This is the new mushroom fruiting chamber machine made by Mella. It is coming to the market soon. The Mella machine is designed to offer a superior mushroom growing environment. I, for one am very curious about this new technology.This is because my beginner no-tech attempt at fruiting left much to be desired.
My first no-tech attempt at growing Lions Mane mushroom. Only ADG photo.
THE STORY FROM NORTH SPORE
Here is what NorthSpore has to say about the Mella mushroom fruiting chamber.
“Awhile back, the team at FirstBuild reached out to us about the Mella Smart Mushroom Fruiting Chamber they were creating and asked if we would like to help advise the development team. And, of course, we jumped at the opportunity. This automated mushroom growing appliance has been designed to fit into small spaces (e.g. kitchen countertops) and to make the process of mushroom growing easier, cleaner, more practical for smaller-scale growers and hobbyists. (Think high-tech tiny version of a Martha tent.)
THE LOVE LIST
“We recently received two of their latest prototypes to test, and we just finished our first round of growing. Suffice it to say, we were delighted with Mella’s ease and simplicity, and after much debate, the following six features made it on to our collective “love” list.
Set It and Forget It Feature
1. Mella is fully automated
“There is definitely something nice about the “set it and forget it” simplicity of Mella. Once you’ve assembled the unit and selected the humidity and fan speeds, you can pretty much leave it to do its thing for several days. The water tank (which sits on the outside) lasts for 5-7 days, and the filter and unit only need to be cleaned between mushroom harvests. There are even built-in LED lamps that create the optimal lighting environment for your fungi (which can be turned on and off, if nighttime light isn’t your thing).
2. The unit is compact, yet roomy
“The Mella unit makes excellent use of vertical and horizontal space. We were able to comfortably fit 3 of our Grow Your Own Mushroom bag kits into the unit, leaving enough room for the filter and fan to do their magic. (We also tried 3 of our Spray & Grow Mushroom Kits, which also left ample room for air and circulation.) Of course, we would be lying if we said the unit is small—it isn’t. It’s definitely larger than a standard counter-top toaster oven. That said, it isn’t huge either and took up a lot less room on our kitchen counter than expected. Added bonus—it actually looked good! The Mella design is sleek and minimalist, so it didn’t overpower the space and fit nicely on the counter-top.
The Me;;a Mushroom Fruiting Chamber fits easily on a Kitchen Counter Top
3. The unit is whisper quiet
“Mella’s dual fan has two jobs – air and humidity circulation. And in all honesty, we were a little worried that the fan would create an obnoxious wind-tunnel sound in the background. But it was surprisingly quiet, even at full speed. You can definitely hear it, but it’s more of a soft ambient background noise. Think calming white noise machine, not screeching industrial fan. Two thumbs up!
The mechanism is whisper quiet.
4. Mella controlled smell and spores
“If you live with somebody that is sensitive to mushroom spores or doesn’t like the smell of mushrooms, the Mella is definitely for you. The unit is fully enclosed, and nothing gets in or out (except for highly-filtered air) thanks to the dual fan system. Added bonus – if you live in an area prone to fruit flies and gnats, this keeps them out!
This is how the Mella machine looks from the side.
5. The unit was easy to clean
“Mella has two clear acrylic side walls and a clear acrylic glass door. It also has a stainless-steel floor, roof, and back panel. And, while you do need to clean the unit between mushroom harvests, all inner and outer surfaces are easily wiped off with a damp cloth and soapy water or a water/alcohol mixture. The reusable humidity filter is also easy to clean. Simply run it through lukewarm water between harvests to remove any spore buildup.
6. Mella was easy to set up
“The Mella was packed with care using laser cut spongy foam pieces and only took about 5 minutes to unbox all of the components. After reading the instruction manual, it only took another 15 minutes to fully assemble, including filling the water tank. And, while we wouldn’t say it’s so easy a child could do it, it definitely wasn’t difficult. A quick read of the set-up instructions is all you need. (FirstBuild is also looking to add even easier controls in the next version of Mella.)
The machine with its easy to follow instructions.
CONCLUSION
“Want to get on Mella’s waitlist?
You can be one of the first in line for the upcoming Mella launch (the official date has yet to be announced.) Click here to sign up for their launch announcement and find links to their entertaining demo videos.
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.
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