Mushroom Growing Kits are the safest and simplest way to begin your mushroom journey. For these reasons, it is essential to start with profession proven expertise. For example, I suggest the ease and expertise of a mushroom growing kit company like North Spore.
Northspore Mushroom Growing Kits.
More About North Spore
In addition, I find it helpful to view the following videos. Along with a superior product, one wants both verbal and visual instructions for the best use. Because the following videos give detailed information about using their products, I recommend viewing them in addition to reading the written instructions.
To sum things up, I suggest that beginners start right here. Specifically, with a North Spore mushroom growing kit. Then carefully follow the directions provided in the box. Equally as important is to view the videos below.
Growing Kits | Part One
North Spore Spray & Grow Mushroom Kits | Setting-up and Maintaining Your Kit | FAQ Part 1
North Spore’s Spray & Grow mushroom kits are a great introduction to the wonders of edible mushroom cultivation. This video is Part 1 of a two video frequently asked questions series going through the process of starting your kit, harvesting your mushrooms, and tips and techniques for cooking them.
In this video, Mary, from North Spore will start each of the North Spore kits and talk about how to keep them healthy!
Video Sections
00:00:07 Introduction
00:01:02 What’s Inside
00:01:44 Starting your Kit
00:03:33 Kit Upkeep and Care
Growing Kits | Part Two
North Spore Spray & Grow Mushroom Kits | Harvesting and Cooking Your Mushrooms | FAQ Part 2
This is the second part of a two part FAQ series on North Spore’s Spray & Grow edible mushroom kits for growing mushrooms on your kitchen counter.
In this video, Lou goes over how to harvest your mushrooms and some tips and techniques for cooking them.
Video Sections
00:02:00 Harvesting your Mushrooms
00:02:50 Tips for Cooking your Harvest
00:03:30 Fat is your Friend
00:03:42 Don’t Crowd the Pan
00:04:01 Cook Your Mushrooms Longer
00:05:45 Tip for Cooking Lion’s Mane
Mushroom Growing Kits from Northspore
CONCLUSION
Even though other brands may have wider selections, I still recommend this brand of kit to start with. That is because this kit has the simplest approach for beginners. In other words, there is no mess, no extra products are needed, the cost is fair.
So far, North Spore is the best mushroom growing kit I have discovered to date. That is because it requires no extra equipment and is reasonably priced at $28/kit. For an extra bonus, if you are an Amazon Prime member, you may be able to get them at an even better price.
Mushroom cultivation on logs is an option for growing mushrooms. As mentioned in an earlier blog post, it is not suggested for beginners. But it is the topic of this blog post. Here is a quote from the Fungi Ally Newsletter about it.
“Mushroom cultivation on logs has a long history. It’s also a great way to grow mushrooms over periods of time because the logs can produce for years. Sawdust spawn and plug spawn are great for inoculating logs, and there are a variety of mushroom species that you can grow on logs and stumps. What mushrooms are you most interested in currently? We have lots of audience members who love growing lion’s mane.
“Popular species to grow on logs include shiitake and oysters. Regardless of your preference, we hope to help you get growing this late summer into fall! It’s also a good time to start growing mushrooms indoors as well. The easiest way of doing this is by using our mushrooms kits that come ready-to-fruit. Until next time, get down with some mycelium and stay tuned for the next newsletter.”
Mushroom cultivation on logs. Image from the Fungi Ally Newsletter.
Mushroom cultivation on logs is just one option for growing mushrooms at home. It is an outdoor technique and not one for the beginner.
As mentioned earlier, growing mushrooms indoors from a kit is ideal since it is simple and safe. Many companies, including Fungi Ally, carry excellent kits for beginners.
CONCLUSION
There are various ways to obtain mushrooms:
•purchase them retail in stores or online
•grown them from a kit
•cultivate them (more to come about cultivation techniques)
Cultivating mushrooms on logs is on one of these options. Others will be presented in this series of blog posts about cultivating mushrooms.
MUSHROOM GROWING KITS To start, mushroom growing kits are the safest and simplest way for a beginner enthusiast to grow their own mushrooms. To make things the safest and easier, there are many beginner kits available. Therefore this post will be a synopsis some of them.
Although this method can be expensive, I believe it is the best way to begin. Most likely, an ardent beginner will probably want to move on to more advanced ways of participating in this activity. That’s not a problem as long as a beginner has moved on in training and experience. Just For now, I suggest to start with a choice from one of the many mushroom growing kits.
