Mushroom Wick experiments

The first set of mushroom wicks pix are yet to be found.

From 10/1/17

We also worked on how to make a spore print, how to ID mushrooms and that boletes can be used to make wicks for oil lamps.

Mushrooms in the lawn. Little ones are “no uses” mushrooms, the large one seems to be a bolete, Suillus brevipes

The wicks, cut, on the left, scrap on the right (Sunday)

On 10/4/18 we were offered a nice bolete (mushroom). Loren went to get it and Anja cut it up, and they put it into the dehydrator. Remember that we did this before with a different mushroom? So once this is done, we’ll pull pieces and try them in the lamps.

Starting

Cutting the embedded soil and forest floor detritus away

Slicing

Setting up to dry

…and then we changed our minds and set up the dehdrator

After 1 hour, then 3 hours, then after 6 hours, and done at 8 1/2. Btw, it smells *horrible* in the dehydrator!

1 hour, there some twisting and bubbling on the ones on top.

Top tray – 3 hours, the grayish parts are are still flexible and squish a bit.

4th tray not dry, especially the gills (greenish)

at 6 hours, bottom tray (4) still not quite

6 hours, contents of trays 1 and 2 less two pieces that went into tray 3

10/10/18 – The same folks who gifted us with the previous bolete brought in a whole bag of them! One was a King Bolete, but the others were Suillus tomentosus, Blue-staining Slippery Jack. Kinda gave us a turn to see the blue! The Suillus was full of little black jumpy bugs and the king full of white worms… ew… But we got them into the dehydrator as soon as we could. Not all fit. There were a couple of paper towels worth yet on the table….