This technique was developed by mycologist Gary Mills after much trial and error,
and observations of morels growing in nature. What follows is a sequence which Gary
demonstrated for the PBS series, Scientific American Frontiers.The temperature,
humidity, substrate and other detailed parameters were placed in the public domain by
George Robert Trager<xyzzyx@aimnet.com>
Step 1.
Step 2.
Keep the morels fresh as best you can by keeping them in a
bag or box in the field, then refrigerating them when you
get home.
Step 3.
Step 4.
Step 5.
Let the morel drip its spores onto the petri plate as you
gently work it with your fingers. If you dont see spores
falling, just leave the mushroom hanging over the agar.
Step 6.
Cover and seal the agar plate and store it (at 55-80F). You
can invert it to prevent moisture from building up on the
lid. After a period of from a few hours to a few days, the
spores will begin to send out their first mycelial strands
into the agar plate
Step 7.
Step 8.
Step 9.
Step 10.
Step 11.
Fit with filter disc and ring and sterilize for 1 hr at 15 psi in
an autoclave.
Step 12.
Step 13.
Step 14.
Step 15.
Make a fruiting substrate mix of 20% sand, 30% potting
soil, 50% organic material composed of 80% small
hardwood chips (ash, oak, maple, beech, elm, apple, etc.),
10% rice hulls, 5% soybean meal, 5% sphagnum, and a
small amount of lime (the mineral, not the fruit) to bring
the pH to 7.1-7.3. Mix well.
Step 16.
Step 17.
Step 18.
Step 19.
Step 20.
CHILLING (a necessary step): After spawn run, remove rye seed tray from bag,
reclose, and place bagged substrate tray into refrigeration (38-40F) for two weeks.
Step 21.
Remove bagged tray from refrigeration. Remove substrate
tray from bag and place in fruiting chamber or room.
Slowly saturate substrate with sterile (65-70F) water at a
rate of 1.5-2.5 fluid ounces/hr/square foot of substrate
surface area for 12-16 hours. Allow substrate to drain
completely (for about 24 hours).
Step 22.
Step 23.
Step 24.
Step 25.
Step 26.
Cook em up!