Never heard of anyone using a crock pot. Try studding the PF-tek found on this website. You will probably want to start out with a pot of boiling water on the stove. Just because it is the cheapest and easiest way to start this hobby. I have been buying my spores from RalphsterSpores and it is not an online purchase. Most reputable sites will tell you that they don't keep any records though. Also it is not illegal to buy the spores for microscopic use.