Finally! The promised photo of Phoebe in her pool! yeahhhh! Big frickin' deal, eh? she didn't really wantto be in there this morning. Perhaps that was due to the fact that the air was quite comfortable and there was no need to stand in water. Interesting, the pose she chose when I told her to "stay". Then this nasty looking but interesting fungi appeared when I contemplated moving a plant out of an old copper or brass container. . ..
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Posted by weeder1 Reblogged by Old Roses to dogs, fungi on 2008-07-14, 04:54:33
I bought these Shiitake mushrooms from chinatown the other day and I'm posting this more as a note to self for a couple of reasons. Firstly, unlike Shiitake in grocery stores like wholefoods where they seem to be available all year round they're not always available here in Chinatown and I'm curious if there's some kind of season or cycle involved. So duly noted- available mid April. . . .
I spotted this nice, young, possible Chocolate Lenzites growing on a whiskey barrel by the patio. Then forgot to photograph it until tonight. So here it is in camera flash light. It doesn't look quite the same as the text book example of a Chocolate Lenzites I found in Nov., also near my patio, here. I just don't find anything else it looks like in my 2nd hand Reader's Digest North American Wildlife book. The November fungus is still around too, but it has lost its pretty light band around the edges. If it isn't C.L., do you know what it is? I'll look at it more carefully in the daylight next weekend. . . .
When you're vacationing at a destination that's new to you, finding a decent restaurant that doesn't charge an arm and a leg is a dicey proposition. Being unfamiliar with all...
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on Jan 31, 2008, 12:54AM
Posted by Reblogged by Old Roses to fungi on 2008-01-31, 18:04:40
Having bought my son-in-law a mushroom growing kit for Christmas I couldn't help buying one for myself, too. The first photo is Jan. 9th...cute little mushrooms are looking good...today, the 12th, I realize I need to think about harvesting soon! The kit was set up on Dec. 26th.
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Posted by Leslie Reblogged by Old Roses to fungi on 2008-01-13, 18:35:55
Here is my first ever amaryllis...I had to rescue it from a bin in the garden department at the hardware store since it had started to grow. The first bloom appeared Dec 21 and when we returned today from an overnight stay at my daughter's house I found four blooms...and more to come on the other stalk! Then my task will be to see if I can have it survive for next year. And here is the present I bought for my son-in-law...except I was so excited about it I had to get one for me too...so now that I'm home I need to go set up my box...we did his yesterday at their house.
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to amaryllis fungi
Posted by Leslie Reblogged by Old Roses to amaryllis, fungi on 2007-12-28, 00:44:26
I am wiped out. We went to Cacheaplaooza II and really didn't
do much geocaching, just some hiking, hanging out, eating and a lot of relaxing. I don't know why I am so tired though! Chris took a lot of good pictures and I will share
those first. He got some really awesome bird shots while I was sleeping in my chair at the main pavilion. That's what I get for snoozing!
I think this is one of my favorites he took. It is an osprey! The day before we saw one sitting in a pine tree and it took off with a huge fish!
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on Dec 9, 2007, 10:25PM
Posted by Reblogged by Old Roses to birds, fungi on 2007-12-11, 00:20:21
Wordless Wednesday photos of Amanita flavoconia. Since we still have one guest staying with us, I'll take a break from posting the series of Anemones blogs and do a simple photo spread instead.
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to fungi
Posted by Ki Reblogged by Old Roses to fungi on 2007-11-29, 01:02:44
Believe it. Thanks to a tip from Ellis Hollow, I’ve just discovered the Cornell Mushroom Blog. Although a group effort, it appears to be masterminded by Kathie Hodge, assistant professor of...
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on Oct 24, 2007, 2:26AM
Posted by Kathy Purdy Reblogged by Old Roses to fungi on 2007-10-26, 00:41:05
Well, I'm glad nothing died in the garden this morning; it's just Ravenel's stinkhorns opening up. A few weeks ago I talked about the dog stinkhorns which were bestowing their malevolent perfume on us at that time, but they are pikers when it comes to odiferousness; Ravenel's stinkhorn is bigger and definitely stinkier, with its white stalk and large, olive brown slime head. . . .
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to fungi
Posted by IBOY Reblogged by Old Roses to fungi on 2007-09-23, 07:15:06
Wild, wacky, weird — We love reader submitted photos. Oh, yes, we do.
Dale Mattson came across this monster mushroom on his morning run through Hyland Park in Bloomington. All I can say is hat’s off to you and your photo! (You made my fungi look like button-caps.). . .
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on Sep 4, 2007, 7:47PM
Posted by Jaime Chismar Reblogged by Old Roses to fungi on 2007-09-05, 18:31:19
In a previous article on this site I described the process for growing gourmet mushrooms on hardwood logs in the home garden.
Hardwood log inoculation is a simple and easy way to cultivate loads of shiitake, oyster, maitake, chicken of the woods, reishi, lion’s mane, and other delicious edible or medicinal fungi right in your own backyard.
And one of the best things about growing mushrooms on hardwood logs is that once the mushroom spawn has been introduced you can sit back and enjoy the edible fungi harvest for years to come with absolutely no additional effort.
