The Road Less Traveled: 
F&FP in Africa (Part 2)
by Laura

Oysters fruiting from small thin plastic bags filled with chopped cornstalk substrate
in Malawi, Africa. These particular bags contain high bacterial contamination.

The Tisange Association in Malawi, Africa have only been growing oyster mushrooms since March of 2015. They received their initial training from another group in Malawi called Chalera. Last year, a CNFA volunteer, Matthew Cleaver, trained them in the basic principles of oyster mushroom production, mostly covering different substrate treatment methods. Matthew and I are both volunteering this year, and met upon arrival at the airport in Lilongwe (Malawi’s capital).

The Chalera group dancing and singing with excitement.

One of the first things we did after settling in was visit the farm of the Chalera group. It was simply amazing! They were so happy to see Matt, they broke out into song and dance. I was told that they were singing about mushroom production. It was such a welcoming experience. Malawi is referred to as the warm heart of Africa, and I can see why! We only stayed a short while because our assignments were located elsewhere. Matt was to stay in the city working directly with the Natural Resource College (where some of the spawn is made), while I would travel 5 hours north to Mzuzu to meet the members of the Tisange Association.

The typical landscape in Mzuzu. Walls are placed around some residences and public places
for security reasons. Most of the landscape is being farmed in one way or another.

Meeting the group was peaceful. They too were welcoming (although not breaking out into song), but they were quiet toward me. I suppose they were just as curious about my knowledge in the field as I was about what concepts they had a strong grasp upon. I was traveling with a translator named Limbi. He is a local that speaks excellent English, as well as Chitumbuka (the local language).

Our first training day consisted of a lecture in the host’s home (which would also serve as our classroom each day), and then I asked them to walk me through their current process. We tried to split days up, half inside lecturing, and half outdoors doing hands on work. The group had become very discouraged by high contamination rates, and low mushroom production. I had to do my best to determine why they were experiencing such high contamination.

Corn stalks are chopped in preparation for pasteurization.
From left to right members: Love, Clement, Agery, and Khumbo.

The Tisange Group is using dried corn stalks and leaves as a primary substrate for growing oyster mushrooms. They have used dried banana leaves in the past too, but this time of year the corn material is highly available, and free to the farmers. Mushroom growing is done as a group, but each individual specializes in other various crops, including corn (maize), which almost everyone grows. Before growing mushrooms, these stalks were simply composted. The substrate is chopped and washed using soap and water. The water at this particular farm is treated by the city, and is drinkable (this is not the case in all areas in Malawi). The water does come with a high cost, and aside from the spawn is the most expensive part of each batch that is produced.

Ester just finished pre-washing the substrate. It is quite dirty.
The stalks are currently piled in the open, and are exposed to blowing dirt and debris. 

Fifteen liters of water are heated to boiling, 250g of hydrated lime is added, and dumped over the substrate which is contained within a large plastic bucket with lid. I took note immediately that the substrate was simply floating on top of the water, not being held down in anyway. Even if held down, fifteen liters is not enough water to cover the substrate. Using a compost thermometer that I brought along I measured the water temperature (something the group had never done prior). Immediately it dropped to 180 degrees (F), but within 15 minutes it had dropped to nearly 140 degrees (F) where it stayed at until the 30 minute soak was finished. Typically we recommend a longer soak between 45 minutes to an hour with a temperature that remains between 160-170 degrees (F).

Boiling water is poured over the substrate, but quickly the temperature
goes down below what is recommended for pasteurization. 

After the pasteurization process, the substrate is dumped out in order to drain and cool.
This process was being done outside with direct exposure to the elements. Depending
on how much the sun shines, this process can take nearly two hours. The group squeezes
the substrate to test for adequate moisture. If only a drop or two comes out, it is ready to inoculate. The substrate is then put into plastic tubs and brought in the house for inoculating. 

Once treated, the substrate is allowed to drain and cool in the open air. 

This farm has the basic concepts down for growing oysters on substrate, but minor adjustments must be made in order to best avoid contamination. Stay tuned for some
simple solutions I was able to offer them.

