What?s the best way to prepare grain for mushroom cultivation?
The 3 most important aspects of grain preparation are to achieve an uniform, correct water content, to kill all contaminants and to get a shakeable substrate. There are 2 main approaches to grain preparation: Method 1.) Rinse the grain several times under flowing water and simmer it until the grains are soaked and begin to explode. With rye the simmer time is around 45 minutes, with millet or millet based birdseed around 30 minutes(but it strongly depends on the individual brand) Then strain the cooked grain for 20 minutes, fill in jars, screw on a lid fitted with a filter and pressure cook for 1 hour. Method 2.) Fill the jars directly with the proper amounts of grain and water and pressure cook for 1 hour. If one experiences bacterial contamination problems the grain can be left to soak up to 24 hours before pressure cooking to allow bacterial endospores to germinate. Basic rye recipe for 1 pint jar: – 100g(3.5 oz ~ 125 ml) rye – 110g(3.9 oz =110 ml) water – knife tip full of gypsum B