Nature’s Perfect Solution for Recycling Dead Wood
After producing faithfully for over five years the hardwood logs that I inoculated with shiitake mushroom spawn have finally worn out and decomposed to the point that it’s time for them to be retired.
In some cases the mushroom spawn reduced the Birch and Oak logs to not much more than piles of wood chips and sawdust. In other cases the logs maintained their shapes but became soft and would fall apart under just a little pressure.
The entire life cycle of various fungi that live on and consume wood is nature’s efficient means of decomposing and recycling dead or unhealthy trees. In the process these trees are converted into mushrooms, compost, beneficial soil organisms, and mycorrhizal fungi.
Reaping Rewards from Mushroom Log Production
It was definitely worth the effort involved to grow the mushrooms, and the bumper crops of gourmet shiitakes that were produced and enjoyed over the years would have been very expensive if they had been purchased from a retail market.
I’ve already begun my search for a source of fresh hardwood trees to cut down this winter and inoculate next spring. If you want to learn more about how to grow mushrooms read the following articles on Growing Mushrooms Outdoors, or Mushroom Growing Kits. As with any wild plant don’t consume any mushroom unless you are absolutely certain of its identity and that it is safe to eat!
The decline in production from my mushroom logs doesn’t mean that they have fulfilled their destiny and can no longer serve a useful role in the garden. I’m conducting a little experiment with the remains of my depleted logs.
Coaxing a Few More Shiitake Mushrooms from Depleted Logs
All of the wood fibers, bark, disintegrating logs, and chaff that was left behind will now be used to line the rows in between my raised beds to see if I can stimulate the production of a few more flushes of gourmet shiitake mushrooms.
I laid the spent logs out between the rows along with the wood debris and loose soil that was underneath of the mushroom patch. Then I covered everything with a thick layer of bedding straw and watered it in good.
If the plan works I’ll be harvesting more delicious home grown shiitakes from the garden’s paths this fall. I’ll share the results of this project and post photos if I am successful in coaxing more production out of my mushroom log debris.
Even if my experiment fails I’m sure that the organic matter, mycorrhizal fungi, and other beneficial organisms that remain in the spent logs will serve as a great soil amendment and help improve the growth and health of plants that grow throughout the vegetable garden.
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to fungi
on Dec 31, 1969, 6:59PM
Posted by Kenny Point Reblogged by Old Roses to fungi on 2007-08-15, 06:17:25
This is what it looks like to a bug. The last few nights it has been really warm and rainy. Each morning I wake to a forest of mushrooms. They only come up in the south facing bed and by the time I get home from work they are gone. It makes me wonder what else goes on in my garden at night when I sleep. This looks like a mushroom village to me and I imagine that the fairies would love it. . . .
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to fungi
Posted by Gina Reblogged by Old Roses to fungi on 2007-08-10, 18:45:55
Late summer is host to many delightful floral displays in our garden, and a few stinkers... this is Mutinus caninus, the dog stinkhorn. We normally have lots of Ravenel's stinkhorns coming up, which are larger and much more impressively stinky. This year, for some inexplicable reason related to weather or something more obscure, we have dog stinkhorns; more colorful but more modest and distinctly less stinky... I still won't be cutting them for a bouquet.
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to fungi
Posted by IBOY Reblogged by Old Roses to fungi on 2007-08-10, 06:29:14
In the late days of summer, when the cicadas are buzzing lazily in the treetops, and the air is so heavy with haze that you feel like you are swimming when you walk the shady garden pathways, the giant puffballs start popping up like magic in the woods. They are the clowns of the mushroom world, arising so quickly from the ground that it's as if someone is playing a joke on you by sneaking in at night and placing white soccer balls all over the woodland. I can tell you from experience that it's not wise to kick one when they are ripe... I think I saw a late night movie once where someone got a bunch of puffball spores up their nose, where they started growing during the night. I think Vincent Price was in the movie.
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to fungi
Posted by IBOY Reblogged by Old Roses to fungi on 2007-08-03, 19:23:36
Gardening reveals many weird and wonderful if unexpected features of nature. These two are in the weird group, not sure about the wonderful. Fungus & mold can be so cool!
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to fungi
on Jul 19, 2007, 4:00AM
Posted by Reblogged by Old Roses to fungi on 2007-07-20, 06:17:12
I wanted to share a funky fungus I took the other day. How about let's call freaky funky fungus and say it five times fast!
Quite a few popping up in Little Slough. . . .
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to fungi plants
on Jul 5, 2007, 9:00AM
Posted by Reblogged by Old Roses to fungi, plants on 2007-07-08, 00:17:36
Yesterday, after inspecting the garden between downpours, I discovered a mushroom growing in the middle of one of our flower beds. I always enjoy finding new treats that just spring up without any effort on my part and so I hastily picked it and took it inside.
Then began the doubt period. You know what I mean. It's the period of time when the "is-this-an-edible-mushroom" thought pops into your mind that continues until you finally do something about it. . . .
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to fungi
on Jun 27, 2007, 7:17PM
Posted by Reblogged by Old Roses to fungi on 2007-06-29, 06:06:15
via Weeder's Garden on 1969-12-31, 19:00:00
Then this nasty looking but interesting fungi appeared when I contemplated moving a plant out of an old copper or brass container. . ..
