Reishi the King of Medicinal Mushrooms

What is REISHI? - Ganoderma lucidum or REISHI is probably the most popular medicinal mushroom on Earth. Highly appreciated for its medicinal properties since ancient times.

History - According to the American Herbal Pharmacopoeia, Reishi Mushroom or Ganoderma lucidum provide an historical record which spans 2000 years. Traditionally it was used in China by Taoist monks to promote a centered calmness, improve meditative practices, and attain a long and healthy life. Chinese royalty, seeking longevity, held reishi mushroom in high esteem. It became immortalized throughout Chinese culture in paintings, statues, silk tapestries, and on the robes of emperors. Reishi mushroom has also been revered in Japanese culture where it is considered to be the most important of all the Japanese medicinal polypores.

Reishi mushroom was listed among the superior tonics [shang pin] in the most famous of all Chinese materia medicas, the Shen Nung Ben Cao Jing (206 BC-AD 8). Superior herbs were among the most highly regarded of all medicines since they were considered to prolong life, prevent aging, boost qi, make the body light and limber, and correspond to heaven. Reishi mushroom was listed as the most respected out of the 120 superior tonics cited.

Dried REISHI Mushrooms

PREPARATION: Due to its bitter taste reishi is traditionally prepared as a hot water extract. Simply, add 0.07-0.5 oz (2-15 g) of dry sliced reishi to 0.5 gal (2 liters) of boiling water. Decoct slowly until 2/3 of the water is reduced. This will result in a dark and fairly bitter liquid rich in active constituents such as polysaccharides. See the following link for a more detailed procedure on how to Make Your Own Mushroom Extract

Alcohol Extract (traditional): Macerate 90 g of sliced reishi in 500 ml of red wine for at least 10 days.

Constituents - TRITERPENES: more than 100 different highly oxygenated lanostanoid triterpenes have been identified in reishi mushroom. The predominant triterpenes are ganoderic acids A-Z. Other triterpenes include A and B, ganoderol A and B, epoxyganoderol A-C, ganoderic acid A-D, ganodermic acids, ganoderiol A-Iganodermanontriol, ganodermatriol, ganolucidic acids A-E, lucidone A-C, lucidenic acids A-M, lucidadiol, and lucidal.

POLYSACCHARIDES: numerous bioactive polyglycans are contained in all parts of the mushroom fruitbody. Among them are neutral polysaccharides, acidic glucan and polyglycan, protein bound heteroglucan, arabinoxyoglucan, a heteroglycan with a beta 1-4 core, and peptidoglycans.

AMINO ACIDS: serine, alanine, glycine, threonine, aspartic acid, glutamic acid, proline, valine, and other minor amino acids.

OTHER CONSTITUENTS: steryl esters, adenosine, fungal lysozyme, faty acids, and a protease. 

Contraindications - there are no reported contraindications cited in the literature. However, immune-modulating substances such as reishi mushroom should be used with extreme care or avoided completely in organ transplant patients utilizing immuno-suppressive agents or in patients with autoimmune diseases.

For more information check out Ganoderma lucidum (Reishi or Ling Zhi) Health Benefits

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Strain Spotlight: Pleurotus ulmarius ElmA grown with the lime method

The Elm Oyster, also known as Pleurotus ulmarius or Hypsizygus ulmarius scientifically, is a hearty mushroom providing large clusters of meaty fruitbodies. Tasty and substantial these mushrooms provide excellent additions to any meal, adding extra texture and flavor to a dish or fine to eat cooked on their own. The Elm oyster mushroom get its name from the types of substrates  it is commonly found on in the wild, the titular elm tree.  In a controlled environment however many substrates can be used with pasteurized straw providing high yields, wood-chips or sawdust from elm trees and other biological waste is also come as recommended viable substrates.

Our Elm A strain is a quick growing strain, the mycelium colonizing a variety of media and substrates in a few short weeks, making it perfect for low tech or low cost growing operations interested in outgrowing contaminants that may reduce or completely inhibit yields from other strains. Our Elm oyster strain performs best on a pasteurized straw substrate, with a quick first flush and providing many flushes thereafter, reaching around 150%+ biological efficiency (calculated via wet weight) if cared for properly. Elm A fruits optimally in temperatures ranging from 55-65 °F (10-18 °C), however is hearty enough to survive at higher temperatures with some loss in biological efficiency. All around Elm A is an excellent strain recommended for beginners to mushroom growing, or to someone looking for quick and cheap homegrown all natural food with an easily grown strain.