GROW, GROW, GROW
As mentioned above, purchasing a kit can be an expense. But is the best way to begin growing mushrooms. You can grow them right in your own kitchen. Here are several kits to choose from. Just follow the directions to begin your journey to growing mushrooms at home.
It is amazing how mushrooms mirror past professions. In other words, my past professions, my current passionate pursuits, my hobbies and possible future explorations, all mirror the world of mushrooms. This is illustrated by the diagram below.
My past professions mirror the qualities of mushrooms and their most important conclusion, consciousness.
FIRST PROFESSIONAL CATEGORY: DECORATIVE ART & DESIGN
Their design is the first category where mushrooms mirror past professions. The intricacies of the designs of these fungi are unique while displaying a myriad of potential conversions into human structures. Enjoy this YouTube video showing the splendid morphology of mushroom. One wonders how much indigenous architecture is instinctively based on structure in the world of mushrooms.
This is a video clip from Fantastic Fungi directed by Louie Schwartzberg.
DESIGN
Their structural wonder is also clearly shown by the anatomy of a mushroom illustration below from the group, NY Mushroom Hunters.
An illustration of the anatomy of a mushroom
SECOND PROFESSIONAL CATEGORY: FOOD | BEVERAGES | INDOOR FARMING
FOOD
The category that practically screams how mushrooms mirror past professions is next. This is because of my involvement with these qualities. We love to eat them. An art of cooking and eating them abounds in all its culinary splendor.
A Virtual Cookbook as part of Fantastic Fungi
INDOOR FARMING aka GROW AT HOME
There are numerous companies and a myriad of mushrooms to choose from to grow your own mushrooms at home. In fact, this is the safest and simplest way for beginners to grow their own mushrooms.
These mushrooms were grown with a kit from AwakenMyco.com. It includes spore impregnated growing medium tightly packed in plastic. Cut holes in it, water and watch them grow.
THIRD PROFESSIONAL CATEGORY: FINANCE & SURVIVAL
In the movie, Fantastic Fungi, it is made clear that we could not exist, even that the earth could not exist without fungi. In fact, the processes of destruction and creation are intrinsic to the world of mushrooms and to our existence.
FOURTH PROFESSIONAL CATEGORY: HEALTH & HEALING
Mushrooms that are safe to eat are filled with vitamin D3. It has been said that they are essential for vegetarians and vegans. Two mushrooms a day are said to be healthful. In addition, there is research documenting how certain mushroom can be healing physically and mentally. The above video goes into some detail about these qualities of mushrooms.
FIFTH PROFESSIONAL CATEGORY: FUN & EDUCATION
As long as we stay open to the flow of intelligence available in the universe, we will learn, grow and enjoy the fruits of this labor.
SIXTH PROFESSIONAL CATEGORY: DIGITAL WORLD
The digital world is a reflection of the network of mycelia that connect under the earth. Mycelia are like the roots that bear fruit. Mushrooms are that fruit that appear above ground. As nature, the universes brain creates connection, man’s brain has created the internet.
SEVENTH EXPLORATORY CATEGORY: CONSCIOUSNESS
One can not help wondering about the intelligence that flowed through my past professions as they mirrored the qualities of mushrooms. Was it a coincidence or the level of consciousness that flows through us as we connect with nature’s nature. Continued study and exploration will reveal more about how mushrooms mirror past professions as well as future explorations.
Therefore, it is geared more for the beginner rather than the experienced mushroom enthusiast. Because there is so much to learn, patience is vital. There is an especially crucial reason for proceeding with caution.
Why to Proceed with Caution
The reason for this expanded introduction with non-experiential facts is due to the fact that there are poisonous mushrooms. Therefore, spontaneous activity as an uneducated forager must be avoided. In other words, sufficient guidance, training, and information must be obtained first to proceed safely before experiencing the ‘fruit of the mycelium’.
Non-Experiential Facts
For this reason, this post and others provide non-experiential aspects of fantastic fungi facts. As a result, they will be filled with source material for safe passage. To begin, it helps to read Starting A New Project first.
But reading Starting A New Project is not necessary to benefit from the data in this post, Continuing My New Project. This is part of a safe passage on my journey into the world of fantastic fungi.
Fantastic Fungi: The Mushroom Movie Trailer
FANTASTIC FUNG RESOURCES: FACEBOOK GROUPS
Information and experiences that other mushroom lovers have are recorded on numerous mushroom facebook groups. Although many of them must not be taken as gospel, they are a good peer review place to explore. Six facebook groups follow.
