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.

All

19 posts

31 comments

Replied on 🤘🤘🤘

20 Sep 22:09

Tyler N Allen. Hell yeah! What strain did you do?

Did you do LC or grain spawn?

I'm interested in pillow fruiting it in grow bags, ever tried it? I'm all about streamlining!

I bought all the supplies and my employee did it one time as a trail before the season got crazy but never went forward on production. That shit is pretty expensive; have you just thought about drying, extracting and powdering for mushroom powder.... We are making our own mushroom coffee/tea but that's the one thing I haven't been able to grow as much as we sell! I just got a LC from Root Mushroom Farm and had my first from MycoLabs but no clue the strains on those.

Posted

17 Sep 12:07

Deep dive request… King Trumpet!

Those little bastards are a pain! When I first started buying blocks I left like I was better at fruiting but my room density was a lot lower and the op was bran new. I’d love to know more about strains, fruiting styles… anything else… helpful. I got some smaller bags and wondering if those would help….

Replied on Chicken of the Woods Culture

17 Sep 12:00

David Medlock Holy COW! Do you grow them commercially or just for person?

I don’t know shit about horses. Is that a standard thing?

Do you stir those 14lb blocks again after inoculation?

Yeah I just let reishi fruit outside here in VA Appalachia.

I got the white and yellow VA strains. I can’t remember but one is better if you’re a drinker. It’s kinda my employees thing.

Posted

08 Sep 00:21

Chicken of the Woods Culture

Thanks Erik and C&S for the super clean and affordable culture!

I had the thought to make plug spawn for yuppies to grow out but I was wondering if anyone knows what type of wax (and where to get it) that people are using as room temp pliable plug spawn wax?

I was also wondering if people have experience growing it commercially? I know about plugging logs and burying them colonized and seen F&F talk about sterilizing logs to inoculate. Seems like a hobby thing to do tho.

I'm guessing it would be a gold mine to figure out how to grow it in bags commercially like Maitake. Does anyone know how that strain went from being foraged to block production and why that hasn't been done with COW?

Replied on SHIITAKE on Masters Mix

07 Sep 22:13

David Medlock F&F is the bomb. I’ve been growing shiitakes on logs from their spawn for almost a decade. When I started the lab then I started branching out and finding out how deep the rabbit hole goes. I wish I had know about C&S sooner! Is S75 and straw shiitake strains the same.

Replied on SHIITAKE on Masters Mix

01 Sep 00:55

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Hell yeah Erik!! That’s killer. Don’t get me going or I’m going to be asking a question every day! I’m going to grab me some LC tomorrow to play with unless wink wink that’s going to be the next culture… just messin!

Also weird question but do you know what the type of wax people sell as plug spawn wax that is pliable at room temp?

And one of my team inoculated plug spawn with a block strain from NS. Can you grow block strains out on logs?

(Today)3790 clone on masters from F&F my old shiitake and oyster supplier before I started the lab in 20. 😘

Posted

31 Aug 11:09

SHIITAKE on Masters Mix

Thanks Eric for all the great info on shiitakes with the new episode and deep dive. Anyone having much luck with shiitakes on masters mix, if so what strain?

It sure would be easy for my production system and bagger.

I thought it was interesting the ultra pasteurizing not being enough and explaining the duds.

I did some autoclave bran experiments yesterday but I didn't have much luck with that when I first started. Seems like 20% bran is crazy... is that for midds? Trad talked about 1/2 cup per 5lb... generally speaking...

Is it weird to ask suppliers where their strains come from or are? I have two from NS, and about 7 others that have come my way. I worry they might all be 3790, which I have for sure and 3782 which I don't know if I have or not... or junk...

Eric, I'm definitely down for Shiitake this winter, or Bears Head or any good winter producers!

Replied on Stirring production bags!

31 Aug 10:14

Also do y’all just stir once after inoculation?

Replied on Stirring production bags!

31 Aug 10:12

Like 10 or 20 ft?

Posted

18 Jul 10:44

Stirring production bags!

What’s up everyone. I’m a small/med size shroomery. Yesterday I was trying to go on YouTube university to study up on what people are doing to stir 100s of production bags and I couldn’t find shit!! When I first started my lab I build one of the Myers drier stirrers but I’m not super happy with it and I stopped using it for a while and was doing everything by hand. Now that we are producing 60-100 10# bags a week I’m trying to revisit it. Plus, I have tennis elbow in both arms and would love to try and figure something out. I’m loosing my summer interns soon and a major pro to hiring someone would be stirring. Which seems dumb. I’m trying to stir better the first time at inoculation and experimenting with smaller grains for production spawn. Are Bigger producers just stirring once? Any other thoughts or ideas? Thanks!!