Bernard's Mushroom — a very good edible mushroom, prepared in various ways. Highly nutritious due to its large, fleshy fruiting bodies rich in vitamins and minerals. Grows: on fertile, humus-rich soil, in parks, gardens, vegetable patches, rarely in forests, in grass, along streets, on lawns, on garbage piles, not often.
Cultivated in some countries. Cap: diameter 4-10(15) cm, convex to flattened, often depressed in the center, whitish, later grayish-brown. Gills: frequent, thin, free, initially dirty-pink, then brownish. Stipe: short, 3-5 cm long and 1-3 cm in diameter, swollen in the center, often narrowed at the base, firm, whitish with a ring in the center… Flesh: thick, firm, fleshy, white, does not change color when cut, odorless.
When cultivating mushrooms, the following compost compositions are used: Variant 1. Fresh, unspoiled, dry straw — 12 kg, fresh poultry manure — 8 kg, preparation time — 24-26 days. Variant 2. Fresh, unspoiled, dry straw — 12 kg, fresh horse manure — 8 kg, preparation time — 22-24 days. Variant 3. Fresh, unspoiled, dry straw — 12 kg, fresh cow manure — 8 kg, preparation time — 23-25 days. Compost preparation: layering straw and manure to form a stack (burrow).
After stacking, the burrow is watered daily, without allowing it to dry out, no need to make it a swamp. Turn the stack 4-5 times during the entire substrate preparation period so that outer layers become inner and vice versa. The sign of ready compost is the absence of ammonia odor. Ready compost is laid in rows (open ground) at least 10 cm thick, in boxes and polyethylene bags — at least 20 cm thick. Variant 4 (no preparation needed). 20 kg of ready compost (manure aged over a year, no ammonia smell) of any kind except swine.
Planting norm: planting depth 5-7 cm. Inoculation is done by sprinkling mycelium into holes spaced 15-18 cm apart. During mycelium colonization, the bed is covered from drying out with straw or burlap. After mycelium spread (12-15 days), the surface of the compost is covered with a protective layer of soil (soil mixed with peat in a 1:1 ratio or plain garden soil), 2 cm thick (6-7 kg).
Fruit formation: Optimal temperature regime 16-29°C, day-night or 4 hours daily lighting in enclosed spaces, favorable air humidity should be no less than 85% (if necessary, watering by drip). First mushrooms appear after approximately 20-30 days. Fruit formation occurs in waves and lasts for 6 weeks, with intervals between waves of 7-10 days. Yield: 18 kg over three waves. Consumption norm: one package is intended for 20 kg of compost.
Cultivating mushrooms on a home plot. On open plots, mushrooms grow in shady areas, partial shade under trees, shrubs, in raspberry patches, on strawberry beds, on shaded sides behind buildings or fences, where they are not exposed to direct sunlight. Soil on S=2.5-3 m2 should be tilled.
Weeds and grass roots, if they do not harm other crops, do not need to be removed. Sow mycelium on the loosened surface. Then spread compost evenly at a layer of 5-7 cm. The mushroom bed will begin to fruit after 2-2.5 months; during this time, no visible changes on the soil surface will be noticeable. Fruit formation lasts from early spring to late autumn. During this entire period, mushrooms can be planted. The yield of cultivated mushrooms is very high — up to 12 kg of mushrooms per square meter per month.
