Where I work has been experincing reductions in force from the economic downturn recently. A coworker read the article on growing shitaake mushrooms in our CS copy and started doing it about 5 months ago under his 18 x 70 mobile home. He showed me yesterday where he is selling these to a couple of healthfood stores and is coming within $50 of his paycheck at the plant on a harvesting. He is now starting on a cellar to grow more so that he can buy his own health insurance. This is what I call true "unemployment insurance".

-- Jay Blair in N. AL (jayblair678@yahoo.com), April 14, 2001

Answers

We want to grow mushrooms but we only have a handfull of trees right around the farmhouse. That is one of the reasons we wanted to trade this 12 acres of pasture for a place with woods. Also the goats do much better in the woods than pasture. I'm gonna go re-read that article, thanks Jay.

-- Cindy in Ky (solidrockranch@hotmail.com), April 15, 2001.

He might want to check with the head chef at gourmet restaurants. If the quality and consistent availability is there, his return may be far better. Who but a chef can turn $10 in ingredients into a $100 meal? Once a relationship was established, he might be able to provide other items, such as squab or baby or unusual vegetables.

I have twice eating at a **** restauant. Both times it was, "Hon, do you mind if I swing by McDonald's? I'm still hungry." Perhaps why I favor oriental restaurants.

-- Ken S. in WC TN (scharabo@aol.com), April 15, 2001.

Cindy,

Kevin was telling me the same thing about the availability of the cull wood to use as hosts. He and I are going to try making some "artificial logs" by salvaging the heavy paper core tubes that the wrapping paper comes on at the plant . They are six feet long and about 6 inches in diameter with a 1/4 inch wall. We think if we use my worm ranch shredder and blender, we can slurry up humus and sawdust and pack the tube with it. This should also help with the moisture factor. I told him when we run out of tubes, we could try making large feed blocks using old copy paper boxes. We have to do a little research as to what sources could provide safe wood scraps ( non presssure treated) and if there are any chemicals used in the cardboard that might be picked up by the spawn so we don't create a mushroom with toadstool attitude.

Ken,

I just checked the telephone directories and did find 2 classy restaurants in Birmingham and one in Huntsville that could be a possibility. I'll pass it on.

-- Jay Blair in N. AL (jayblair678@yahoo.com), April 15, 2001.