The production of the fungus requires easy technology to implement and for its sowing only decomposing organic material is needed. Its cultivation can become a source of income or a source of quality and organic food, since it does not require chemicals to harvest it. In Guatemalan kitchens they can serve as a complement or be a main dish.
Byron Zet, coordinator of the farm, explains in three simple steps to grow oyster mushrooms.
Step 1. Hygiene
It is essential that the entire area where the crop is placed is free of impurities and dirt. Because they are fungi, they are susceptible to the smallest changes and that is why it is recommended to leave the bags with the crop on shelves and not on the ground.
To carry out the cultivation, a mixture of decomposed organic material must be made, which is known as a substrate. The substrate must be soaked in lime for 12 hours and can be made from corn cob, cob, bean husk, pulp or coffee husk. In this mixture you must integrate the seeds of the mushrooms.
Step 2. Incubation
Once the substrate mixture is made, it is placed in 25-pound plastic bags with small holes for the substrate to breathe and covered with a black bag for 25 days so that the seeds have their germination process. It is very important not to expose the bags to light during this time and to store them in a cool place.
Step 3. Harvest
After 25 days, the black bag should be removed to allow the mushrooms to reach an appropriate size. Up to four pounds of mushrooms can be obtained from each bag depending on care and watering.
At Finca el Pilar, find your transcendent purpose
The protein values and almost zero fat content make this food of high nutritional value. Among the nutrients that this type of mushroom contains are zinc, iron, potassium, calcium, phosphorus, vitamin C, folic acid, niacin, vitamins B1 and B2.
In addition, they are recommended for people with high cholesterol levels, for hypertensive people, athletes, pregnant women, mainly for their potassium content. It is a food that does not contain cholesterol and favors intestinal function.
