kwm2
Registered: 10/22/10
Posts: 24
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| | 02/04/11 at 10:07 AM | Reply with quote | #1 |
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Welcome, I'm Ken Mudge (New York), along with Allen Matthews (Vermont) I'm one of the directors of the SARE mushroom project you may already know about. We hope that this message board and other resources on this Web site, along with the UVM list serve can help promote communication among a growing cadre of Northeastern forest mushroom growers, where everyone, not just the beginers, and not just SARE project participants can learn from each other. I know that those of you who are ongoing participant is the SARE mushroom project, will be inoculating 100+ logs this spring, perhaps for the first, and I'm sure you must have questions, concerns, suggestions. There are some very experienced forest mushroom growers who will be part of this "community of learners", and, knowing (some of) them, they will enjoy sharing what they know about mushrooming.
By the way, SARE mushroom project participants will be receiving a Shiitake Research Project Workbook from us explaining how the project will proceed with inoculating those 100 logs and beyond. The workbook will include a list of suppliers and approximate cost of the supplies you will need, such as inoculators, wax, labels, wax daubers, etc. for We will let you know soon when to expect the WR46 spawn, and Alyssa will be in touch with you soon about scheduling a date for a project "site visit" that corresponds to the day you will be inoculating your logs. This is not too early to beging logging the trees you want to use for substrate logs, but mid April or so is not too late. Maybe some of you more experienced folk would like to comment on when you think is the best time for logging.
So, that's a rather long winded way of encouraging you to "check in" by replying to this post, to tell us who you are and a bit about your plans or experience with forest cultivation of mushroom logs.
By way of introducing ourselves, that's Joe Krawczyk of Field and Forest mushroom company (R) and Steve Sierigk, Hawk Meadow Farm, one of our very experienced mushroom cultivators near Trumansburg, NY. But Steve, you should introduce yourself anyway. Attached Images:
 IMG_5643.JPG (1.93 MB, 10 views)
__________________
Kenneth W. Mudge
Associate Professor of Horticulture, Cornell University
Director of Cornell Forest Farming Program |
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oakman
Registered: 01/31/11
Posts: 2
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| | 02/07/11 at 01:30 AM | Reply with quote | #2 |
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Hi All! Steve Sierigk from Trumansburg, NY ...just 15 miles northwest of Ithaca. I one of the 3 Farm Advisors for the Shiitake project. My primary occupation is running Acorn Designs which is now going on it's 31st year. We make notecards and journals and are primarily a mail order company. We operate from our home located on a 70 acre farmstead. Although my "day job" keeps me plenty busy I enjoy working on projects on our land and have over the years tried many things to revive our old farmstead which we now call Hawk Meadow Farm. I particular enjoy working in our woods, and shiitakes interface nicely with our woodlot improvement schemes. Our current shiitake operation will be at 1000 logs this year where we will probably level off. Our laying yard sites are down by a creek just behind our house.
I first came to shiitake growing in 1986. This was on a home scale but we often had 20-50 logs going. Six years ago we had a major wind blow-down in our woods which took down hundreds of trees...many of them oak. We logged many of these, making lumber and firewood, but turned many of the oak tops into shiitake logs which was the jumping point for our current operation. As Acorn Designs we had a booth at our local Ithaca Farmers' Market; I was able to take my mushrooms to sell alongside the cards and journals....and was I amazed at the demand. A crop like fresh log grown shiitakes was one hot commodity...once customers knew I had them my entire harvest (generally 10-15 pounds) would generally sell out in the first hour. If only my notecards would sell so fast! I now primarily market the shiitakes to restaurants that are attuned to fresh and local.
I have thoroughly enjoyed the community of people I have met through shiitake mushrooms. People who get into this are often very mindful of thoughtful land stewardship, health, long term thinking and I have found in general fun-guys (and gals)! I also enjoy the realtionships I have developed with all of the chefs I sell to. Many thanks to Ken as it makes a world of difference to have a support system when you are trying to grow shiitakes on logs...so many variables and things to think consider. The physical labor is great and I feel more attuned to the workings of nature with shiitake growing than I have felt growing other crops. And after many years of doing this the result of every log forcing is always a mystery that will unfold...and a thrill to see when it is bountiful!