Tree Poultry - Chicken of the Woods
By Nik

Chicken of the Woods (Laetiporus sulphureus), also known as Sulphur Shelf, is an easily recognized polypore (it's actually one of the "foolproof four," along with the Morel, Giant Puffball, and Shaggy Mane) that has many special qualities that are often overlooked. In this blog, we will explore how and what to look for, how it can be grown, a bit of its biology and the aforementioned special qualities, and how to prepare it for a delicious treat. Join us, after the jump.

The author staring longingly at his quarry.

As alluded to in the opener and in the above picture, Chicken of the Woods is rather easy to spot. Its bright yellow and orange hues (which can add nice contrast against darker Shiitake and pastel Oysters in a Farmers' Market mix, by the way) jump out at you from the dark backdrop of the tree it's inhabiting. These large clusters and obvious color patterns are telltale signs that you have stumbled into the metaphorical coop (thankfully, these "chickens" don't run around erratically after they're removed from the tree). Another trait that denotes this fungus is its perennial nature. Year after year, and often several times in a season, the Chicken returns to the same spot (here on the farm, that's usually in late June and again in August).

Chicken of the Woods emerging from old branch stub wound

At the base of the tree, indicating root rot

Now let us slip on our lap coats and discuss our attempts at growing the Chicken commercially and the biology behind it. Here at F&FP, we have only attempted to grow the Chicken indoors on sterilized sawdust, as a curiosity. These attempts have all failed, but like with many of our other curiosity-driven experiments, we will continue until we find another way around the wall.

Other spawn producers do sell Chicken of the Woods, most often in plug form similar to our Shiitake plugs. There are two reasons we have steered clear of working on log cultivation of this fungus. The primary reason is that the Chicken is both parasitic and saprobic, meaning that it establishes itself (usually first through wounds when the tree is living) and then continues to fruit long after the tree has snapped off or uprooted. This is one of the reasons we cross our fingers when high winds cruise through the farmstead. The trees snap both midway up from a past infection or uproot from Chicken-caused root rot. The second reason is that there is already plenty of it around, so we tend to not want to encourage more.

Chicken of the Woods is quite abundant in NE Wisconsin, corresponding with the abundance of 130+ year old Northern Pin Oak. If we were diligent in walking the property throughout the summer to harvest them on time, we would have gluttonous amounts for both ourselves and our farmers' market customers. The Chicken also thrives in eastern North American forest types (think mixed deciduous).

There are several other Laetiporus species, two of which are found east of the Missouri River (like L. cincinnatus). You can tell the differences based on which tree they're growing on (and where it is growing), as well as what color the pores underneath the top surface of the mushroom are. The White Chicken has white (duh) pores and is found growing soil from associated tree roots and at the base of the tree (unlike the Yellow Chicken which grows at the base and on areas of the trunk). L. huroniensis grows mostly in the Great Lakes area on Hemlock. L. gilbertsonii also grows on Eucalyptus and Live Oak in the Gulf area and in the coastal western US, L. conifericola is found on conifers.

Let's briefly investigate a Chicken of the Woods lookalike: Dryad's Saddle (Polyporus squamosus). Some who are not familiar with the Chicken will assume this is the real deal. Though it is edible, you will need to be armed with an industrial-strength mandible and routinely do jaw exercises for endurance and strength. Plus, it really isn't all that tasty. You can see the difference in the photos below:

Dryad's Saddle on an ancient Box Elder stump

For the final course, I will leave you with some culinary ideas that utilize the Chicken. It is best harvested when young while its edges are still thick-rimmed with plenty of yellow coloration. Once the edges thin, you will want to only use the outer 3-4 inches of the specimen where it is still tender, so it pays to stroll frequently through the woods equipped with a bag and a knife. If harvesting for a farmers' market, pick freshest specimens only and take the entire cluster, trimming right before market if necessary. Keep refrigerated until market day! On to the recipes...

