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Oyster mushroom is considered the most common and safe mushroom. It grows in the wild and can also be successfully grown in garden plots. The fruiting body is rich in vitamins and nutrients, but there are contraindications for consumption for a certain category of people.
Where does oyster mushroom grow?
Up to thirty species of the popular mushroom are known, but about ten varieties of oyster mushroom are grown on private plots and on an industrial scale.The popularity of fruiting bodies is due to the safety of consumption, good taste, and ease of cultivation.
Mushrooms growing in nature love old stumps and tree trunks
To successfully search for fruiting bodies in the forest, you need to know where to look for them. In nature, the oyster mushroom grows on stumps and trunks of deciduous trees. Species that take root on coniferous trees are less common. The steppe oyster mushroom is considered universal, capable of taking root in any area. The common mushroom is a parasite.
More information about oyster mushrooms can be found in the video:
When going on a “silent hunt”, you need to know about the existing varieties. The most common types are:
- Lemon oyster mushroom has a bright yellow color. Distributed in the Far East. In the wild, it is most often found on the elm tree. This is where the second name came from - Elm oyster mushroom. At home, you can grow it on a substrate or block of poplar, aspen, or birch.
The elm species is distinguished by the yellow color of its cap and legs.
- The carob-shaped species lives in the territory of deciduous forest plantations. Mushrooms love warm weather and grow from May to October. Often found on oaks, rowan trees, and birch. With the onset of cold weather it is useless to look for them.
Horn-shaped species loves warmth
- The steppe oyster mushroom species does not parasitize trees. Myceliums form on the roots of umbrella plants. The caps can grow up to 25 cm in diameter. Harvesting begins in the spring. For the fruiting bodies of this species, they do not go to the forest, but to a cattle pasture or wasteland where umbrella plants grow.
Steppe oyster mushroom is large in size
- The peculiarity of pulmonary oyster mushroom is its white color and cap with drooping edges. Families grow in large groups on the trunks of old birch, beech or oak trees and are not afraid of low temperatures.
Oyster mushroom is easily recognized by its white color
- Pink oyster mushroom grows in the forests of the Far East on the trunks of deciduous trees. It attracts with its bright pink color, but is poorly valued by mushroom pickers due to its low taste.
The pink oyster mushroom has an unusual bright color.
- The royal oyster mushroom grows on the ground. The mycelium itself originates on the roots of plants. The caps grow large in size, have excellent taste, and contain large amounts of protein and other useful substances.
Residents of warm regions begin to collect royal oyster mushrooms in March
For an experienced mushroom picker, it is enough to find a productive place once and visit it every year with the onset of the season.
What does an oyster mushroom look like?
The oyster mushroom is considered the most unpretentious. Because of the shape of the cap, it is called an oyster cap. Externally, an ordinary fruiting body looks like an ear with a funnel. In the photo, the oyster mushroom resembles a group of oysters stuck to a large rock. In nature, the common mushroom grows on old trees that are beginning to dry out, and on fallen trunks. The cap is covered with smooth matte skin. In the young oyster mushroom, it is beige, and over time it acquires a gray color. The cap of the old mushroom is dark gray. The family is large, growing from one mycelium. A multi-level cluster grows on a tree. Each common mushroom is pressed tightly against each other.
On a stump, an oyster mushroom resembles a group of abalones or oysters
Is it possible to eat oyster mushrooms?
Common forest oyster mushroom, as well as those grown at home on substrate, are suitable for consumption. The likelihood of getting poisoned is zero. The exception is the common oyster mushroom, collected in polluted places, near roads, and industrial enterprises. You can be poisoned by artificially grown mushrooms that are heavily poisoned with pesticides.
Taste qualities of mushroom
The taste of the common oyster mushroom is comparable to champignons if it is skillfully prepared. Young bodies are soft, slightly elastic. Forest dwellers have a predominant mushroom aroma. Artificially grown oyster mushrooms are less aromatic, but equally tasty when fried or pickled.
Benefits and harm to the body
The common oyster mushroom, grown in environmentally friendly conditions, accumulates a large complex of vitamins (B, C, E, PP, D2), amino acids and minerals. There is little fat. However, they help reduce cholesterol levels in human blood. Existing carbohydrates do not contribute to fat deposition, since 20% consist of easily digestible sucrose, glucose, and fructose. Polysaccharides that destroy tumors bring great benefits to the body. Oyster mushroom is considered low-calorie. Fruiting bodies can be safely consumed by people who are prone to obesity.
