?)   Our cultivated culture was actually blooming mushrooms inside the bag. 
But they say you can not expect more than two fruitings from a single sample.   Time to either compost it,   throw it away,  OR.....  Release it into the WILD where it may possibly colonize and grow on its own.   Being a responsible naturalist...  And loving all God's creatures... Why not give this mushroom a fighting chance at a second life? 

Go eat your Kale,  Leave me and my
Mushrooms alone.

I know there are possibly, ( though doubtful) some people out there reading this blog thinking how Irresponsible I am for setting loose  an "exotic cultivated species of fungus" out into the natural ecosystem of Iowa.  And that the "GMO" version of a common species of edible mushroom will destroy the environment.   Lord have mercy! 

If they would only open a book...

But to those folks I say:   Eat your organic greens and back off.   Lions mane is a mushroom that eats dead trees.   And the cultivated strain is probably similar or exactly the same as the wild version.  And if the "Wild" species can't compete with the Lion's Mane for dead timber,  than that is a Yummy problem to have.  Besides,  can you define what is a "Wild" or "Native" species of anything?   It was here first?   50 years ago?   100?   1000?  Did it have to out compete the native species back then?   Everything is a circle,  so learn a little about nature before repeating Green Peace's Talking Points.   Oh!  And Yes!  Technically, Mushrooms DO actually destroy the planet.  It's kind of their JOB!   

Adding the Mycylium to the
dead logs. 

Some of the Logs already had some
stuff in them. 

Besides,   I may not have picked the "best" places for the fungus to grow.   Several of the stumps I chose already had turkey tail and some other Polypore mushroom in them.   One of the things Mushroom Growers stress about is "contamination" for your mushroom strata.

Hope some of these will fruit. 

Since many dead logs may have several types of mushrooms on them at any time,  I figured they might be able to duke it out for certain areas.   And that is not to mention the possibility of choosing a log that was too dry,   too old, or just the worst species of tree for the Lion's Mane.   But

Lots of different ways to set them up. 

I'm positive Mother Nature will find a way to sort things out.  Besides,  I read somewhere that many mushrooms work hand in hand to break wood down.   Some like fresh logs while others like older ones.  So when the Golden Oyster mushrooms are done... the Lion's Mane may pick up where the Oysters left off.    For now,  It's simply a waiting game for me. 


Other than that,   the spring-like weather has triggered all the gardeners to dust off their trowels and begin the planting prep rituals.  Cheryl ordered about a dozen different types of heirloom tomatoes to plant this year.   I think she was a little disappointed that out of the several versions I planted last year,  only two really showed up.    She has elected to take the planting over from me.   I get to do the watering and trimming when it comes time to put them into the ground.   Maybe things will work out beer his time.  We certainly have a lot of them to experiment with. 

15 miles complete! 

Proper log set up.... if you
have property... and a
chainsaw. 

And that is all.   We biked today because Cheryl did not want to strain a tender muscle.   Riding bikes are no as "heat generating" as running,   but we managed to finish 15 miles even with the strong wind  in our face.  I think the temps are currently 65-ish.  If the wind were to die down, it would probably be totally awesome outside!   But it is not meant to last, and the sun and temps are rumored to dip back down.   Currently,  the sun is hidden from the clouds..  Making things look like rain is on the way. 

I doubt I need this many of any kind...

With a little luck,  we may have a fruiting in a year or two.   With some AWESOME luck...  perhaps later this fall.   Fingers crossed at least some of the mycilium survives and becomes established.   There are lots of logs around here that could use the decomposes...   And I know at least two people that would prefer to be able to eat those mushrooms... if they ever appear.