Grilled/Parchment Roasted Chicken of the Woods

Parchment-roasted Chicken of the Woods in a white cream sauce over toast,
with garden-fresh basil, cucumbers, and heirloom tomatoes 

This method is totally open to experimentation, and in the end the mushrooms and the resulting broth can be used either as a main course or a nice supplement. You will need:

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar or wine vinegar (if you don't care for the acidity of vinegar, you can substitute chicken or vegetable stock with a dash of lime)
2 tablespoons honey  (mix with the vinegar/stock)
4 cups sliced Chicken of the Woods
3/4 cup olive oil
sea salt and black pepper to taste and a few branches of fresh thyme (optional)

Cut Chicken of the Woods into 1/4 - 1/2 inch slices and place on tin foil (if grilling) or parchment (roasting). Mix together oil, vinegar, and honey and pour over the slices. It will seem like a lot of liquid but use it all, as it will steam the mushrooms to tender perfection. Season and lay the thyme (if using it) on top. Seal foil or parchment into a leak-proof package by folding the edges in and crimping the corners. Bake (375-400) for 30 minutes, flipping the package at least once.

Drizzling the vinegar/honey/oil mix onto sliced Chicken of the Woods

Parchment packet, just before the flip

If you want chewy, glazed Chicken fingers, bake until parchment is browned and the contents are glazed with a thin, rich syrup. For lighter steamed mushrooms with plenty of broth to enrich with a cream sauce to pour over toast or soup, roast for 30 minutes at 375 degrees.

To snack-a-tize your Chicken of the Woods, cut the vinegar from the recipe and have Ranch dressing available for a dipping sauce! Enjoy!

To continue your deep dive into the realm of the Chicken of the Woods, visit www.mushroomexpert.com.

The Road Less Traveled: F&FP in Africa (Part 1)
by Laura

This is one of two suitcases packed full of Oyster mushroom spawn, and some cloths too of course!

Recently Field & Forest Products was given the opportunity to participate in a program called Farmer-to-Farmer (F2F). This program is sponsored by Cultivating New Frontiers in Agriculture (CNFA) and is part of USAID. The concept behind this program is to take farmers from more developed countries, like the United States, and send them to assist farmers in other less developed countries. In this case, the country of Malawi in Africa.

With that said, here I sit on my plane ride from Atlanta, Georgia to Johannesburg, South Africa. This 15 hour flight should give me enough time to reflect on the assignment I am about to embark upon. I will travel to the city of Mzuzu in Malawi where I will meet with a small group of farmers referred to as the Tisange Group. This group of farmers is growing…mushrooms, more specifically oyster mushrooms. They need the assistance of someone with growing experience to help them overcome issues they are having. These issues are affecting the profitability of the crop. Marketing the mushrooms is also a challenge for the farmers.

Saying goodbye to the U.S., Georgia below.

This experience will be valuable to the company; the knowledge gained will be shared with our customers and countless others. Hopefully this trip will inspire others to be more proactive in humanitarian efforts, the mere thought of the help I will give is rewarding already. My absence from Field & Forest Products means that many of my co-workers are doing my job, so a big thanks to all of them! Also, Joe and Mary Ellen, the owners of our company were gracious enough to let me participate instead of themselves. I truly could not ask for more. The family support I have for a trip like this is incredible as well. As a mother of four, leaving home is never easy, especially when leaving for over two weeks. 

   

I will do my best to document this trip and share this amazing experience with as many people as I can. With uncertainties of internet availability and frequent power outages I am not sure how much I will share, but I will do my best. 

Shiitake 3782 (Lentinula edodes)

This is one of the most popular shiitake strains. Lots of commercial growers are pleased with this strain and they order it over and over again. This strain has small to mid-large brown-reddish fruitbodies and prefers mid temperatures (70-75 F).

Photo credits: Tyler Case

Pros:

• this is a high yielding strain
• reliable fruiter
• good shelf life

Cons:

• too many fruitbodies on a block (sometimes you can pick up to 100 fruitbodies just in the first flush)
• inconsistency in fruitbody size
• soft-firm fruitbodies
• fruitbody anomalies (present just like in other strains)

Flavor: depends on the substrate but could be light or intense (typical shiitake flavor)

Substrate: mostly hardwoods or soft woods (including aged conifer wood). It is not known to fruit on straw. However, worth trying to fruit it on mixed wood chips and straw.