The pulp of ordinary forest and home-grown oyster mushrooms contains vitamins and nutrients
If used inappropriately, even environmentally friendly ordinary oyster mushrooms can cause harm to the body. The pulp of the fruiting bodies contains chitin. The substance is not absorbed by the body. Chitin cannot be completely removed from mushrooms, but only partially by heat treatment. It is not recommended to give oyster mushrooms to children under 5 years of age.Teenagers and older adults include a small amount in their diet. For those allergic to spores, common oyster mushrooms are dangerous when harvested.
False doubles
Common mushroom grown at home from mycelium is safe. If the collection is carried out in the forest, then by mistake you can end up with doubles. Most often there are two types:
- The orange forest oyster mushroom is recognized by its bright color, which is unusual for an edible mushroom. The fruit body is attached to the tree by the cap, that is, there is no stem. Young mushroom families emit a melon aroma. After full ripening, the smell of rotting cabbage appears.
- From June to November, you can find Wolf's sawwort on dry wood. The cream or light brown caps grow sideways to the tree trunk. Old mushrooms show red spots. Sawfoil emits a pleasant mushroom aroma, but the pulp contains a lot of bitterness.
There are two false doubles: orange oyster mushroom and wolfsaw leaf.
Oyster mushroom look-alikes are free of toxins. If taken accidentally, they will not cause death, but the overly bitter taste is unpleasant in the mouth.
Collection rules
When harvesting from a tree, the first important rule is not to take little-known mushrooms. Oyster mushrooms are difficult to confuse with other forest products, but it’s better to be safe. Common oyster mushrooms have a strong stalk. When collecting in the forest, you can simply twist them by the wood caps. When grown on a substrate, it is optimal to cut the crop with a knife. Twisting can damage the mycelium. It is advisable not to collect wet fruit bodies in the forest, as they quickly begin to rot.
To avoid damaging the mycelium, it is better to cut the crop with a knife.
The collection season lasts from spring to autumn. The exact time depends on the weather conditions of the region. When growing oyster mushrooms artificially, the harvest can be harvested all year round if there is a heated room.
Use
Young fruiting bodies with a cap diameter of up to 7 cm are suitable for consumption. The mushrooms are not peeled, but simply washed well with water to remove debris. After washing, the fruiting bodies are boiled and then used for further cooking.
Growing oyster mushroom
To grow oyster mushroom in your own area, you will need a humid room. A cellar or shed in a thicket of trees is perfect. Mycelium is purchased ready-made. It can be stored in the refrigerator for up to three months, but should not be frozen. It is important to know that 1 kg of mycelium will grow approximately 3 kg of mushrooms. Here you need to calculate and plan the future harvest.
At home, oyster mushroom grows on a substrate loaded into plastic bags
To plant mycelium you need a substrate. Load it into plastic bags. Suitable substrates include straw, hay, sawdust, chopped corn cobs, and seed husks. Before loading, the raw materials must be boiled for 2 hours and left to cool. The water is drained. When squeezed by hand, the finished substrate should release a few drops of water.
The wet mass is loaded into bags. Mycelium is poured through each layer of substrate 5 cm thick. The bags are tied, placed on racks or hung.When the mycelium begins to germinate (after about 20 days), slits are made on the bags in the right place with a knife. Fruiting bodies will grow from these windows.
Until the mycelium germinates, the bags stand in the dark. With the formation of fruiting bodies, the lighting is turned on around the clock. The indoor humidity is maintained at a minimum of 80%, the air temperature is in the range of 18-22 °C, and ventilation is provided.
Two waves of harvest are usually harvested from one filling. Fruiting bodies can germinate after the second harvest, but in small quantities. Usually mushroom pickers do not wait for the third wave of the harvest. The spent substrate is stored in a compost heap to obtain fertilizer.
Conclusion
Oyster mushroom can be grown from its substrate. To do this, half-cooked wheat is loaded into a jar, and pieces of mushrooms purchased at the nearest supermarket are added. Cover the container tightly with a lid. After a few days, the wheat will be overgrown with white moss, which is the very mycelium for planting.
