Thank you for your questions! Generally speaking, there is a mushroom for just about every climate and substrate out there. We use oyster mushrooms, because they are easy to grow and taste great. There are many strains of oyster mushrooms that have been selected for specific climates and substrates.



Can I grow these from store bought mushrooms?

Yes, this is possible. It helps to know what mushroom you are buying, and if possible, look up the temperature, lighting, and humidity requirements of that species/strain.



You can clone from a store brought oyster mushroom to cardboard, like how we do it in this instructable.



Is it OK to use grass clippings instead of chopped hay? Is it better to use green or dry grass?

Grass will work, and you want dry grass. Really, for most oyster strains, any dry plant material will work. Straw, wood chips, paper, dry grass, corn stover, coffee grounds, cardboard, and even junk mail should all work just fine. You may have to try a few different strains to find one that does really well on your particular substrate.



Is it OK to boil the water instead of using it at 180 degrees F?

We are only pasteurizing the straw, so we don't need to boil the water, but it won't hurt to have it that hot.



Should I boil the water to treat the cardboard as well?

You can, if you want, but generally, you don't have to pasteurize the cardboard. There are not many nutrients available to molds and competing organisms, so the mushrooms should be able to colonize without a problem.



Can these be grown outside in summer? Perhaps in an inclosure? It gets plenty hot outside but we keep it cool inside.

You can grow mushrooms outside if the humidity is high enough. There are cold and warm weather strains. Pink oysters tend to be warm weather mushrooms, and they will fruit in temps up to 85 F. Grey and white oysters like cool weather, so you could grown them inside or in the winter. They prefer temps in 55-65F range.



Is it OK to let the basket cool at night?

You should not put hot straw in the basket. If you spread the straw out, it should cool very rapidly, and only when it is no longer hot can you add cardboard spawn to it. If you add the cardboard when the straw is still hot, it will kill the mushrooms.



Can our summer harvest be frozen to last all winter?

Freezing mushrooms is not recommended. But, there are many strains that do well in cool weather, fruiting at temps of 45-65F, so choose a strain that is suited to your season and climate.



Is it better to 'can' the unused mushrooms instead?

Drying mushrooms is the preferred method of storage, but for oyster mushrooms, they are best eaten fresh. This is one of the reason you don't find them in big super markets, they don't store/last. So, eat them fresh and add a new basket every week to have a continuous supply.



Is there a limit to the amount of mushrooms we can eat?

Generally, no, though some people might have allergies or reactions to certain types. Oyster mushrooms spores can irritate some people, and if you are growing a lot of them (many, many baskets), you should wear some protection over your nose and mouth to avoid breathing in the spores.