Mushroom, At Last

You know how people say that when you're not looking for a relationship, that's when you find one? Well, apparently the same can be said for oyster mushrooms.

I had just got back from a Mushroom Cultivation Workshop on Sunday (more details on that later), where I learned that oyster mushrooms are very aggressive and can outcompete other fungi due to its quick-growing character and because it is native to Ontario. Yeeeeah right... not more aggressive than the alien tree mushroom that invaded my grow-kit.

The next day, I went out to the balcony and pulled out the bag of straw I kept from the discarded grow-kit. I figured at least I could use the straw for mulch, if I dried it out and got rid of the mycelium (mushroomy pre-growth). It had been pulled apart and drying in the sun for a few weeks now.

Then... lo and behold, I discovered oyster mushrooms growing inside the bag. Thick, juicy oyster mushrooms, quietly living in secret. Apparently, ripping apart the straw and placing it in an unfriendly environment gave the sleeping oyster mushrooms enough of a reason to start blooming and spreading spores.

I felt quite happy and satisfied at this unexpected discovery, but it was probably not quite the same satisfaction I would have felt if I grew the mushrooms from scratch. But I'm not complaining... same end result. I love mushrooms again.