Growing Mushrooms in Lillooet

Following the successful Paul Stamets presentation in February 2018, Lillooet Food Matters found plenty of enthusiasm in the community for learning more about the benefits of mushrooms and their cultivation.

We were fortunate to be able to engage Danielle Stevenson, founder of DIY Fungi, Victoria, and David Lyon, her assistant, who presented a two-day (plus one evening) workshop on the art and science of mushroom cultivation.

The workshop, called “Skills for Low-Tech Mushroom Cultivation”, was held over the Labour Day long weekend, starting with an evening lecture, and followed by two days of intense learning and hands-on experience. Over 20 enthusiastic participants went home with new skills and some of their own cultures for growing several strains. Although the main emphasis was on growing techniques and processes, they also explored the nutritional and medicinal properties of Reishi, Turkey Tail, Lions Mane, Maitake, Shiitake and other mushrooms, and learned how to prepare them in cooking, teas, broths, capsules and tinctures. Later they talked about mycoremediation: using fungi to break down pollutants in water, detoxify contaminated soil, as well as suck up heavy metals and radiation.

📷 Andrew Ridley on Unsplash

An exciting result from the workshop is that the students placed logs, inoculated with Pearl Oyster mushroom mycelium, along the spawning channel at Splitrock Nursery. These will be available for all to harvest from, and a sign will be placed soon to inform the public of the strain and care instructions.

Spawning Channels at Splitrock Nursery 📷 S. Petznick

Lillooet Food Matters wishes to thank the Lillooet Naturalist Society, Squamish Lillooet Regional District, the Lillooet Agriculture and Food Society, and Splitrock Environmental/Sekw’el’was for their sponsorship in making this event possible.