Dorking Eco Hub had another successful talk on Sunday 1st March, this time about growing mushrooms.

London University Biochemistry lecturer Axel Nohurfft began growing mushrooms as a hobby at home in Westcott, initially in a mini greenhouse. He then added a 1,500 x 1,500cm enclosed shed that is kept at the same temperature constantly, and has a 12hr/12hr light/dark schedule as well as carefully controlled ventilation. Axel added that he learnt everything about growing mushrooms from YouTube. His wife interrupted him at this point to tell us that the procedure also involved taking over the kitchen for preparation of the growing material! Axel uses very little water and applies no pesticides. In the first photo you see him indicating the different varieties of mushroom he grows.

In his shed he keeps the turnover monitored, specialising in Lion’s Mane, a particularly popular mushroom variety credited with remarkable healing properties. He supplies to the Dorking Food Float, Kingfisher Farm Shop, Village Green Farm Shop and Abinger Gastro Pub. It seems he has a very productive and profitable hobby now! 

In the other photos you see him passing around a sample of growing Lion’s Mane and a display of another mushroom batch. Both are embedded in a block of mycelium and straw, which form a growing unit. Once spent, the straw/mycelium blocks can be composted. We learnt a great deal in just a short time, including the following:

• Mushrooms are the fruiting bodies of certain fungi
• Fungi is the vast network of mycelium that runs underground and is integral to all growing matter above
• If you are wondering what mycelium is like, think of the crust that encases Camembert cheese
• Mushrooms only provide nutrition to us if they are cooked.

Visitors to the Eco Hub enjoyed our usual lovely spread of cakes and flapjacks, as well as fungi-themed crafts.

Author: Sarah Freeman

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