BenJamin Harder

Blacksburg, VA, United States

Started log pro in 13 then straw. Used covid money to built a container fruiting chamber and lab. Now trying to master LC-> liquidity.

Apr 16 at 11:43 PM

Is that a book on processing mushrooms? I guess I need to find that…  freeze drier would be dope!  I’m trying to work on building my value added lines and online sales bc there ain’t no major metro areas around, and yall got spawn and blocks on lock! 

Apr 16 at 11:38 PM

So I’m not sure if I’m following the hockey puck thing, probably bc I don’t live near Canada haha. 

But y’all don’t think it’s inbreeding to keep feeding the same jar? My tests seem okay so far but when I first started I’d also make 3-4 generations off purchased production spawn. Good times! 

Posted

Apr 15 at 12:54 PM

Y’all’s new video on LC had me thinking about a few things I’ve been messing with. One, is there any real problem with pouring LC over injecting it? Using the needles seems wasteful and a contamination risk in some ways. Especially reusing without a zapper. 

Two, Can you feed an LC jar with fresh broth, like kombucha? I’ve used lc from an old jar to make a new one. I know you are loosing a generation vs going back to the master plate but sometimes it seems easier and not necessary if it’s right out of Cryo

Posted

Apr 11 at 01:55 PM

Mushroom Coffee/Koffee Coughee Crowd source:

The biggest coffee roaster in our region has reached out about doing a mushroom coffee.  I'm trying to figure out our wholesale pricing and it led me down this rabbit hole.  We have been making mushroom chai tea and extracts that you can put in coffee but it's as good as a supplement and I have been recommending people put it into their cup even tho it's not as fine as commercial sand blasted stuff.  

Putting it into a drip/pour over filter kinda clogged it.  I was wondering if anyone knows if companies that make mushroom coffee with coffee have a courser grind to the mushrooms to help it not clog the filter and do they extract the mushroom beforehand like boiling or pressure cooking or let the hot water do the extraction?

I've been telling people to drink or eat as much of the chunks as they want in our current products but I've been wondering once it's an extract do you get the whole value of it by drinking the tea made with it or do you have to consume the mushrooms to get the full dose?

In order words,  does the mushroom getting brewed or pre-extracted getting brew still pass the benefits through to the coffee?

Mar 20 at 11:45 PM

Tyler

Where are you getting your testing done?

Mar 19 at 10:54 PM

img_1319.jpeg

Where did you get the culture from/ want to sell some…?

Know anything about potency testing for Cordyceps or any medicinal!?

Posted

Mar 19 at 10:49 PM

I thought y'all might be interested in my pneumatic bagger review and slight improvements. I still totally wish I knew about Fenrir and Thor before I made this thing but if your doing this for a living and not automated your bagging your going to break your hand like me or worse. 

https://youtu.be/cf8N7BvsuwI?si=OLlr0FRX3eWmfKkO

Posted

Mar 19 at 09:23 AM

Either the community or the mycowizards team. I was wondering if anyone has experience with Almond Agaricus? I’ve been trying over the years at this time with no real luck. I’m tried expanding spawn, I have LC (different culture) and no luck yet going to diff grains, I’ve tried low tech and high tech. I’m guessing it’s a substrate issue.  My old supplier FF said composted oyster straw bags but their spawn looked like wood plus I don’t have straw bags anymore. I’ve tried manure and straw but maybe it maybe wasn’t composted enough. I’m having my employee grab manure otw and going to try it straight. Idk why these bastards have given me such a pain.  As far as fruiting I’ve had great luck just breaking the blocks in half long ways and putting them under summer annuals mulched in compost/manure. Way easier and faster than making beds. 

Feb 26 at 12:26 PM

The water Seems hella wasteful. We just setup piping in HEPA air from our lab positive pressure lab to positive pressure trough. 

Feb 22 at 09:53 PM

I was curious if you grow a batch out, harvest it, plate it and make LC are you back to G1?

How does senescence and strain stability play into that. 

Before I heard y’all were making a video (that will smoke mine and expose all the shit I’m doing wrong) I started one because there was practically no info on YouTube about bag production. 

https://youtu.be/7tz_JeEvbMc?si=mZWOEG9qw3E1Yb5D