In the snows and winds of December and January, three of the trees that came down were perfect for making mushroom logs. I got 37 nice 42" logs from them. I have gone down from 48" as the larger ones were too much for me. Not that they are all that much lighter with only a half a foot chopped off. So, I am back at it, doing a warm weather strain and about to order 10 more pounds of wide range shiitake spawn.
When I received my copy of The Shiitake Growers Handbook, I was directed by Northwest Mycological Consultants to the chapter on diseases and pests to beware of on shiitake logs. I've read that section over three times now. It is pretty technical, and I don't know from all the Latin names of fungi to look out for. But what I am getting from it is that it is important to handle and store the logs properly during the next phases, i.e., the spawn run and fruiting cycles.
Yesterday, I visited a guy who is a couple years ahead of me in his first attempt at growing shiitakes on alder. He admittedly hadn't paid enough attention to handling his logs, and specifically, he'd been over-watering them when problem spores were likely to be present. (I know that my first attempt involved letting the logs get too dry.) Seeing the damage to his bark was a real eye-opener. These logs have to be kept moist, but exposed wet bark seems to be asking for problems. I will have to do something before the spring spores are looking for wet bark to colonize. I bought some tarps Wednesday to cover my stacks.
I just went out and turned on the hot plate under the wax. It's windy and nasty out, so I'm bundling up and getting ready for today's shift of drilling, filling, and waxing. Got my iPod full of books and I'm ready to go. Listening to a Michael Connelly book today.
