PPEM 225Mushroom Cultivation
Students will learn about commercial production of edible mushrooms and how to cultivate them on both a small and commerical scale. PPEM 225 Mushroom Cultivation (3) Pennsylvania's growers account for nearly 2/3 of the US total mushroom production. The production of the button mushroom, Agaricus bisporus, is a technically challenging process that requires a thorough understanding of substrate preparation and pasteurization (Phase I and Phase II composting) to be successful. The class will follow an Agaricus bisporus crop, at the Mushroom Research Center on campus, for the 11 week cropping cycle, participating in all aspects of button mushroom production. The course will also cover specialty mushroom production (including shiitake, oyster, maitake, enoki), which can be achieved on a small scale with some basic training and understanding of the different nutritional and substrate preparation techniques. Because cultivation of many specialty mushrooms is easier than button mushroom production, we will cultivate shiitake mushrooms both on sawdust logs as well as traditional oak logs. The class will have the opportunity to cultivate at least one other specialty mushroom, such as the oyster or lion's mane, in lab as well. We will schedule one Saturday field trip to visit several commercial mushroom farms in southeast Pennsylvania. Though this trip is not mandatory, it will be a good chance to view all aspects of commercial mushroom farming.