Learn how to grow your own mushrooms!

A fungus (plural: fungi) is a kind of living organism that exists as a single filamentous (mycelium) or multicellular (mushroom) body. Mycology (the study of Fungi) is rapidly gaining popularity as humanity comes to the  realization that fungi can provide several physical, cognitive, economic, environmental, and psychological benefits.

 

Fungi are some of the oldest organisms on the planet, and interestingly shared an ancestor with humans until about 1.5 billion years ago when they split from the “animal” branch of the tree of life. This split occurred when organisms in the animal branch began to encapsulate nutrients in a cellular sack (a stomach) for digestion, whereas Fungi continued to digest at an individual cellular level.

 

Fungi propagate their genetic code through the dispersion of spores, and survive by consuming nutrients from their environment (mostly in the form of detritus and decaying material). Therefore they play a crucial role in the health of any ecosystem, as they are the primary decomposers of both plant debris like cellulose/lignin, and dead/decomposing animal tissue. Furthermore, they also have extraordinary capacity to recycle/decompose toxic material, from petroleum oils, to nuclear waste. 

The benefits which Fungi provide are not limited to the ecosystem level, they can also have significant benefit to the individual. Several edible/gourmet species promote increased cognitive, cardiovascular, and mental health. These benefits have catalyzed many to begin growing their own medicinal mushrooms. 

 

The process of small-scale mushroom cultivation is neither time consuming nor prohibitively expensive, however special care and attention must be paid to the sterility of the environment in which you will be cultivating. When cultivating on a commercial scale there are several integral pieces of equipment which you will need. Contact us if you wish to learn more about commercial mushroom cultivation!