A Fungus Among Us

DIY MYCOLOGY

BY HEATHER HAMILTON-POST

One of my mother’s favorite anecdotes about my childhood is that I would reach up to the cutting board to grasp a handful of raw mushrooms waiting for a salad. Unlike most children, I loved the crunch of raw vegetables and the particular earthiness of raw or sauteed mushrooms.

Now in adulthood, and never able to commit to an entire garden, I prefer more manageable countertop options–ready-made herb kits and houseplants, and most recently, DIY mycology, which simply means that I’m growing mushrooms in a tube of sawdust on a shelf above my sink.

The pandemic fueled within many of us the need to nurture ourselves and indoor experiments like sourdough bread, beer brewing (and drinking), and even babies. I concentrated on growing fungi to the delight of my two young boys who appreciate all things related to dirt. “For me, the most fascinating part of countertop fungi was the speedy growth and delivery on the promise of beauty, bounty, and taste.”

First, microbiology 101: Mushrooms are a fungus and a fungus is a type of mold. Of note, while all mushrooms are born of mold, not all molds can be considered mushrooms. In other words, you will not find mushrooms in your shower. However, a fungus is considered the fruit body of mold.

Mushrooms were already pre-pandemic superstars in “Fantastic Fungi,” a documentary that proved mushrooms communicate better than Democrats and Republicans. Mushroom farms blossomed during the plague in entirely new markets and websites like Etsy.

I purchased my kit from QH Mushroom Farm for around $15. Out of the box, it looked impressive and simple–a tube of sawdust that fits in a shoebox, with instructions for cutting a hole in the plastic. Then, you spray it with water once in a while and let it bask in “adjacent” sunlight. Then you wait....kind of.

Faye at QH Mushroom Farm reports that summertime is usually slow, but business, like my mushrooms, is growing fast. “Americans like to explore and eat healthy food, so growing healthy mushrooms at home has become very popular. We started ecommerce last April–now we have almost 20,000 sales.”

Back to my kitchen and day 2, where weird yellow bulges pulsed from the tube. Day 3, they doubled in size. Day 4, they resembled oyster mushrooms, gaining in bright yellow. Day 5, voila–a bouquet of mushrooms!

For me, the most fascinating part of countertop fungi was the speedy growth and delivery on the promise of beauty, bounty, and taste.

For me, the most fascinating part of countertop fungi was the speedy growth and delivery on the promise of beauty, bounty, and taste. But a surprising thing happened when I harvested them. The anatomy of an oyster mushroom, paper-thin with silky-soft gills beneath a fan-shaped yellow cap, is sturdy and unshakable. Their perceived fragility is an illusion that allows them to grow wildly in my kitchen and around the world. Trust me. Fungus never tasted better!