ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Cornell Cooperative Extension of Monroe County is offering a Mushroom Inoculation Class aimed at farmers who are considering commercial mushroom growing, hobby farmers and landowners who are interested in growing mushrooms for their own consumption.
The workshop will take place on Friday, April 14 at Cornell Extension of Monroe County, 2449 St. Paul Blvd, Rochester, NY 14617 from 4:00PM to 6:00PM.
Fungi produce millions of microscopic spores in the gills underneath the cap. In a natural setting, the spores spread by different means such as the wind or feeding animals. After landing on a suitable substrate – wood or soil, they germinate and form a long network of microscopic rooting threads (mycelium) that persists, often for many years, extracting nutrients and sending up its annual crop of mushrooms.
But many types of edible mushrooms can be grown safely and easily, right at home. Whether you are interested in growing mushrooms as a hobby or have contemplated commercial production, this workshop will provide the information you need before getting started.
The workshop will have a classroom session to introduce you to growing methods utilized to grow shiitake, oyster, lions mane, nameko, chestnut, and stropharia mushrooms. We will also discuss maintenance, suppliers, and resources.
Following a classroom session, a presentation on outdoor home-grown mushroom cultivation techniques and log maintenance and a hands-on portion will demonstrate inoculation techniques. We will inoculate logs with mycelium that will produce gourmet Shiitake mushrooms for years. All participants get to inoculate and take home their own log that will grow shiitake mushrooms.
We will be indoors for the presentation and outdoors for the hands on portion. All materials will be provided but this project can get messy, so dress accordingly. Cost is $45 per person; prepaid registration is required. Class size is limited to 30 participants. Register early – class fills quickly!
For more details go https://monroe.cce.cornell.edu/events/2023/04/14/mushroom-inoculation-class
Registration at https://reg.cce.cornell.edu/mushroominoculation_226. For more information contact Jarmila Haseler, Agriculture Program Educatore, CCE of Monroe County at jh954@cornell.edu or 585-753-2565.
–Cornell Cooperative Extension of Monroe County