Two large containers, normally seen on the back of a lorry, is the basis of my venture, purposely adapted and isolated using a system developed by Humungus Fungus from Carmarthenshire. The secret is to create a hot summer atmosphere for them in one room and then cool them and create humidity in the other room.
The culture room is maintained at a constant tmperature and it is here that the plastic bags containing oak saw-dust (and other contents) which have been seeded with mushroom spores develop. Some 40 new bags arrive every fortnight and over a period of 4-6 weeks, the mycelia grows through the saw-dust until the contents in the bag turn into a solid white block. Then, a brown crust develops and within say 2 weeks, small cracks appear which is a sign that the blocks are ready to fruit.
They are then moved into the growing unit in the second container where three essential elements are controlled – temperature, moisture and light. Within a day or two, the blocks are covered in cracks with small mushrooms sprouting from them, a process which will continue for some 10 days. The mushrooms must be cut off the block before the cap fully opens and drops its spores.
What therefore ar the virtues of the Shittake mushroom? The caps are on average 8 to 10 cm in diameter of a rich hazel colour and tend to weigh around 50 grams. The taste is delicious, having a full body which does not become watery and wither when cooked. There has been an excellent response from the market, the challenge now is to manage the process so that we produce a regular supply of this class product. This is the market requirement and we must respond accordingly to have a sustainable business.
Cynan Jones – Trialist for the Menterra Exotic Mushroom Project
Tyddyn Meirion, Rhiw
Well, what a year it’s been for extreme weather ! This has had its effects on humans, animals, and all our trees and experimental bushes. While the holidaymaker enjoyed the sun, everybody and everything else, at times, were wilting. Apparently, at the tip of the Llŷn Peninsula, we had even less rain than most places which did affect the MENTERRA project.
The more mature Aronia plants coped better with the weather conditions than the Sea- Buckthorn. The Aronia developed well and produced some berries, we tasted a few and they had a very pleasant apple like flavour. The Blackbirds must have been delighted to see the berried bushes and fast tracked in and stripped them bare. We must put our thinking caps on about that problem, and try to find a solution that is both practical and affordable.
The Sea-Buckthorn really struggled here, being such a juvenile plant on a south-west sloping field; and it wasn’t until some liquid refreshment fell out of the sky in late summer that the plants took off with a tremendous burst of growth ! We wonder what will happen to this young soft growth if we have a harsh winter. It will be interesting to monitor the effects.
The Aronia leaves turned a beautiful bright red before the salt laden gales blew in and attacked them. The Sea-Buckthorn is only now in November beginning to show any autumn tints. The mild wet autumn has definitely slowed down the process of dormancy in the shrubs and trees around the farm.
During September we attended a Triallers meeting at the Agri-Innovation Centre, Henfaes, Abergwyngregyn. A very interesting afternoon included presentations on the commercial uses of our berried plants, what we should be thinking forward on and how to investigate the markets. We were offered lots of advice from experts in these fields which gave us plenty of things to think about on our way home. It also provided us with a great opportunity to meet the other Soft Fruit triallers.
Sion & Belinda Hughes
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Ty’n y Bryn, Trawsfynydd
With over 30cm of rain in less than 4 days and now beautiful clear days with severe night frosts, it is fair to say that winter has arrived.
Our Blueberries, which were planted in April, have done very well, with all the plants flowering and producing a good initial crop of miniature berries. Although it was suggested that the berries in the first year should be removed to allow all the nutrients to be used to produce plant growth, we allowed a good proportion of our plants to keep their berries to maturity (for obvious reasons). To a large extent, this proved worthwhile because, as a result, a serious problem emerged which needs addressing before the next season – birds. Every berry was taken before fully ripened, so we must look at ways of solving this problem. Now the bushes are dormant but they certainly have grown well during the summer and have become well-established.
Our Sea-Buckthorn was also planted in April; all plants were very small initially, with only 12cm height and little lateral growth. During spring there was little movement but during the latter part of the summer and the warm autumn, growth has been considerable, with most plants bushing out and growing to between 70 and 90 cms, although none have flowered or produced berries.
Now both the Blueberry and Sea-Buckthorn plants have become established, we are looking forward to Spring and Summer 2006 when we hope further growth will produce good results with perhaps our first edible crop.
Peter & Jan Barrett
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Ty'n Y Bryn, Trawsfynydd
Six years ago Jan and I purchased Tyn y Bryn, a 2.4 hectare holding nestling some 900 feet up in the hills of North Wales.
In terms of livestock, we have now successfully completed 6 lambings and augment the sheep with chickens, ducks and at the appropriate time of the year turkeys which we buy in at 4 weeks and fatten up resulting in birds of between 20 – 24lbs.
Having, via the freezer, a ready supply of meat all year round we have also established a very viable vegetable patch growing root crop such as potatoes, carrots, swede and parsnips through to salad crops such as beetroot, tomatoes, cucumbers and lettuce and staple vegetables such as cabbage, cauliflower, sprouts, runner beans and peas. We have failed to produce fruit, except Soft Fruit which we have put down to the very high winds we experience all year round.
Whilst self sufficient in meat and vegetables we have failed to realise an income from our small farm, so when we learnt of the MENTERRA project we immediately expressed interest.
Today, a 75 square foot plot of land has been fenced off, making it rabbit and sheep proof and planted out with 48 Blueberry plants and 48 Sea-Buckthorn plants. The Blueberries have only been in the ground 8 weeks but are already doing very well, flowering and showing signs of fruit. The Sea-Buckthorn were planted later but also appear to be doing well.
Blueberries could be a most useful cash crop; these sweet succulent berries are delicious and, more importantly, fetch high prices. Sea-Buckthorn is grown for its’ oil which is used in the cosmetic industry and again it is believed to be a good cash crop.
Come late summer we will learn how successful the first year has been but who knows, instead of sheep grazing the fields we could be looking at fields of Blueberries and Sea-Buckthorn !
Peter & Jan Barrett |
