our first mushrooms ~

I looked out the window ... out across the yard, on the edge of the woods towards the wood chip pile we had made earlier this year in May...  Did my eyes deceive me or were those mushrooms popping up??  I could see them from the house.

The Stropharia Rugosa-annulata Mushrooms, aka. Wine Caps are growing!  Yeah!!!

This is our first attempt at growing mushrooms so forgive me if I seem a bit excited.  I felt just like a farmer walking into a barn and seeing a newborn calf... that kind of excitement :)

They are still in the early stage; but look how big they are already:

These are still in the "button stage" as their caps haven't separated yet from the stem forming the annulus or ring.

I only picked four of them today.  I'm excited to see what tomorrow brings:)

I'm hoping for a bumper crop out of our 5'x10' bed.  Stuffed mushrooms, mushroom soup, sauteed mushrooms, pickled mushrooms .... time to check out some recipes.

Hopefully in a few days we'll start to see something on the oyster mushroom - totem poles we planted also.

The weather is dropping into the near freezing and in some places freezing temperatures already at night and then back into the 60's- 70's during the days.  Prime mushroom time.

Until next time ...
So it goes in my neck of the woods.
~mel