Messages

andres,
  Excellent news!       Unless you were going to fruit them as cakes, or in the jars, I would have thought you would be spawning to a larger media.
  If you are going to case, I would suggest you crumble, and case.  Then mist them well, and incubate in the dark for a few days before attempting to fruit.
  GL
   ~Malabar   

Cugak,
  I'm not too sure you would want to trust your microwave for drying,...  I have never tried it, of heard of it being done either. 
  Without a dehydrator, you can just let them air dry using a fan to circulate the air, or let them rest over the vents of an old TV or some low temp electronic device.  I've seen a friend leave them on the exit fans of his computer, and they dried in less than a day.
  Now is when you need to be McGuyver ,........   
    ~Malabar   

andres,
  The bluing on mycelium is a general indicator of either bruising, or lack of moisture.
  You said you were thinking of injecting some sterile H2O into the mass,....  So the results were??
   ~Malabar   

[And an Merry Christmas to you and all my friends out there also!]

  And an Merry Christmas to you and all my friends out there also!  
  ~Malabar   

moorhS,
  Good deal!      
When you see the pins in sizable numbers, it's time to start making any adjustments that you feel you need, as so the developing fruits will come into the world as happy as possible.
   ~Malabar   

Coyoteyogi,
  I'm suspecting you are experiencing an RH issue.   In theory , you should be able to fruit the cakes with your casings, but as you know from past grows there are a few differences in the RH after pins appear . 
  What range are you holding the rh?  After the pins appear on your casings, you typically would drop your rh a few %, ( a range of 90% - 92% ), whereas if I am not mistaking you hold your rh around the max, ( 99% ) for cakes.
  Ultimately, you may want to relocate the casings to their own home,...  especially since the cakes are performing normally.
  As you know, I don't deal with cakes, and never did, and I could be off a bit, but I'm pretty sure this is the answer to your delima. 
   ~Malabar   

moorhs, 
  You are definitely on the right track!  And it's quite impressive, with your interest.  You might find the books available through Amazon.   
  Also, if you have access to the Sundance channel on satellite or cable, you might check out " Know Your Shrooms ", the video.  Lots of fun and informative stuff there also.
  ~Malabar   

Dub,
  Anytime we have made Magic Tea , we have just ground the shrooms to a fine dust, and added them after the tea has been steeped,......  just before drinking.
  But, a better route has been using honey as a storage medium for the shroom dust, and adding that to your tea when you are ready to ingest.
  Both methods work great, and there has never been a noticeable loss at all.
Enjoy and Happy Holidays!    
   ~Malabar   

andres,
  Sorry,.... My bad.  The "bluingm" was a typo that escaped detection of the spelling checker, and these old eyes ,.......  ( stick around for a few more years, and you'll get a pair! )  lol   
    VERMICULITE / PEAT , very basic,... very easy.
   Malabar   

  I agree with the Troutman.   
As of late, I have been using more plastics, but I have at least 20 casings in aluminum trays as I type.   And, considering that aluminum isn't a "heavy" or ferrous metal, I think the consumption by mycelia is negligible. 
  You probably consume more dangerous compounds in Larger quantities by drinking milk, or your tap water.
  ~Malabar   

dave,
  I still would feel uncomfortable with your methodology, but if this is the way you have chosen, the best of luck to you. 
  ~Malabar   

[Fire]

dave,
  I hate to be the stick in the mud , but,.....    Just why are you attempting to re-invent the wheel?     If you have done your research, you will find that you can probably get spores to germinate and even develop some sort of fruit on many substances,.... even human feces.  But that doesn't mean the fruits are edible, or what they really appear to be.
  White rice, may in fact support growth of a mycelia network and even fruits, but most of the nutrients needed to continue feeding a healthy grow have been bleached and processed out of the grain, thus the purpose of using Brown Rice, heavy and natural grains.
  Though you have obtained some sort of results, I would advise you get on-board and follow "proven" techniques as not you hurt yourself or others.  Most of all, so you can enjoy the fruits of your efforts.
  That cake of yours really looks nasty, and I would be afraid to even have it in my house, let alone dispose of by any means other than Fire ! 
  If you are just experimenting, GL.  But If you are serious about the hobby, I repeat you should go a more conventional route.
  As usual, this just my opinion and what I know from Many years of growing.
    ~Malabar     
   

Sorry Trout,..... 
  I was working on that post,..........forever!  lol    Kind of got stuck on Stupid for a few with the dogs,.  They are my bestest friends,....  other than the wifey, kids and grands,...  You know the deal.
  Enjoy bro!      The livin' is still sweet! 
    ~Malabar   

Trout,
  Thought about calling you,.......  But 26gms later,......  I'm trppin Balwzz.   The downside,...  I'm in Florida and getting the "Farts" from the blizzard they are having up north!  It's windy as Hell here at the beach!  And the temps have dropped from the 70's to the 40's,... and may hit freezing!   WTF?   
  I could have stayed in New York, to deal with this!
   Enjoy the walk-about with the wife,......  my other half is throwing a log on the fire!        And then the family will start to arrive tomorrow as well for the week of "Christmas" events!
  Life is So Good to us,......  Enjoy your adventure, and the holidays!   Reach out to you soon bro!    Peace
   Malabar   
 
    Life is Good!         I hope Everyone is Happy!     

Lun0s,
  Contaminates are much like an infection.  Given a weakened state or the  opportunity, ( the environment you make available to them ) allows their dominant nature to overrun the mycelium within controlled environments.
  In indoor grows, it's Very rare to have mycelium survive a hostile invasion of contamination.
  Most times you will have indicators long before you see contams, ( smell is a biggie ).
  ~Malabar   

Lun0s,
  You can indeed slow, or retard the colonized jars in your fridge safely for up to a few weeks. 
  But, remember the fridge is a breeding ground of contamination's,..... molds, fungus and nasty bacteria. 
  I would wrap them with a paper towel, place them in a storage baggie, and repeat the process, ( double baggie ) for each jar.
   Better safe than sorry,....
  ~Malabar     

  Andres,
  They have definitely lost too much moisture,......  thus the bluing as well as the lack of progression in colonization.
   You might try injecting a cc or two of sterile distilled water into the substrate with hopes of revitalizing the growth.
   ~Malabar   

Cool enough,....
   Keep on "Glowin" bro!
       

Big,
  You are absolutely right about the " patches " peeking through.  I would suggest you give them another day incubating, then patch those areas and then off to the FC.  You're on auto-cruise for sure then.....  About 8 days to "Fruit City" !
  I'm still not getting where the smell derives from, but if all of the casings have the same aroma, you may be right about your vermiculite.
  ~Malabar   

["standing"]

Big,
  What did you do about that "standing" water you had in the FC?
A mild "sweet" bread smell isn't too far off base.  I have witnessed it in the past, but if it is a " molded " bread smell, you may want to smell each casing individually to identify and isolate it.
  The only smell I have had from vermiculite has been a "garden" scent, other than when it's new and dry.  Then it may smell like dust.
    ~Malabar