If you have questions about how to fruit a specific gourmet species then Iām sure our man @MushroomManMycology can sort you out. If heās the vendor who sent you the gourmet then he will know if it can be grown well on either grain, wood, or a mix.
Meanwhile if itās anything like most oyster mushrooms then it should probably do well on just about anything!
Iāve had some experience with an assortment of types with similar effect some obviously stronger than others but are there some which have dramatic difference in effect? Iām curious and looking for experienced opinions in this world
Iāve seen a lot of differences among strains. For me the most impactful was Albino Penis Envy (APE)
I also tried Tidal Wave. I think it is an APE cross with something else. The experience wasnāt quite as clean and joyful melding with the universe as pure APE. They say there are cubes and then thereās the Penis Envy family. Plain Penis Envy got me close to the APE experience, but not quite. I also tried a non-penis Envy that opened my psyche up like a can opener. It came on in a way that I wasnāt scared.
All of them relived a lot of my depression for several months.
If anyone chooses this path, please beware. Itās not for those who arenāt mentally prepared. Its not like getting really high. It can mess with your mind if you dont prepare your ego for the potential flood of thoughts. In my personal experience ābad tripsā tend to be a result of going into the experience casually and not preparing your mind.
I consumed mushrooms in my teenage years a few times as a social experience. Now when I use them (every 6 to 18 months) I do it alone in the woods overlooking a lake. The environmental aspects of the experience are critical. I find it distracting to be inside or around electronics.
Itās weird, but so many ppl I know had a strong desire to go home during their first experience and sometimes early during subsequent experiences. My evidence for this is purely anecdotal and I doubt itās universality.
Some of these cultivars have very adverse effects on people such as temporary localized paralysis, of which I had experienced a few rides in the past. The key to continue this path is to identify, and separate yourself from the cultivars which create this experience when you consume them.
Such as with LSD, gotta know your sourceā¦
Heheā¦ talking about fungi like itās a plantā¦ bit you get itā¦
Fullcircle makes an excellent point. The paralysis he is referring to is called something like woodlovers paralysis. It comes from types of shrooms that live on wood. Supposedly the paralysis is temporary, but not worth the risk to me.
This is not an issue with the non-wood grown species (like those I described above).
I get it! Itās no plant, itās the third tree of life. When you really study them they are so cool. Their mycelium runs everywhere. They have symbiotic relationships with plants and help them trade carbon. They are critical to the survival of plants.
Thatās what they do best! Follow the shrooms and let them lead. Donāt fight them or it goes not as well. They will teach if you listen.
If it is a plate pin where the whole cap is sterile and was opened and placed in while in front of flowhood. Otherwise contams everywhere man.
I never tired mushrooms till I was into my 20s when I experienced and then lived the raver lifestyle for a decade. In my drug career I experienced many things but learnt cause and effect along the way with these substances. I found certain things were just time filler/killers but select things like fungus and lsd were something different. If placed in the right set and setting major mental growth and experience could be had if open to it. Moving onto the present ive used fungus to microdose with to help recover from a mild depression I was dealing with while covid lock down was on us all. I was using the variety Golden Teacher and it proved to be mild bit very effective. I also was lucky enough to to try APE. I knew they were potent but I didnāt think 0.5g would do what it did. Itās was a full on trip for 5 hours. It had amazing visuals and energy. An awesome experience. Itās was reminiscent of the 1 gram of Liberty Caps I had 20 years before.
Itās a special lifeform just trying to learn more about them. I wonder if there are some that just provide a cerebral effect and others body.
Contamination is a huge issue. But to address your question - yes, that is method distributors use. No sterile water though, you put nutrients in it and then sterilize it. Thereās a huge science behind this. I learned a lot using youTube videos. Agar is very useful for the initial mycelium groth, and less intimidating that it seems.then you go to grain, then bulk substrate.
Regarding cerebral versus body - very much so in my opinion. Some do one or the other, others do both.
I had many insights. I was raised in the church but I am no longer religious. APE opened my third eye and i realized we are all a sliver of the creator (perhaps not God as the church views him). Iāve never felt more a part of this amazing universe until that experience. Weird huh?
It would be good to experience these as the older cultures do instead of recreationally but for there viewed purpose. 1 can only hope this will be adopted
Paul Staments is the modern hero on this topic in our current culture. That man pushed against the scientific zeitgeist against mushrooms.
Yes, indigenous cultures around the world have used mushrooms for food, medicine, stimulation, and communing with the gods. They may have intentionally poisoned a few ppl with them too.
So true! It helps make you more confident in your grows! Very easy just have to do it but once you do it becomes a bit addictive 
. Is so cool to watch them spread and grow. I really try to encourage people to get into agar right away. I didnāt myself an had people encouraging me to move to agar lol.
You are so right! Itās a special form of beauty.
Somehow this fame about agar is exaggerated for me. On shroomery, mention MS in any context and you will get the answer that you need to learn to work with agar.
And in my opinion, trying MS on cereals is the first step that is mandatory. And if it works, you have material for cloning and genetic testing at the same time.
MS on agar and isolating genetics is a lottery
Your point is valid