Look forward to meeting you! Steve Sierigk
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| | 02/09/11 at 03:25 PM | Reply with quote | #3 |
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| Hello! My name is Nicholas Laskovski from Waitsfield, VT. I am also one of 3 Farm Advisors for the Shiitake project. My primary job is working as a wind turbine specialist, acting as project manager, technician, and installer. As a second job, I've founded Dana Forest Farm in Waitsfield. Dana Forest Farm is on 66 acres of family property, primarily wooded on an east facing slope pretty close to town. We have sheep, chickens, a small orchard, bees, and all sorts of other hobbies. These are mostly for personal benefit. We also have expanded our shiitake yard which is currently at 1,000 logs. The shiitake is the commercial aspect of our farm/homestead. I first began growing shiitake when I was living with my mother in Cooperstown, NY at the age of 10. Since then, I'm been fascinated with growing mushrooms and the encompassing aspects of agroforesty and forest farming. I studied as an undergraduate with Ken Mudge, co-leader of the current shiitake project. We ran multiple experiments testing different types of mushroom species against multiple tree species, collecting wild fungi to isolate in the lab, and building up the Cornell Mushroom enthusiasm over a couple years. I worked as a Project manager for Ken on his mushroom research while also being a manager for MacDaniel's Nut Grove, a research/teaching agroforestry center part of the Cornell Plantations. I've thoroughly enjoyed my opportunities to work with educated professionals and look forward to building our Dana Forest Farm business with shiitake over the coming years. I enjoy hosting workshops and teaching other people about the benefits of mushroom cultivation. Some of my great friends, the Rockcastle's have started Green Heron Growers in Sherman, NY and have created a great shiitake operation based on some input I had in 2006. I was able to trade cultivation knowledge and work for a ticket to their music festival, The Great Blue Heron, of which they host every year. I love being able to have a connection to local restaurants and to see their eyes light up when I come in with an order of shiitake makes me very proud to be part of my community. It's a great treat to have the best tasting mushrooms, locally grown, organic, delivered the same day of harvest.
I'll be here to help so please send an email with any questions:
- Nick Laskovski
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allen.matthews
Registered: 10/29/10
Posts: 4
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| | 02/09/11 at 04:11 PM | Reply with quote | #4 |
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I want to confirm which trees folks can use for our research in 2011.
It is White Oak,Red Oak, Sugar Maple, HornBeam, Hophornbeam and/or beeech?
Correct?
Allen
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kwm2
Registered: 10/22/10
Posts: 24
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| | 02/10/11 at 11:49 AM | Reply with quote | #5 |
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I just wanted to add to Allen's post about tree species that red maple would be acceptable for the project-related 100 logs, if you can't access any of the species on Allen's list. Red maple, with it's thin bark is prone to drying, but it can produce well if it is handled well.
__________________
Kenneth W. Mudge
Associate Professor of Horticulture, Cornell University
Director of Cornell Forest Farming Program |
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Noel
Registered: 02/03/11
Posts: 1
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| | 02/16/11 at 08:33 AM | Reply with quote | #6 |
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Hi Everyone! My Name is Scott Noel and I live in Alburgh VT, I have been growing Shiitakes on logs as a hobby for about five years now.I was introduced to growing Shiitakes by a long time Friend of the family, he was introduce to Shiitakes grown on logs in a research project in VT some 25 years ago and still to this day grows them as a hobby I think he is 88 now and still logging 6 days a week maybe a testament to the Medicinal properties of Shiitakes ? In 2009 I started a small Farmstand in Grand Isle Vt just part time for now as I phase out my Contracting Biz. As an experiment In the fall of 2009 I inoculated 50 red oak logs with MP510 WR spawn they were kept inside and watered during winter, they produced quite well in the fall of 2010 and now a portion of them are producing in my basement today I will try to attach a picture . My hope is to provide Shiitake as niche product to my farm stand in the future. If time permits this spring I hope to inoculate 200 logs to continue the experimentation. This summer I was watching Across the Fence and surprised to see other people in the area were also considering growing Shiitakes for sale I was able to attend the Adv workshop At Nick’s in Waitsfield in the fall . I considered applying for the Research Project but I don’t have my own supply of logs and wasn’t sure I could commit the time . I look forward to everyone success Scott . Attached Images:
mushrooms_006.jpg (786.36 KB, 7 views)
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kwm2
Registered: 10/22/10
Posts: 24
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| | 02/16/11 at 08:46 AM | Reply with quote | #7 |
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Good to hear from you Scott. I don't have much experience growing shiitake on logs indoors, but I have pulled some logs in midwinter from outdoor (freezing temperatures) laying yard and brought them indoors. I waited a week for them to "wake up" (resume growth of the mycellium), spraying them with water lightly about twice a day. The I soaked them overnight, and kept spraying for the next week, when sure enough, they started pinning (small mushroom "buds") and eventually produced a good crop. In your case, are you keeping the logs indoors all year? I wonder if you could flush them every 8 weeks or so, year round. I expect that would shorten the productive life of the log, but still result in the same total mushroom production over the life of the log. Does anyone else have experience growing indoors?
