Throughout the course of the fall 2020 semester, we worked a lot with various edible mushrooms, many of which can be found growing locally! Pictured below are some Maitake (Grifola frondosa) and Lung Oyster (Pleurotus pulmonarius) mushrooms that we found growing in the Hadwen Arboretum on some of our trips.
SAFETY DISCLAIMER: BEFORE PICKING, TOUCHING, OR EATING ANY FORAGED FUNGI, IT IS VITALLY IMPORTANT THAT TO HAVE A THOROUGH AND CORRECT IDENTIFICATION OF THE FUNGI. UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES SHOULD YOU INGEST FUNGI WITHOUT FIRST CORRECTLY IDENTIFYING THE SPECIES THROUGH MULTIPLE SOURCES. IF THERE IS ANY SPECULATION, DO NOT INGEST THE MUSHROOM.
A Maitake Mushroom (aka Hen of the Woods) (Grifola frondosa) in the Hadwen Arboretum
A Lung Oyster (Pleurotus pulmonarius) Mushroom Found in the Hadwen Arboretum
In the lab, we took some common edible mushroom species, including the common oyster mushroom Pleurotus ostreatus and the lion’s mane mushroom Hericium erinaceus and inoculated them on agar plates via tissue explant cultures. As the semester progressed, we followed the developmental path of these fungi as they grew and we eventually inoculated them on rye grain and then into spawn blocks. By the end of the semester, we were able to fruit the mushrooms and even take some home to cook with! Check the recipes page for some of our favorite recipes that we used with our lab-grown mushrooms.
These are just a few of the many Pleurotus ostreatus mushrooms that we were able to fruit in the lab.