Day 39
2/8/17
Earlier this week I went to a community class at ArborVitae (where I am currently studying herbalism) about growing mushrooms. It was actually a workshop on “Group Growing” graciously offered for free by Frank Kushnir, its founder. He teaches how to grow mushrooms for food and medicine from the comfort of your home!
I didn’t believe it at first either, but yes, it’s possible to successfully run a mushroom farm in your home or backyard! Frank has been offering free workshops all over the country to teach people how to grow Oyster, Lion’s Mane, Reishi, and Shiitake. These all have extensive nutritional and medicinal properties, and have traditionally been used as powerful immune building agents. Although mushrooms gathered in the wild contain the most medicinal value, growing your own mushrooms is a great time-consuming alternative to foraging. It can also help economically feed families and simultaneously give great nourishing nutrition and medicine.
I walked away from the class with my very own Oyster mushroom spawn (seed-stock) that will inoculate and fruit in my apartment, under the right conditions. I also have the knowledge of the proper aseptic techniques in setting up future spawn.
The Group Growing collective has already started 13 medicinal mushroom farms and needs support in starting more in the US, Australia and Africa! Please join the cause for humanity!
