How to Grow Your Own Mushrooms at Home

Growing your own vegetables at home is already something more or less common, so why not try with mushrooms too, right?Mushrooms are edible fungi with many health benefits; for example, they strengthen the immune system, are a good source of antioxidants, and contain a good amount of fiber.Before learning how to grow mushrooms at home, you need to know the growth cycle. Fungi have a life cycle that ends in one sense and begins in another at the same time.Discover how to cut mushrooms here.This cycle begins when a mature fungus releases its spores, which act like the equivalent of seeds in a plant.When the spores fall to the ground and mix with other compatible spores, the growth of mycelium begins, a network of cells that resembles a plant's root system, but mycelium looks more like the plant and the fungi are like its fruit. Mycelium can be a single organism or several different organisms working together as a colony.After the mycelium grows, it will then start to produce pinheads. These are small bumps that before becoming mushrooms go through a stage called primordia, which look like miniature baby mushrooms. Eventually, the primordia turn into full-sized mushrooms that then mature, drop their own spores, and the cycle begins again.How to grow mushrooms at homeTo grow them at home, the easiest way is to buy them pre-cultivated, so you will only need a foam cooler (expanded polystyrene), straw, compost, water, and a cloth or mulch to cover them. You can find mushroom mycelium in online stores, just remember that they must be of the Agaricus Bisporus variety to be edible. Remember that buying mycelium will be like buying the seeds.Mix the straw (boil it first to prevent it from germinating) with the compost, slightly moisten the mixture. Place it in the cooler and add the mycelium.Cover the box, as mushrooms do not need sunlight to live; in fact, it is best to place the box in a dark room to avoid exposing it to the sun. Keep the box covered and when you water, just wet the soil. Water every time the water droplets dry.If possible, use rain or mineral water, as tap water is chlorinated, and monitor for mosquitoes to avoid risks.After about 20 days, the mushrooms will be ready to harvest by twisting them until the body detaches from the substrate; avoid cutting them, as they will rot.Like any living being, growing mushrooms will require attention, but having your own mushrooms and being able to cook them immediately after harvesting will be an incredible flavor experience, for example, in a soup, in cheese patties, or in a pasta.Now that you know how to grow them, learn the best way to wash mushrooms here.