Some taste great. Others take consumers on a trip. Still more help clean the environment. And many are simply beautiful. But can a Queens resident grow them at home?
Learn the answer to this question and much more during Make a Mushroom Grow at Biotech Without Borders in Long Island City on Tuesday, Jan. 28, and Wednesday, Jan. 29.
This two-day course is for people interested in picking up skills for indoor cultivation of wood-loving mushrooms, such as Lion’s Mane and Maitake.
On the first day, participants will clone mushrooms, formulate the substrate, and review sterilization equipment. The following day’s activities will include inoculating the previous session’s substrate and reviewing equipment and material needs to replicate the process.
Both sessions start at 7 pm. General admission is $108.55, but students can attend for $55.20. As part of the deal, participants receive one Lion’s Mane grow kit, one Maitake grow kit, one alga plate with a cloned mushroom, and a suggested-part list for growing mushrooms at home.
The instructor is Louis Vassar Semanchik, whose resume includes Lead Grower at Southern Tier Mushrooms, Gardener at Chalet Nursery, Assistant to the Farm Director at the The Plant, and Lead Farmer and Systems Technician at Smallhold. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Ecology, Evolution & Behavior from Binghamton University.
Biotech Without Borders is at 43-01 21st St. (Ste. 319). Consisting of a community of scientists, the nonprofit promotes biotechnology for useful and peaceful purposes by providing education, lab facilities, and a forum for critical discussions to support responsible innovation.
The closest subway stations are Court Sq-23 St on the E and M lines and Queensboro Plaza on the 7 line.
Image: Louis Vassar Semanchik