OK, you've absolutely got to listen to this record to believe it!!! http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0001LJBHQ/103-0261536-2317471 It does exactly what it sets out to do, namely putting the spirit of Salvador Dali's mad genius to music. IF EVER there were a recording that...

After stirring a second time, the mycelia started colonizing in "clumps" throughout the RBF/vermiculite mix. I think these concentrations are where large pieces of mycelia ended up. This burst of colonization stalled after only a day or two. Since about 40% of the jar's outer surface was white...

Thanks for the speedy response! I was curious about the benefit of a sterilizing source that doesn't use heat... seems it would be a huge convenience if you could go straight from sterilization to inoculation, without an intervening cool-down period... Also found a -relatively- inexpensive...

This one jar is really becoming something of a hobby. :p After I stirred its contents, the mycelia started to spread into the RBF/verm mixture a little, but then it rapidly re-colonized at the top of the jar again. That's still where 75% of the new growth is taking place. Think I may stir it...

Has anybody ever heard of this device before? There's one for cheap on eBay, item # 3838237197. Not really interested myself, just curious to know if I'm missing out on something here. Thanks!

Are you saying that you dunk after birthing, before placing the cake in the fruiting chamber? I've been dunking between flushes in a H2O/RBF mix, but I've never heard of dunking after colonization before! Please tell more.

'Ride of the Valkyries' is Wagner, which isn't exactly my thing. I did groove to J.S. Bach a few months ago, very nice. Kind of sent me into this whole inner philosophy trip on my way down, which was really nice because I felt like staying in and being quiet but I was still too jazzed to go to...

Something weird just happened... I've currently got ten jars of Agaricus Brunnescens mycelia (perfectly legal edible mushrooms) in the incubator, of which only nine were showing any signs of colonization. Since a couple of jars are getting ready for birthing, I decided to take a look at the...

I'm assuming that you do this immediately after pressure sterilization, otherwise the filters would be a bit soggy. The filters are probably somewhat clean coming right out of the bag, for added cleanliness though you could probably microwave-sterilize them before use. I'd be concerned that...

Kind of an aside question... Does it follow that using more spores would result in faster colonization? It makes sense to me that using, say, 2cc of spore solution (instead of a single cc per jar)would speed things up a bit and increase the probability of successful colonization-- or would...

Thanks! I went ahead and used the spores. I'll let you know how my microscopy slides turn out! :p

Hey all! I recently purchased a spore sample for microscopy and was a bit concerned to see some tiny black filaments (almost like a tiny fragment of black lace) suspended in the syringe. It definitely looked like an organism of some type, but didn't resemble the little specks you usually see...

Really? You just make a good brew and freeze it form future use? Not a bad idea at all. How long will it keep? I've enjoyed your posts, btw.

Does anybody here have any experience with preserving mushrooms using a food dehydrator? Wal-Mart has a nice dehydrator for under $40. http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.gsp?cat=4064&dept=4044&product_id=1120727&path=0%3A4044%3A4064%3A90546%3A4813

*SPOILER: PONTIFICATION ZONE FOLLOWS* I believe that matter has its roots in mind, rather than the other way around... or maybe better put, matter is just the outward manifestation of mind. The brain is kind of like a radio, "picking up" patterns of thought that are already there, on...