Hi ACU community,
I’ve been brought into the ACU family to start growing mushrooms at the farm. Like Cannabis, I believe that many Australians haven’t had proper exposure to mushrooms and as a country we are quite mycophobic, Unlike a lot of eastern cultures who have utilised mushrooms for food and medicine for thousands of years.
When growing mushrooms it's important to select species/strains that are suited to the underlying environment that you’ll be growing them in. The Species I'll be growing first are golden oysters, (Pleurotus citrinopileatus) Pink oysters (Pleurotus djamor), White oysters (Pleurotus ostreatus) and Shiitake (Lentinula edodes).
I believe these oyster species will be well suited to this climate and are a great mushroom to start cultivating. The shiitake mushroom is considered medicinal in eastern cultures and is said to assist with cardiovascular health, reduce inflammation and improve energy levels as well as brain health. So an overall boost to the system, shiitake has a rich savoury taste and a meaty strong texture making it very versatile for use a lot of dishes. The oyster varieties are also very tasty. My favourite way to cook them is to crumb them and then shallow fry them in olive oil and garlic to be used as an alternative burger patty.
Tom Bell
-fungiifind