Detailed Explanation of Edible Mushroom Cultivation Techniques and Common Fresh-Keeping Methods

I. Three Methods for Keeping Oyster Mushrooms Fresh

1. Take fresh oyster mushrooms that are free of mold and not overgrown, rinse them with clean water, and remove impurities. During rinsing, turn and handle them gently to avoid breakage. Then put them into boiling water, scoop them out with a slotted spoon in a clockwise direction, place them in a sieve, drain off the water, and directly pack them into non-toxic polyethylene food bags, sealing the bag opening well (note that no water droplets should cling to the inside or outside of the bag opening). Finally, put the mushroom bags into plastic food crates or wooden crates (cardboard boxes) and place them in a cold storage room (at a temperature of -18°C) for preservation. They can be taken out at any time to be sold or further processed.

2. After oyster mushrooms are harvested, immediately wash off the mud and sand, mix large and small ones together, and seal-pack them in non-toxic polyethylene plastic bags 0.5 mm thick. Stored at 0°C, they can be kept fresh for 15 days to 20 days, with no change in nutritional content and no loss in weight.

3. After oyster mushrooms are harvested, clean and package them, irradiate them with 100,000 rads of cobalt-60 rays, and then store them at 0°C. The fresh-keeping time can be extended to 31 days, and they are safe and non-toxic.

II. Method for Keeping Straw Mushrooms Fresh

Punch micro-holes in paper-plastic composite bags, put straw mushrooms that have not yet opened their caps (with plump, firm fruiting bodies, conical in appearance, and grayish-brown at the top) into them, and store at 15°C to 20°C to keep them fresh for 2 hours.

III. Two Methods for Keeping Shiitake Mushrooms Fresh

1. First line the box with moisture-proof paper, paste pig-blood kraft paper over the seams outside the box, and place a certain amount of quicklime and other desiccants (wrapped in cloth bags) inside the box. This method prevents pest eggs from finding suitable temperature and humidity to breed, and the shiitake mushrooms can be stored for 1 year with no change in color, aroma, or taste.

2. Store fresh, clean shiitake mushrooms in cardboard boxes (the boxes must be lined with double-layer moisture-proof paper and 1 layer of plastic film). The moisture content of the shiitake mushrooms put into the boxes must not exceed 3%, and a cardboard box with a volume of 0.2 cubic meters is suitable for holding 10 kg of dried shiitake mushrooms. Placed in an air-conditioned room at 13°C to 17°C, they can be stored for 1 month to 6 months; placed in low-temperature cold storage at 13°C to 14°C, they can be stored for more than half a year; if the relative humidity of the air-conditioned room and cold storage is below 55%, and an exhaust fan and a dehumidifier are installed, the shiitake mushrooms can be stored for 2 years with no change in color, aroma, or taste.

IV. Two Methods for Keeping Button Mushrooms Fresh

1. Brine preservation. After freshly harvested button mushrooms are selected according to quality standards, soak them in a 0.1% to 0.2% sodium metabisulfite solution for 8 minutes to 10 minutes, then rinse them with clean water for 30 minutes. After draining, pack them in special cylindrical cans, and they can be kept fresh for 72 hours at a temperature below 23°C. Alternatively, immediately place blanched button mushrooms into a 19-degree Baume salt solution for salting (pour 25 kg of blanched button mushrooms into 25 kg of saturated salt solution), then add refined salt to cover the surface, and after several days add an appropriate amount of refined salt again to maintain 18 degrees Baume. After stabilizing for 4 days to 6 days, seal and preserve them.

2. Quick-freezing preservation. Within 30 minutes to 40 minutes, rapidly lower washed and blanched button mushrooms from normal temperature to -20°C, allowing long-term preservation.