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Kenneth W. Mudge
Associate Professor of Horticulture, Cornell University
Director of Cornell Forest Farming Program |
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Andrew Bojanowski
Registered: 02/15/11
Posts: 1
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| | 02/17/11 at 06:51 PM | Reply with quote | #8 |
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Hello everyone. My name is Andrew Bojanowski and I live in Middlebury VT. My wife and I manage the Eddy Farm School for Horse and Rider and have been chosen to participate in the SARE shiitake research project. As you may have assumed we operate a horse boarding and riding facility on 115 lovely acres here in Middlebury. I graduated from Cornell with a degree in Natural Resources along with Dana Forest Farm owner and VT shiitake grower and farm adviser Nick Laskovski in 2007. We plan to inoculate around 300 logs this spring and they are the pioneer logs to our operation here. I have successfully grown shiitake in the past (at another farm) at only a 20 log scale. The majority of my logs are red oak, and sugar maple but I plan to experiment with some silver maple, Populus, and hop hornbeam. Ideally we will add to our logs at a rate of around 300 per year.
I am thrilled to be part of the SARE project. With the abundance of local food enthusiasts in our area I consider it an honor to be part of a such a positive and sustainable agricultural movement that will in turn provide such a healthy food to our local community. Just talking to neighbors and friends the buzz about local shiitake has started. Also with the prospect of delicious mushrooms an abundance of "innoculators" have come out of the woodwork and offered to help out. Feeding and building community...I love it!
I very much am looking forward to hearing about the other farms involved in the project and learning more about the industry. If anyone is in the Middlebury area and needs a bed and a warm meal PLEASE look us up and give a call. Best wishes to all.
Andrew Bojanowski
The Eddy Farm School for Horse and Rider
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kwm2
Registered: 10/22/10
Posts: 24
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| | 02/18/11 at 08:21 AM | Reply with quote | #9 |
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Andrew, it's nice to "meet" you. I can't recall if I ever met you at Cornell. I'm not in the Nat. Resources Department (I'm in the Horticulture Department) but a lot of Nat Res students (like Nick) have taken my Forest Farming course. Based on our research experience, hop hornbeam (Ostrya) performed well, but big tooth aspen (Populus grandidentata) did not. We only tried aspen once, so it will be interesting to hear how your trial with poplar works out, in a couple of years. We also grow lion's mane (Hericium) very successfully on beech totems, but this year we are going to try it on several other tree species.
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Kenneth W. Mudge
Associate Professor of Horticulture, Cornell University
Director of Cornell Forest Farming Program |
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redmansefarm
Registered: 02/05/11
Posts: 1
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| | 02/19/11 at 04:30 AM | Reply with quote | #10 |
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| Hello. I am Alice Tuson. My husband Earl and I own and operate Red Manse Farm, a certified organic vegetable farm in Loudon, NH. We first started inoculating shiitake logs in spring of 2008 as part of a TSI cutting. Both Earl and I graduated from Cornell University, each majoring in engineering. While Earl was at Cornell, he spent as much time at the Ag school as he could taking classes in agroforestry and other agriculture courses. Our shiitake operation is part of our farm diversification, as we consider our forest land to be an integral part of our farm operation. Fruit and nut trees have been planted in our crop field as well. Although we chose not to formally participate in the SARE project, we will continue to inoculate logs this spring and into the future. We are currently fruiting approximately 40 logs in our cellar, with supplemental light and heating. Earl will be loading last years' logs into a pallet-sized log carrier of his own design. Using a forklift, this will allow for mechanization for much of the log handling. |
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kwm2
Registered: 10/22/10
Posts: 24
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| | 02/19/11 at 11:16 AM | Reply with quote | #11 |
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Alice, are those cute little boys holding the mushrooms, at Red Manse Farm, your sons?
