Phase One: (Step 1) Planning - Timing and Schedule Breakdown

 

Disclaimer: What are Your Intentions For Growing or Using?  

Planning for Phase One

It was difficult for me to plan and understand the first time growing. So I will give you a very quick overview of how much time you need for all the steps, and how long it will take. I hope this will help you! I didn't have this kind of list the first time I did this.

Some of the steps can be done while other steps are happening. For instance, while the rye berries are soaking, you could make the lids. While the rye berries are cooling off from the PC you could clean your clean room. 

Think about the whole process, the time it will take, and what your other commitments are, to make the timing work out with this. If you have ever made a Thanksgiving dinner, it's kind of like that. It's a beautiful dance, with lots of steps. Organization and planning are key here!

You need to also look at your own schedule. Maybe you are super busy, and so you don't want to multi-task. That's fine! But you need to have around 48 hours to be able to complete all of these steps. Otherwise, the grain will have a great chance of becoming contaminated. 

If there is something that is time sensitive, I have tried to list on here when it needs to be done in relativity to the inoculation time.

Personally, I inoculated the grain jars in the middle of the night. I did this on purpose, so the kids were not around to bother me, interrupt me, open the door and contaminate my field, and so I could walk into my clean room naked without causing a scene. 😁 LOL!

 

Prepare and Pressure Cook the Grain, Jars, and Lids:

•  1-2 Hours: Sanitize 10 quart jars, lids, and bands. Going through the dishwasher is preferable. 

• 5 min - Measure rye berry grain. You will measure using a quart jar.
  

• 15 min - Rinse rye berry grain. You will do this inside the pot.
  

• 12-24 hours - Soak rye berry grain. You will soak them in the pot that they will be cooked in.
  

• 20 min - Simmer rye berry grain. You cannot multi-task during this. You need to watch that grain like a hawk the last 10 minutes. If you over cook these, you will have to start over.

• 6-8 hours - Drain and air dry rye berry grain.

• 1 hour - Make the lids. More handy people than I could do this in much less time.

• 30 min - Scoop the rye berry grains into the jars, put on lids, and tin foil over each one.

• 2 - 4 hours - Pressure cook the rye berry grain jars. I've listed this with a lot of extra time. If it's your first time, it will probably take a lot of extra time figuring this out. You need 90 minutes of pressure cooking time with the pressure at 15psi. If it drops below this, the timer stops. 10-14 hours before inoculation.

• 8-10 hours - Let the rye berry grains cool off. This depends on if you evacuate the steam immediately, and if and when you open the PC at all to release extra heat. 6-10 hours before inoculation.
  

• 10 min - Get grain jars out of PC, and into box for transport. 10 minutes before inoculation.

 

 Prepare Yourself and the Clean Room: 

• 1 hour - Thoroughly clean your clean room. I do this before using the pressure cooker (PC). Approximately 12-14 hours before inoculation. 

• 15 min - Set up your clean room and disinfect the items. 12-14 hours before inoculation 
  

• 15 min - Turn off HVAC first final clean room prep: quickly spray down the clean room 4-6 hours before inoculation.  

• 5 min -  Last final clean room prep: spray down clean room again. 60 min. before inoculation.

• 30 min - Take a shower. 60 minutes before inoculation. 

  Inoculate the Grain Jars: 

• 30 min - Inoculation time!

Schedule Example

I wanted to give you a specific example of what this 36-48 hours looked like for me the first time I did this. It might help your preparation and planning stage.

I want you to make yourself this kind of schedule. Add in everything that your day requires you to do... cooking, picking up, dropping off, work, meetings, etc. You need to be realistic with your time, and give yourself plenty of time to get all of this done - especially day 3. That is the most time intensive day.

DAY 1: Measure, Rinse, and Soak Rye Berries

• 10:00 AM 1-2 Hours: Sanitize 10 quart jars, lids, and bands. Going through the dishwasher is preferable.
  

• 1:00 PM:  1 hour - Make the lids. More handy people than I could do this in much less time.
  

• 8:15 PM: 5 min - Measure rye berry grain.
  

• 8:20 PM:  12-15 min - Rinse rye berry grain.

• 8:35 PM:  12-24 hours - Soak rye berry grain.

DAY 2:  Simmer, Drain and Air Dry Rye Berries

• 9:00 PM: 20 min - Simmer rye berry grain. You cannot multi-task during this. You need to watch that grain like a hawk the last 10 minutes. If you over cook these, you will have to start over. 

• 9:20 PM:  6-8 hours - Drain and air dry rye berry grain.

DAY 3: Scoop rye berries into jars, pressure cook them and cool, prep clean room, inoculate

• 6:30 AM: 30 min - Scoop the rye berry grains into the jars, put on lids, and tin foil over each one.
  

• 7:30 AM: Kids off to school

• 8:15 AM: 2 - 4 hours - Pressure cook the rye berry grain jars. I've listed this with a lot of extra time. If it's your first time, it will probably take a lot of extra time figuring this out. You need 90 minutes of pressure cooking time with the pressure at 15psi. If it drops below this, the timer stops. 10-14 hours before inoculation.

• 9:00 AM: 1 hour - Thoroughly clean your clean room. I do this before using the pressure cooker (PC). As you can see, I did this DURING the use of the pressure cooker. That is totally acceptable. You need to check on the pressure cooker every 10-15 minutes when it has stabilized in it's pressure. Approximately 12-14 hours before inoculation. 

• 10:00 AM: 15 min - Set up your clean room and disinfect the items. 12-14 hours before inoculation  

• 10:45 AM: Pressure cooker is done. I evacuate the extra steam. I open the lid once the pressure has completely released. I put the lid so it's mostly on. It allows for some steam to escape, but will decrease the amount of air that gets to the disinfected jars of grain.
  

• 11:00 AM: 8-10 hours - Let the rye berry grains cool off. This depends on if you evacuate the steam immediately, and if and when you open the PC at all to release extra heat. 6-10 hours before inoculation. 

• 4:00 PM:  15 min - Turn off HVAC first final clean room prep: quickly spray down the clean room 4-6 hours before inoculation. 

• 8:55 PM: 5 min - Last final clean room prep: spray down clean room again. 1 hour before inoculation.
  

• 9 PM: 30 min - Take a shower. 60 minutes before inoculation.

• 9:30 PM: 20 min - read over the inoculation procedure again. Watch any last minute videos I need to. Drink some water. 

• 9:50 PM: 10 min - Get grain jars out of PC, and into box for transport. 10 minutes before inoculation. Open the pressure cooker. Take out the jars and put them in a box to be transported to the clean room. 

• 10 PM: 30 min - Inoculation time!
  

NEXT UP: (Step 2) List of Items You Need

 

9 Steps of Growing Psilocybin Mushrooms: Making Grain Spawn

1. (Step 1) Planning - Timing and Schedule Breakdown
2. (Step 2) List of Items You Need
3. (Step 3) Making the Lids
4. (Step 4) Prepare the Rye Berries for the Pressure Cooker
5. (Step 5) Clean Room - Set up and Cleaning 
6. (Step 6) Using the Pressure Cooker for the Grain Jars
7. (Step 7) Last Prep for Clean Room
8. (Step 8) Inoculation of Grain Jars
9. (Step 9) Let it GROW!! Growing Mycelium into Grain Spawn