Some time ago, I was once again reading about the cultivation of mushrooms.  There are many mushroom types, each with their own growing conditions and sprouting conditions.  Some grow in total darkness, some grow where theres some light.  Some grow in wood or sawdust, straw, used coffee grounds, others require other materials.
I go through coffee quite often, both french press and espresso shots, so the grounds have a potential of piling up.  I thought that I might be able to use them to grow mushrooms. 

This is a small, very basic overview of a process and I encourage people to go to either to http://www.oystermushrooms.net/ and check out their pdf guide on growing oyster mushrooms or the website http://www.mykoweb.com/.  There are many places that offer kits and because I wasn't sure I wanted to start on my own, I picked up a kit at the local farmers market.

The main process requires somewhat sterile material.  This could include boiling straw, or having coffee that's been used.  This would also saturate the material with water to create moisture needed for growth.  Mold growth is bad, since it means that something else is devouring the nutrients needed for the mushrooms.  The problem with coffee is that I don't have quite enough to do all at once, and the way I've been dumping it into a container, it grows mold.  The material is then innoculated with the spawn of the mushroom.  Usually, this can be done by alternating layers of material and spores to get an even growth. 

Oyster mushrooms, on a small personal scale, can be grown in a plastic bag that has a few holes, that was filled with the material.  The material will have a strange white substance (the main body of the mushroom, called the mycelium) which will eventually fruit.  These will poke out through the bag's holes and develop into the oyster mushroom most people see at a store.

I had the bag all over the place.  In the kitchen, in the bathroom, in my normal plant growing room and even outside.  I just couldn't figure out how to get it to start fruiting.  Oyster mushrooms don't need a cold snap to start fruiting, just light.  Some mushrooms do require a chilling period, but from what I had read, this was not one of them. It wasn't until this weekend when it finally burst into mushrooms.  I'll have to make sure to harvest them before they start releasing spores and are past their prime.  It generally takes about a week before this happens, so I have a few days before I have to harvest. 

When I create my own, from start to finish, I'll detail what I do in a Part 2.