NY Mushroom Hunters “Hello my fellow mushroom foragers! I created this group in order to keep each other posted on the status of the NY mushroom hunt. I’d love to see this group grow as new members join and contribute with updates on their own hunts. I hope to use this as a tool for us NY’ers to keep each other informed as to whether the mushrooms are up or not.
“We can lean on each other for support on those dry years and post pictures of our hauls on good days. Feel free to post ID requests on this page for any species but please DO NOT purposefully give someone a false ID as this can put someones life at risk. Doing so will result in a permanent ban. I ask everyone to be respectful. Other than that, have fun and welcome to the NY Mushroom Hunters Group!”
NY Mushroom Hunters Facebook Group
The Shroomery “We are here to help with any information regarding mycology, cultivation and identification. . . . This is an unofficial group run by fans and members of the Shroomery, for people interested in the cultivation or identification of mushrooms. Please visit www.shroomery.org to get the authentic experience.”
Mushroom Growing for Beginners and Experts “This group is for people who want to learn to grow mushrooms. From the hobbyist, to small scale and large scale cultivation and production. Feel free to also post anything else mushroom related such as: Cooking Recipes, Pictures of wild mushrooms and pretty much anything.
“It is ok to post for mushroom identification but please make sure to take many pictures top bottom , underneath and so on … also give as much info as possible such as your location where and what its growing on and anything else possible … Also keep in mind there are other groups specifically made for mushroom identification which will have more experts with a better chance of finding the correct identification .. Do not rely on this group (or any) for a 100% positive identification.”
Mushroom Growing For Beginners & Experts Facebook Group
Fantastic Fungi is an amazing Netflix documentary featuring Paul Stamets. In fact, it is the best documentary I’ve ever seen. I’ve watched it many times, already. As a result, it has become the start of my new project, mushrooms.
A picture of Paul Stamets holding an example of a fantastic fungus.
Paul Stamets is a former logger turned mycologist. He is perhaps one of the most knowledgeable people there is when it comes to fantastic fungi.
As much as I wanted to create a single facebook page about mushrooms, my new project, I decided to add this topic to several of my existing facebook pages, instead. That is because fantastic fungi do not fit into just one category. They fit into several. In fact, they dovetail with every single one of my past professional categories, continued passions and hobbies.
For example, there are many kinds of fantastic fungi that are used in cooking. Actually, their use here can have delicious consequences. Therefore fascinating fungi will be included in ‘Alison’s Exotic Healthy Food Kitchen‘.
Without fantastic fungi, the planet could not survive and neither could we. Of course, fantastic fungi will be included in ‘Survival Comes First‘.
Much to my delight, I realized I had an Indoor Gardening Facebook page that I could convert from Microgreens to Mushrooms, Mushroom Mama formerly Seed Mama. It will feature a variety of mushroom data.
The banner from the Facebook Mushroom Growers Group.
Even though I do not have a specific Facebook page where a crucial component of mushrooms fit, the worlds of science and consciousness, information will be included in some of the above mentioned Facebook pages.
WHERE TO BEGIN: RESEARCH
READ
In the past when I have begun a new project, much of my material has been inspired. From that initial spark, I will then research and study it in depth. But this project is unique. Because fantastic fungi can be poisonous, I have to start with research and guidance rather than experimentation at home.
Although I am not much of a reader, the purchase of a book or two might be a good idea. I have found two on Amazon that interest me.
Two books available on Amazon about mushrooms.
WATCH
VIDEO AND STREAMING TV
The introduction to Fascinating Fungi, the video.
This is the video that lured me into the world of fantastic fungi. I don’t know where my journey will lead me or how long this project will last. But in this case, it requires a specific path due the the potential danger of engagement and consumption.
A picture of a turkey tail mushroom from the Facebook group, Medicinal Mushrooms.
NETWORK IN PERSON
This step involves contacting people I know and talking about mushrooms with everyone I meet.
The header from the Facebook group, ‘Grow Mushrooms at Home’.
BUY A MUSHROOM GROWING KIT
Purchasing a kit is the safest And simplest way to begin growing mushrooms at home. Here are several to choose from. Just follow the directions to be on your way to growing mushrooms at home. Fungi Ally Northspore Midwest Grow Kits
A video from Fungi Ally about growing mushrooms at home from a mushroom growing kit.
