Shiitake logs, beeswax and turning poo into food

Last weekend was a real joy as I was able to convert a sad event, a neighbour's tree being chopped down, to a good thing - new mushroom logs for us. I popped over and had a chat with the lady, who I'd never met before and made a new friend and got two free logs.

I got the idea from reading Mycelium Running, a book that still excites me when I talk about it!

Check out Paul Stamets' website

I have understood for some time that we should always try to use a resource for the highest purpose possible. High quality 'waste' goes to the chickens versus lower quality material being composted. This way, we get a second or third yield, in this case eggs, from our 'waste' stream and keep the energy flowing.

Happily there are some organisms that we can eat that are fairly low on the food 'chain' which might surprise some people!

Detritivores are creatures who like to eat muck filtered from the water - classic examples are mussels, prawns and, the classic Australian favourite, marron. People grow these critters by sprinkling duck poo on their ponds, which in turn grows algae and boom! Food from poo, which just makes my day.

Permaculture gardeners should all be familiar with Black Soldier Fly Larvae as the best way to compost and produce high protein, self harvesting feed for chickens or fish.

Mushrooms are a whole other 'kingdom' in the same way that plants and animals are very different, so are fungi and plants. Fungi are ancient amazing organisms which are skilled survivors in highly competitive environments and in some cases, could well save your life. Read Mycelium Running if you have cancer or a troubled immune system.

The thing that fascinates me is the way that mushrooms can convert a log which would otherwise be left to decompose or burnt - into high quality food. Or better yet, poo into food. The old fashioned way was to simply get some horse manure into a compact garden bed, allow it to hot compost, then roughly chop some mushrooms into the mix and tamp it down. The new way is to mix in extra nutrients, hot compost or sterilise and then inoculate with cultivated mycelium growing on dowel or agar. Of course, you have to match the type of mushroom to your growing media.


Months ago I purchased Rowen Reid's Shiitake mycelium on dowel which arrived in a snap lock bag similar to the ones used for school lunches!

One fascinating thing that I noticed before I started my wood work was the rather wide ant 'highway' trekking to the logs and their sweet sap. This sap sits close to the surface of the bark and is sent around from the leaves to feed the rest of the tree and often, soil biota that have symbiotic relationships with the roots.

The process itself is simple:
1. Trim the log so that any cut surfaces are fresh and not contaminated
2. Drill holes around the circumference of the log
3. Put in a dowel plug to each hole
4. Seal any exposed wood and holes with beeswax

Keep moist and in the shade.
They say you should shock them into fruiting by dunking them in cold water... I'll keep you updated on whether you really have to torture them or not!

Frugal Living

I have just finished reading The Art and Science of Dumpster Diving by John Hoffman, for free. Someone had kindly scanned it and I was able to read the whole thing online! I won't give it a glowing recommendation, but it was certainly engaging and informative.
For us, the most common area in our lives for us to waste money and compromise on our environmental values is food. Waste, non-local produce and stuff accumulating that we won't use for years!
Considering our strengths, we definitely know how to forage for wild food, grow our own herbs and cook from scratch... doing pretty well on these fronts.
So I took the dive (metaphorically) and went hunting for some chicken food - and found an amazing amount of fresh baked goods. I was conflicted as I don't feel that this is ideal food for our laying hens nutritionally, but satisfied myself that they would eat as many pellets, weeds and insects as they liked. I was a little freaked out by the idea of people telling me off, but the book had instilled in me a sense of hero-ism - rescuing waste gave me the moral high ground. I feel bemused in retrospect.
John's observation that people won't throw good things in bins as they want people to forage them was borne out by the 3 cartons of diet Coke I saw but did not collect (we don't use artificial sweeteners/ chemicals in our food). 
On balance, I will continue to get vegie scraps from the organic shop when I go there, occasionally scavenging bakery, restaurant or grocery discards for the chickens. I will aim for a healthy diet for the chickens, avoiding sugary icing and preferring an avocado or lentils to a loaf of bread.
And... if I see something that is excellent quality, I'll feel free to eat it myself!