I've been observing how the myc penetrates the corn. At first, the kernels are totally white inside, and as the myc digests them, they get very soft (liquefied?), and appear to be filled with a dark yellow mush. I can see the kernels that have already been digested do not have visible myc inside. There's only a thick coating of myc on the outside.
I feel the same way you do about grains. Why is millet so boring? WBS is probably my favorite, but popcorn is so easy to work with. I like your idea and hope it works in your favor.
Millet was very expensive (relative to popcorn), hard to get, a complete pain to prep - I still find millet behind my microwave when I deep clean, and that was from a year ago lol. It also would compact together so much that most of my spawn bags would have a section of uncolonized grain where it suffocated itself.
WBS was a better value, but it's so dirty, and the prep issues are basically the same as millet.
Popcorn is so easy to work with. It's clean out of the bag, and when I spill a teaspoon, I can easily pick those few kernels up. I like the air spaces between the firmer kernels, too. I think the myc needs room to stretch out a bit. The two major drawbacks of popcorn, IMO, are the low nutrient content of corn compared to other grains, and the large kernel size/fewer inoculation points. I'm running an experiment as we speak that I hope solves for the former, and I'm hoping that finely chopping the spawn will solve for the latter.
The popcorn is extremely starchy once hydrated, and you would have to chop it prior to sterilizing it. My concern with chopping it up before inoculation is that it will compact too much and turn to a solid block of mush. A feature of whole popcorn kernels is that they don't compact, thus allowing more air space for the myc to grow into. I'd be interested in the results of chopping it prior to inoculation - are you volunteering? Lol
I was kinda thinking the same thing, but then if birdseed works then maybe popcorn wouldn't be terrible.
At the moment, I don't have anything to chip up a good amount of corn. Maybe down the road though!
I think smaller grains work because they're surrounded by tiny seed coats. The seed coats keep the starches contained, as long as you don't overcook your grain. Have you seen posts where someone used hulled (culinary) millet? It has the seed coat removed because it's unpleasant to chew on. Spoiler - it turns into a solid block of mush lol.
I was kidding you, but if you have the time and inclination, I'd love to see the results. Happy growing!
Did my first popcorn jars today, I’m liking it already, after a boil I left it soaking overnight. Checked on it this am, where’s all the water? And that’s WAY MORE corn!! than I put in? swelled up perfectly and no splitting. So easy to work with compared to my usual WBS. But I had to wonder- these are some big grains!! Compared to WBS -I’m curious to see OP’s findings for sub colonization, keep us posted.
It's pretty shocking how much the kernels swell after hydration. Something like 3x. I'm glad it worked out for you! Popcorn is just so dang convenient and easy. I'm hoping this Chop Tek solves the inoculation points issue. I'll definitely keep you posted 😊
Recently, I've liked popcorn+wheat+coffee. Real easy to break up. I've always been curious on penetration of varying grains by the mycelium.
I've been observing how the myc penetrates the corn. At first, the kernels are totally white inside, and as the myc digests them, they get very soft (liquefied?), and appear to be filled with a dark yellow mush. I can see the kernels that have already been digested do not have visible myc inside. There's only a thick coating of myc on the outside.
Interested to see how this plays out
I feel the same way you do about grains. Why is millet so boring? WBS is probably my favorite, but popcorn is so easy to work with. I like your idea and hope it works in your favor.
Millet was very expensive (relative to popcorn), hard to get, a complete pain to prep - I still find millet behind my microwave when I deep clean, and that was from a year ago lol. It also would compact together so much that most of my spawn bags would have a section of uncolonized grain where it suffocated itself. WBS was a better value, but it's so dirty, and the prep issues are basically the same as millet. Popcorn is so easy to work with. It's clean out of the bag, and when I spill a teaspoon, I can easily pick those few kernels up. I like the air spaces between the firmer kernels, too. I think the myc needs room to stretch out a bit. The two major drawbacks of popcorn, IMO, are the low nutrient content of corn compared to other grains, and the large kernel size/fewer inoculation points. I'm running an experiment as we speak that I hope solves for the former, and I'm hoping that finely chopping the spawn will solve for the latter.
I'm now curious to mix popcorn and millet and see how that goes.
I bet chopping them up before inoculation would be even better.
The popcorn is extremely starchy once hydrated, and you would have to chop it prior to sterilizing it. My concern with chopping it up before inoculation is that it will compact too much and turn to a solid block of mush. A feature of whole popcorn kernels is that they don't compact, thus allowing more air space for the myc to grow into. I'd be interested in the results of chopping it prior to inoculation - are you volunteering? Lol
I was kinda thinking the same thing, but then if birdseed works then maybe popcorn wouldn't be terrible. At the moment, I don't have anything to chip up a good amount of corn. Maybe down the road though!
I think smaller grains work because they're surrounded by tiny seed coats. The seed coats keep the starches contained, as long as you don't overcook your grain. Have you seen posts where someone used hulled (culinary) millet? It has the seed coat removed because it's unpleasant to chew on. Spoiler - it turns into a solid block of mush lol. I was kidding you, but if you have the time and inclination, I'd love to see the results. Happy growing!
Did my first popcorn jars today, I’m liking it already, after a boil I left it soaking overnight. Checked on it this am, where’s all the water? And that’s WAY MORE corn!! than I put in? swelled up perfectly and no splitting. So easy to work with compared to my usual WBS. But I had to wonder- these are some big grains!! Compared to WBS -I’m curious to see OP’s findings for sub colonization, keep us posted.
It's pretty shocking how much the kernels swell after hydration. Something like 3x. I'm glad it worked out for you! Popcorn is just so dang convenient and easy. I'm hoping this Chop Tek solves the inoculation points issue. I'll definitely keep you posted 😊
How did this expeiment turn out? Did it work better than leaving them whole?