Husband: “What is this moldy baggie in the refrigerator? Can I throw it away?”
Me: “NO!!!! That is my bag of Shiitake mushroom plug spawn.”
Husband: “Huh?”
Me: “It is a bag of wood sticks that are inoculated with Shiitake mushroom spores.”
Husband: ‘Umm…what?”
Me: “I am going to pound them into a log, let them colonize the wood and sprout my own Shiitake mushrooms. I am keeping them in the refrigerator until I have the log ready. Plus, letting them sit a bit helps the spores multiply before I embed them into the log.”
[Pause]
Me:“Why are you looking at me that way?”
Husband: “I’m just waiting for the alien life form to sprout from your body…Who are you and what have you done with my wife?”
About the Author
Theresa Loe blogs here about taking the garden full circle while striving for a more local, fresh-from-the-garden lifestyle. She is a TV producer, video host, freelance garden writer and a wrangler of chickens and children. (Not necessarily in that order.) For more information on these topics, you can subscribe to her free monthly newsletter.
Theresa Loe is the award- winning Co-Executive Producer & Canning Expert on Growing A Greener World TV. She blogs here about Living Homegrown®, local and fresh-from-the-garden. 
{ 7 comments… read them below or add one }
I dig where you are coming from. I have the same problem with sourdough starter. But then again, I think molds, yeasts and fungi can be pretty.
Hilarious exchange.
And good luck with growing those ‘shrooms.
Kat – Oh don’t even get me started with explaining my sourdough starter! LOL I have to put a note on it that says, “Do not throw this away or you are in trouble!”
Susan – Thanks! I will be documenting my “shroom” growing here. It is my first time. It should be fun.
Funny!
(Excuse me but I can’t resist the editing urge to point this out: “…waiting the the alien life form…” “the the?”)
Oops! Thanks TC. I fixed it. I guess that will teach me never to write until I have my coffee!
Luckily, my dh understands what those things are…but he hates it when I try to grow mushrooms in the house (with kits). In his defense, it often gets super moldy (I end up botching it somehow) and it is kind of gross. :}
Sorry it took me so long to get back to your blog after my vacation!
Hi Teresa,
Glad to have you back! I have not tried the kits. They look a little strange to me. I am not sure I would want them growing on my kitchen counter.
The log growing sounded more…normal. You know, outside…in the open. I will let you know how this goes. Hopefully, I won’t botch it up!