THE END OF THE BEGINNING
Here are a few things you will need to start you on your way to growing mushrooms at home:
1. a growing kit with the growing medium with the spores injected into it for the mushroom you desire
2. a large plastic tote to house the kit in
3. a mister/water sprayer
4. videos to follow along
5. reading material to learn more
A border of polka dots patterns colors from a Yahoo search for polka dots
INTRODUCTION
As much as I love plaid and check patterns, polka dots patterns will always bring great joy to my heart. For example, I will smile or even laugh whenever I see them or think about them. Therefore when I see clothes or home decor in polka dots, I find it irresistible to buy them.
Marilyn Monroe in a polka dots pattern two piece bathing suit
APPEAL
I was very curious to learn about the history of my beloved pattern since the only thing I knew about polka was a dance named the polka.
As a matter of fact, I wondered if there was any correlation between the two, the dance and the pattern.
Therefore, an online search should answer my question. But even before an answer to its history, I got side tracked.
It is undeniable that it has been very popular. Although one critic insisted that the pattern was childish, polka dots clearly have a much wider appeal than just to children.
The pose of Marilyn Monroe above in a two piece polka dots pattern bathing suit attests to the most outstanding quality of this pattern. That is its appeal to adults not just children. Similar to it is the appeal of the photo below of Victoria Silvstedt. Even more so, her polka dots bikini barely covers her.
MORE (OR LESS)
Strutting her stuff: Victoria Silvstedt, who has worked with top designers including Chanel, Christian Dior and Valentino, looked incredible in the bandeau bikini which did little to contain her assets.
“Strutting her stuff: Victoria Silvstedt, who has worked with top designers including Chanel, Christian Dior and Valentino, looked incredible in the bandeau bikini which did little to contain her assets.”
Quote from The Daily Mail
MUSIC
Let’s Have A Party Polka – Walter Ostanek, Brian Sklar and Western Senators – Polkarama! from Youtube.
HISTORY OF THE POLKA DOT PATTERN
The woman festooning polka dot hair scarves resembles ‘Rosie the Riveter. Is this a call for all women to wear polka dots?A History Pt. 1History Pt. 2History Pt. 3History Pt. 4History Pt. 5History Pt. 6
From PBS NewsHour: “At the Hirshhorn Museum, visitors are lining up to experience Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama’s world of whimsy, color, shapes and a peek into the beyond. Jeffrey Brown tells us why this new exhibit is currently the toughest ticket in Washington, D.C.”
CONCLUSION
A Simple polka dot pattern of yellow and Red from Wiki
“The nine decades of artist Yayoi Kusama’s life have taken her from rural Japan to the New York art scene to contemporary Tokyo, in a career in which she has continuously innovated and re-invented her style.” YouTube
Buffalo Check which is also known as Lumberjack Plaid is a mate to tartan plaid. Similar to the Royal Stewart tartan plaid, the former is equally as popular. Just about anything that looks good in Royal Stewart looks great in this pattern, too.
Whichever you call it, it is one of my favorites and a very popular pattern. Getty image.
HISTORY
Historically, this pattern could include clothing, then bedding, now handbags and other items. Here’s a great story from Tartan Authority describing its history.
It’s Origin Part 1History Part 2History Part 3Bee & Willow sheets available at Bed Bath & Beyond
MORE OF THIS PATTERN
Continuing on from its Indian blanket trading history, it became a pattern for a man’s shirt. This design has been popularized on many items. Here is a sampling of its use in bedding above and then in a woman’s handbag below.
Royal Stewart Plaid Kilt from the Scottish Kilt Shop
12538 Basque Pl Woodbridge VA 22192 USA
INTRODUCTION
My plaid passion began sometime in my youth although I can’t say exactly when. But plaid has been a favorite pattern of mine as far back as I can remember.
My earliest memory may have just been the pattern itself. But there is no question that I soon developed a taste for anything with it.
I had clothes, a jacket and tartan plaid sheets and towels. My mother even had a plaid bathrobe.
But it was not until I was an adult that I learned about the Scottish plaids that represented the clans. They proudly wore the tartan and it was not just for decoration.
I later learned that there are many different tartan plaids as well as plaids that are unrelated to Scottish clans.
The Vermont Country Store is where you can get all kinds of plaid sheets and other bedding to your heart’s content
There are two types of plaid that I love. They are tartans plaid and lumberjack plaid aka buffalo check. The former come from the clans that wove this fabric and made their garments from these ancestral patterns.
This toddler’s dress is in the Royal Stewart Dress plaid. It is by George and available on Poshmark.