 Aloha Medicinals Inc. is the major provider of cultures and spawn of P. ulmarius ElmA. They also grow this mushroom using a very simple method of substrate disinfection  -called the lime method. If you would like to grow this particular mushroom strain visit their website and place an order for Elm Oyster mushroom spawn. Once you have your 'mushroom seeds' you will need the following materials:

• Drum (55gal used in this description)
• Clear Polyethylene bags, 2mil thickness
• Pitchfork or similar tool
• Gloves
• 70% isopropyl alcohol
• Straw
• Water
• Hydrated lime (calcium hydroxide, available from most gardening supply stores).
• pH test strips (aquarium section of a pet store)
• Small knife
• Rubber band or other closure method
• Sharpie
• Grinder (Machete or cane knife if unavailable)
• Mesh Screen that fits in the mouth of the drum
• Weights
• A rack or shelf, with small gaps for draining
• Grain or liquid spawn of your desired culture

PROCEDURE

1. Obtain a amount of straw or hay from a feed supply store in your local area, untreated if possible. (If already thoroughly shredded into pieces smaller than one inch skip Step 2).
2. You now need to shred the straw into pieces one inch or smaller, you do not want long or solid pieces of substrate in your grow bags. This can be achieved in any number of ways. If you have access to some sort of hammer mill or midsized grinder run it through that till achieving desired size. If no such implement is available to you can use a machete or cane knife to chop your straw is reduced to the required length.
3. Fill a drum with water, tap or from the hose is fine.
4. Add hydrated lime to your drum, 0.75 pounds per 55 gallons (355g per 200L) and stir it in with your pitchfork until the water is uniformly pale.
5. Check the pH levels of your water with pH test strips, you're looking for a ph level of 10 or higher.
6. Put on your long gloves and begin to add straw in large handfuls to your drum filled with water. Push the straw under the water so it is submerged. Continuing adding straw until you are no longer able to submerge any more straw. If necessary add more water to make sure you are able to completely submerge the straw.
7. Put your mesh grating and weights on top of your straw to keep it submerged in your lime water.
8. Every 2-4 hours use your pitchfork to turn your straw, this helps to keep the lime suspended in the water and the pH levels high and uniform throughout the substrate.
9. After 18-24 hours of soaking, remove the weights and the mesh, and lay out your rack that you will use for draining.
10. Use gloves again for this step. Take handfuls of straw, wringing excess water from the substrate before laying it out on your rack. Repeat this process until the first handful of straw has stopped dripping.
11. When your straw substrate has stopped dripping excess water, remove it from your rack and put it into your grow bags. Introduce 2 large handfuls of straw then do Step 12, add two more handfuls and repeat step twelve until your bag reaches the desired weight (6lbs suggested).
12. Inoculate the straw with your desired grain or liquid culture, adding small amounts in a layered process described in Step 11. This promotes more even and quick growth.
13. When the inoculation process is complete press down on the straw into the bag, twisting the excess bag down to keep the straw compressed into a tight block. Ensuring a tight solid block of substrate is key to a healthy grow bag, make sure your bag is as compressed as you can get it before ting off the top, using a rubber band or wire tie.
14. Label and date your bag properly and put it on a shelf to sit for 24 hours.
15. After letting for 24 hours stand your grow bag on end and use a alcohol sterilized knife to cut small 1/2 inch slits in the bag about 1 inch apart horizontally and 3 inches apart horizontally all around the outside of the bag.    
16. Introduce your bag into a room or container of the proper humidity and temperature with good air flow.
17. Wait for your new mushroom culture to fruit! 

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Earn Ksh 592,000 per acre from broccoli growing in Kenya

14800plants per acre yielding heads weighing 1kg each, sold at 40/= per kg. Cost of production is about Ksh 148, 580 per acre. Gross income: 14800×40=Ksh 592,000.Net income: 592,000-148,580= ksh 443,420.Broccoli growing in Kenya is gaining momentum as more people discover the high nutritional value of the vegetable. The vegetable belong to cabbage family and management practices are similar. 

The crop is started in the nursery which is shaded and regularly watered. The seedlings should be transplanted when they have at least 4 true leaves. During field establishment, seedlings are spaced at 60cm between rows and 45 cm from plant to plant. At planting, up to 40 tons per hectare of manure is applied. 40grams of double superphosphate fertilizer is applied per plant and later top dressed with CAN at a rate of 20g per plant when plants are 20 cm high. 