Spawn run: depends on the substrate used, on alder sawdust takes up to 8 weeks until the popcorn stage and browning

No. of flushes: 2-3

If you are a shiitake grower, get this strain and grow it, compare it to your current strains and see what your advantages are. Since so many growers like it you may find it good for your commercial production.

Interestead in growing this? Place your order for grain spawn or culture here

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How to grow avocado fruit for export market (Persea americana)

Avocado fruit is an important export commodity from Kenya. Kenya has a place in the international markets alongside the other producer countries like Chile, Peru and South Africa. In Dubai 70 to 80 per cent of avocado fruit come from Kenya when the fruit is in season. There is also a specific window for Kenya, due to a longer season which runs from March to September enabling good returns. There is need for agro-enteprneurs to acquire the relevant accreditation including KenyaGap, GlobalGap and ISO compliance certificates to compete on a worldwide scale. The crop takes about 3 years to give the first produce. During this period fast growing crops may be interplanted between rows to ensure sustainability of income generation from the avacado orchard. One acre can give a gross income of Ksh 2Million per year with minimal inputs.

 Avocado Varieties: Fuerte and Hass are the main export varieties. Other varieties include Nabal, Puebla, Pinkerton, Tonnage, Simmonds.

Ecological requirements 
Altitude: 1500-2100 m a.s.l. depending on variety,

Rainfall: at least 1,000 mm p.a.

Temperature: 25-28⁰C,

Soils: Deep, fertile and well aerated, Optimum pH 5.5-6.5.

Propagation: Grafting or budding methods are used for  avocado propagation. Wedge grafting is preferred.

Nursery: Use healthy, egg sized seeds to produce rootstock.

Grafting: when the seedling reach pencil size thickness.

Avocado orchard establishment:

Land preparation: Remove tree stumps, bushes and perennial

weeds and then plough the ground to 30 cm depth.

Planting holes: 60 x 60 x 60 cm to be dug early before planting

Spacing: and 7 x 4 m for high density, 9 x 9 m for conventional planting.

Fertilizer: CAN

Age of tree	Manure (kg/tree)
1-3yrs	45
4-5yrs	45
6-7yrs	60
Over 8yrs	60

Pruning: 1st years pruning is done to encourage lateral growth

and multiple framework branching. Maintenance pruning

done annually after harvesting.

Windbreak: Placed at right angles to the prevailing winds.

Weed control: Manual weeding, cover crops (preferably with

Legumes) or mulching.

Harvesting: Avocado fruit harvesting begins in the 3-4^th year.

Yield: Production of avocado orchard is 250-300 kg/tree/year.

Post harvest: Cool storage within 24 hours

Utilization: Eaten fresh, used in ice cream flavouring,

base for milk shakes and soups. Oil is used for the manufacture

of creams, lotions and soaps.

Marketing: The main export  varieties are Fuerte and Hass.

The CHIEF NIWOT Oyster Mushroom

The CHIEF NIWOT oyster mushroom strain is a reliable strain with a wide temperature range. Several farms that we're working with are pleased with the results of growing this strain. When I asked them if they like better the Hungarian HK, I was told we prefer the Chief Niwot because of this and that.. Just to remind you - the Hungarian HK is considered one of the best oyster mushroom strains worldwide.

Temperature range: 60-80 F

Fruitbody size: small-mid, consistent

Color: dirty-white with brownish center.

Fruitbody consistency: fleshy-firm -good shelf life.

Grow method: works with the hydrated lime method, pasteurization or sterilization.

Substrate: straw, sawdust, or agricultural wastes [not known to grow on conifer wood]

Colonization time: fast colonizer [12-14 days at a 5% spawning rate]

BE: prolific strain with over 100% BE

Flavor: typical oyster mushroom

Marketing: this strain has a good market value especially when combined with other colorful oyster mushrooms in the same package.

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