Their history is described here in this post. In addition, images above focuses on bedding and clothes in the Royal Stewart tartan plaid while images for lumberjack plaid aka buffalo check are on the next blog post.
CONTINUE
My plaid passion has never worn out. In fact to this day, I have found a new object for my love of plaid, handbags. I don’t think I ever owned a plaid one. But that is about to change. Searching online, I have discovered an abundance of plaid handbags. This actually includes those made out of wool and cotton. Then there are my outstanding favorites, patent leather plaid.
This is an outstanding example of a patent leather plaid handbag found on poshmark.
Although the above handbag is not in a traditional plaid, it is still beautiful. Here is a tote that is in a traditional Stewart plaid.
This tote was found on Etsy and is decorated in Stewart plaid.
It is a well known fact in the fashion industry that haute couture can only be afforded by the very wealthy. Thanks to the world of ‘knock-off’ fashion, the extraordinary becomes affordable. Therefore, this blog post provides some really surprising financial examples of this in the handbag industry.
Anne Hathaway’s famous blue sweater that Meryl Streep lectures her about in ‘The Devil Wears Prada’
As Meryl Streep deliberately explains to Ann Hathaway in, ‘The Devil Wears Prada‘, the extraordinary births the ordinary. Meryl Streep describes the origins of a shabby blue sweater that Anne Hathaway is wearing. Its history is from glamorous haute cuttiere. Anne Hathaway is totally oblivious to this. At this stage in the movie, Anne has no idea that the the ordinary is inspired by the extraordinary.
WILD ABOUT HANDBAGS
Although I am not devotee of high fashion clothing, I am wild about handbags. Therefore I have been studying the world of glamour in this industry. One of my favorite companies is Rebag. I have been introduced to luxury handbags through their social media and website. This adds to the knowledge I already have to what I consider affordable quality handbags including Coach, Dooney and Bourke, and Kate Spade.
Luxury Gingham bag on left and two less expensive bags to its right
HUNDREDS AND HUNDREDS
Since I have only been able to encounter handbags in the hundreds in person, I can only surmise the difference in the cost of those in the thousands.
My favorite Coach vintage bag is called the Willis bag. Because it is a classic, variations of it have been made over many decades. A recent version, in green, and two original designs are pictured below.
They are all high quality Coach products but their age can impact the price by several hundred dollars. Due to its rarity, the vintage Willis is about twice the cost of the new one.
Three Coach Willis bags are pictured here. The green one is the latest version. Photo from Coach. The two on the right are classic version. Photos from Etsy.
THOUSANDS AND THOUSANDS
I had no idea that there were handbags that were more expensive than new automobile or even a house. Even those designer bags have imitators or want-to-be handbags. The designer bags include the Hermes Birkin bags which are six and seven figures. Their inspired versions cost a few hundred retail like the totes from Coach and Kate Spade.
Three pink totes ranging from nearly a $1 million Hermes Birkin Bag, a five figure Prada bag to a Coach tote on sale for about $100.
WHIMSICAL
Both very expensive and less expensive handbag companies make whimsical purses. Great whimsy inspires affordability. The most famous of this is Judith Leiber handbags. They are very whimsical as well as expensive. In similar fashion, Kate Spade came out with its frog bag. The former retails for a few hundred dollars. The latter goes for between about $5,000.
A Kate Spade Wicker Frog Bag next to A Judith Leiber Frozen Marguerita Clutch. The Judith Leiber is over 10 times as expensive as the Kate Spade bag.
ALMOST TWINS
These two totes are so similar. In fact, I took a double take when I discovered the Burberry Remington tote. It’s hard to believe that it can cost up to five times as much as the Kate Spade on the right when this designer ‘knock’ goes on sale.
Two bags that look so similar. The Burberry on the left can be five times as expensive as the Kate Spade on the right when it goes on sale.
GUESS WHICH BRAND THIS ONE IS
Sometimes the affordable bags are so well made that one can’t tell the difference between luxury, ‘working girl designer’ (like Coach and Kate Spade) or a total ‘knock off’. This example is from the best knock off company I have found. If you’re curious, the answer is in the Sources and Resources section.
Guess which brand this is. The answer is in Sources & Resources.
CONCLUSION
As a handbag collector and flea market stalker, I am always on the prowl for that special but accessible bag that the seller is practically giving away. Wouldn’t it be great if someone was selling an extraordinary purse for next to nothing. That is my dream. So I continue to search and collect in the hope my dream comes true.
