Dustin Olsen of The Mushroomery in Lebanon, Oregon shares some tips for growing a variety of mushrooms in your own backyard. His mushroom farm grows and sells wild and cultivated organic mushrooms, and also mushroom kits for those interested in growing their own mushrooms at home. Below are some pictures from his farm during our visit in February.

Inoculated Logs — Inoculated logs at The Mushroomery. In a year, Shitaki mushrooms will arise from the logs.

Bagging Inoculated Straw — Bagging the inoculated straw. The straw is first pasteurized to kill off unwanted bacteria, and then inoculated with mycelium spores. Straw provides an excellent environment for the mushrooms to grow.

Most of the videos featured on Cooking Up a Story were produced, filmed, and edited by Rebecca Gerendasy. Fred Gerendasy contributed as a writer to many of the posts and occasionally as the interviewer. Visit Rebecca Gerendasy Clay – Art and Fred Gerendasy Photography to see their current work.