The Simplest Way to Grow Oyster Mushrooms and Harvesting Tips

Growing vegetables on the balcony is nothing new, but surprising things keep popping up all the time. Have you ever heard of growing mushrooms on the balcony? Haha, this growing method, known as the simplest way to grow mushrooms, has long been popular on the internet. What? You still don't know about it? Then come and take a look with the editor!

The Simplest Way to Grow Oyster Mushrooms

1. Buy ready-made small mushroom bags online. That's right, many merchants now offer household mushroom bags, which are easy to learn and are billed as foolproof mushroom growing.

2. After receiving the mushroom bag, take it out and use a knife to cut open the seal at one end of the bag, then cut a cross in the opening.

3. Place the mushroom bag in a cool place, and spray water on the opening end with a watering can every morning and evening to keep the mushroom bag moist, but do not spray too much water.

4. Depending on local temperature, humidity and other environmental conditions, the time for mushrooms to appear is not the same. They generally appear in 5-10 days and can be harvested in 10-20 days.

5. Once the oyster mushrooms have grown, they can be picked, and then you can make a lovely big meal to enjoy.

Harvesting Tips for Oyster Mushrooms

When the caps of oyster mushrooms have fully opened and have not yet released spores, they should be harvested in good time. Harvesting at the right time not only makes them delicious but also gives a high yield; delaying harvest not only lowers the quality of the oyster mushrooms but also harms the growth of the next crop of oyster mushrooms. In particular, a large number of spores are released and enter the respiratory tract of the person managing them, causing coughing and affecting health; if they fall on the surface of the fruiting bodies and on top of the substrate layer, they form a layer of white slime, which can cause the young buds and fruiting bodies to rot.

Harvesting method: To ensure the quality of the oyster mushrooms, do not stop watering in advance; simply stop spraying water on the day of harvest. This helps the mushroom bodies keep their toughness, otherwise they tend to dry out and become brittle and cracked. When harvesting, cut with a sharp knife, do not twist with your hands. When cutting, pay attention to keeping close to the substrate surface and do not leave the stubble too high, so as to avoid rot after watering. Fresh mushrooms after harvest should be handled gently and placed down gently, and the old roots and the base of the mushroom stems should be cut off forcefully, then sent promptly to a purchasing station or processing unit. If the quantity is large and transportation is inconvenient, they can also be sun-dried or oven-dried, packed in plastic bags, and sealed for storage.

Storage Methods for Oyster Mushrooms

1. Sealed storage

In ordinary conditions, fresh oyster mushrooms can be stored for 3-5 days. As the temperature rises, humidity also increases. When the quantity of mushrooms is not large, you can put the oyster mushrooms in a jar containing a small amount of cold water and seal the mouth of the jar tightly. Even if the temperature reaches 15°C-16°C, they can be kept fresh for about a week.

2. Placing in cold water

You can also fully immerse the mushrooms in cold water, but the water must be clean and hygienic, and the iron content of the water should be less than 2 mg/L. Only then will the oyster mushrooms not turn black.

3. Refrigeration

Treat fresh oyster mushroom fruiting bodies in boiling water or steam for 4-8 minutes, place them in a 1% citric acid solution to cool quickly, drain the water, divide them into plastic bags, and put them in a cold storage room. They can be kept fresh for 3-5 days.

4. Air-drying

Wash the oyster mushrooms, tear them into strips, and dry them. Add an appropriate amount of peanut oil (other vegetable oils also work) to a pan, add a few red chilies and salt, pour the dried oyster mushroom strips into the oil, and fry until the oyster mushrooms turn golden brown, then turn off the heat. After cooling, put them in a wide-mouthed container. They can be used to mix with noodles or put in steamed buns or bread. The shelf life can reach several months.

Nutritional Value of Oyster Mushrooms

1. Oyster mushrooms contain a very rich variety of amino acids, containing 17 kinds of amino acids, including the 8 essential amino acids for the human body.

2. The protein content of oyster mushrooms is about 20%, which is 2.6 times that of eggs, 4 times that of pork, and 15 times that of spinach and rapeseed.

3. Oyster mushrooms, like ordinary edible mushrooms, contain dietary fiber, which helps promote gastrointestinal motility and digestion.

4. Oyster mushrooms contain physiologically active substances such as pleuromutilin and acidic polysaccharides, which are effective for health and longevity and for preventing and treating hepatitis.

Growing vegetables and fruits on the balcony is indeed a rare environmentally friendly and green way to grow plants, and of course it is also one of China's characteristics. After all, the Chinese are the people in the world most enthusiastic about growing vegetables. Although growing mushrooms on the balcony is much simpler than ordinary oyster mushroom growing methods, harvesting still needs to follow the normal harvesting procedures!