Broccoli growing in Kenya requires a second top dressing with CAN fertilizer three weeks after the 1^st topdressing at a rate of 40 grams per plant. Keep the field free of weeds until the crop covers the ground. Major pests include diamond back moth, cabbage sawfly, cabbage aphids, cutworms etc. When growing broccoli in Kenya, serious diseases which should be controlled include black rot, ring spot, downy mildew.

Downy mildew is a severe problem in broccoli growing in Kenyan high altitudes. Crop rotation, use of certified seeds in addition to nursery and field hygiene are the major control measures against diseases while growing broccoli in Kenya. Maturity takes 80-90 days from germination. The crop should be harvested in clean containers.

Follow your dreams in Kenya

The only reason you are human is your ability to follow your dreams, when hope seems idiotic and your ability to fight proves otherwise. Sometimes you’ll win not because you are the best but because you follow your dreams to the last breathe as this is what defines humanity. You should not give up on whatever basis no matter how weird, far-fetched and skeptic you might think you follow your dreams are they are achievable. You only need to make the effort since the only thing between you and success is the will to follow your dreams. The only difference between success and failure is the drive, the passion, and handwork to achieve and be a in a place of exclusives. 

Today is the day to evaluate your goals revisit your vision, make both short term and long term goals and celebrate after achieving the short term goals.Fix your eyes on the long term goals with patience and surely you will reach there. Achievement of the vision calls for sacrifice and perseverance. Other people`s opinions should not define what or who you become. Keep focusing your vision and remember a person with no destination cannot get lost since every destination is good for him. Business plan development is crucial as you follow your dreams. A business plan is a document that supports you to plan growth, seek funding, and monitor performance over a period of time. 

The question of how much money you need and where it will from is the last step in a business plan. There’s an assumption that to grow a business, you need to get access to capital. According Paul Hawkent the author of Growing a Business, the problem with growing a business isn’t the lack of access to capital, but having and borrowing capital before your business is ready to grow and before you’ve fully developed your business model. Remember a business plan is the road-map as you follow your dreams to success. Every person can make it but, it takes real men/women to achieve their wildest dreams.

8 Amazing steps for Achieving Sustainable Agriculture Dream in Kenya

Welcome to 8 amazing steps for achieving  sustainable agriculture business listed down and explained.

AGRIBUSINESS PLAN DEVELOPMENT: Business plan development is crucial for success of any sustainable agriculture dream. A business plan is a document that supports an enterprise to plan growth, seek funding, and monitor performance over a period of time. An agribusiness plan is the road-map to a success in agribusiness.

THE SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE DREAM: Your dream is the most important thing in agribusiness success. The dream shows where you are going and how you want your agribusiness to be in future. Write down the dream in details in order to remain clear and focused as you work on your agribusiness idea.

BE ORIGINAL/ BE UNIQUE: Your agribusiness must be a solution to an existing human problem or need for it to succeed, and not a mere imitation. Take care and identify gaps to address and to avoid desperately looking for market the last minute for your goods and services, common with starters in Agribusiness. Every human problem is a business opportunity. Business opportunities are as many as human problems. Be unique.

EXPECT TOUGH TIMES: There are times when things get tough in every business and agribusiness is no exception. Focusing on the dream will keep you going when things get tough as you wait for better times. The dream will drive your passion and motivate you to act to achieve it. Remain clear about your sustainable agriculture dream and stay focused on achieving your idea.

BREAK DOWN SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE DREAM into manageable portions. Being overambitious will lead to frustration and discouragement. Write down 5-10 things you need to do in order to realize your sustainable agriculture dream, and they must be simple, measurable (Quantify to enable monitoring of progress) achievable within your resources and abilities, setting a time deadline for each.

TARGET CUSTOMERS: Find out who’ll be your target customers (e.g. households, hotels, processors, Schools, hospitals etc) what product/ service they need and of what quality.
COMPETITORS: Find out who’ll be your competitors their strengths and weaknesses. Take advantage of their weaknesses by offering what they are not offering the customer.

PREPARE EXPECTED INCOME AND EXPENDITURE BUDGET for your sustainable agriculture dreams, and determines how long it will take to recover the capital invested.

FINANCE: Lastly decide where money will come from and how much you will need for implementation of your sustainable agriculture dream.