( http://www.newhampshirefarms.net/farm-profiles/merrimack-county/red-manse-farm-loudon-nh.html). It's always nice to hear from Cornell Grads. I'm wondering if the agroforestry course that Earl took was Practicum In Forest Farming. If so, all I can say is I'm not good at remembering names. One of the hands-on topics we cover in that course is forest mushroom cultivation. I'm glad to see folks like you who are not directly involved in the SARE mushroom enterprise project join in this online discussion. We can all learn from each other. What tree species and mushroom spawn type(s) are/will you be using?
__________________
Kenneth W. Mudge
Associate Professor of Horticulture, Cornell University
Director of Cornell Forest Farming Program |
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Jerry
Registered: 02/21/11
Posts: 1
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| | 02/21/11 at 05:12 PM | Reply with quote | #12 |
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Hi everyone,
I'm Jerry Haugen. I grew oyster mushrooms for awhile in the early 1990's then found I was more suited to tracking the industry for other growers. My wife and I founded The Mushroom Growers' Newsletter in 1992, initially to help support a group of oyster growers in northern California and southern Oregon. Others became interested in the newsletter, so we broadened our focus and now have subscribers across the U.S. and Canada and scattered around the world.
The idea behind the newsletter is to gather current information that is helpful to the business of mushroom cultivation and make it available to serious growers each month. Toward that end we track and evaluate activities around the world, so our readers can know what their competition is doing and even where their competition is likely to come from next. We also track current research - that's how this project caught our attention - and keep our readers up-to-date on what's happen in that arena. Each month we publish prices from key terminal markets and we address lots of other topics as well.
I've been collecting online info for years and you can get all that info and learn more about the newsletter at mushroomcompany.com (for free). For lots of shiitake links, click the "Resources" menu item then "Shiitake." You can get some sample articles here: mushroomcompany.com/articles/
There have been a lot of natural-log shiitake projects around the country over the years and only a small percent of those growers remain in business. This project is different in that it offers excellent support from the academics that will continue to work with you growers as you develop. I look forward to reporting on your successes in the coming years!
Best wishes,
-Jerry-
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Blue-Heron-Bluffs
Registered: 02/22/11
Posts: 3
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| | 02/24/11 at 04:50 PM | Reply with quote | #13 |
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Hello Everybody!
I'm Thomas Wilson. I am just getting started in mushrooms and really in farming in general. This past spring I purchased property in St. Lawrence county, New York and plan on homesteading, raising livestock, running a small CSA, and otherwise direct marketing product.
The farm is 463-acres, most of it wooded, with lots of rocky ridges, with a mile of frontage on the Indian River. Its rugged land that will be challenging to work, but I'm eager to take on the challenge.
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lugvt
Registered: 03/23/11
Posts: 1
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| | 03/23/11 at 01:20 AM | Reply with quote | #14 |
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Hello Everyone,
My name Ray Giroux, from Burlington, Vt. I Have been foraging mushrooms and other wild edibles for 5 years now. I love what I do! I have just recently started a business selling my finds. I found out about the shiitake workshops through Ben Waterman at UVM Ext. I contacted him about attending one of these workshops because I am interested in growing mushrooms through the winter and providing for my family in my down months. I am so glad to see there are so many people out there interested in the same things that I am.
I look forward to meeting some of you at the workshops and hope I can provide some knowledge to the discussion at some point. Hope farming is good this year for all.
Ray
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David Wichland
Registered: 10/23/11
Posts: 2
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| | 10/23/11 at 09:39 AM | Reply with quote | #15 |
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| Hello Everyone,
My name is David Wichland. I have a small mushroom business in Keene, NH. Wichland Woods. I attended the first agroforestry confrence at Cornell about 11 years ago and became hooked on experimenting with mushrooms. I took 2 of stamets courses in Washington and have been experimenting ever since. I grow mushrooms on logs, straw, woodchips and mycologically landscape. I have a grow house and a small lab where I do a lot of my own sterile transfers.
I am excited to find this board because I have almost felt alone in this mushroom venture in New England and have had to search beyond for most of my technical info. I would love to be part of the study if possible 2012 or at least be privy to the info.
We have 250 acres and the potential of a micro-hydro mushroom log dunking system. Would love to start a dialogue.
May the spores be with you,
David Wichland WichlandWoods.com |
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