News Discussion
How to Grow Mushrooms Indoors


Weekly News Digest
ニュースディスカッション教材

How to Grow Mushrooms Indoors

買ってきた食材を使うだけでなく、「育てるところから始める」暮らし方に関心を持つ人が増えています。室内でのキノコ栽培も、そのひとつです。広いスペースがなくても挑戦できる点が、多くの人を引きつけています。こうした取り組みは、食との向き合い方をどう変えていくのでしょうか。あなたは、食べ物を育てる経験にどんな価値があると思いますか?

1.Article

Directions: Read the following article aloud.

Mushrooms are not only tasty. They are also filled with healthy nutrients, like calcium and potassium, and vitamins, like D and B.

Some people not only enjoy eating mushrooms. They also like to collect them in the wild. But that is not for everyone. While some people are knowledgeable enough to collect mushrooms in the woods and eat them, many people are not. Eating the wrong mushroom can make you sick or even … dead.

Therefore, buying them is the easier and safer choice. However, there is another one: You can grow mushrooms yourself inside your own home.

In a recent article for The Associated Press, plant expert Jessica Damiano explains there are two ways to do this. You can buy a set of materials from a garden store called a “grow kit” or you can put them together yourself.

Grow kits

Grow kits are a great way for beginners to try growing mushrooms. These grow kits include partly-grown mushroom starters, called “spawn.” The spawn is set in soil and is contained in its own grow box. You put the spawn in water overnight. Then you return it to the box and open it to fresh air. Spray it with water two times a day.

Within two or three weeks, you will be eating mushrooms with more on the way. Damiano says it is a fun, easy activity. And people will likely ask you about it.

Putting them together yourself

If you are more serious about growing mushrooms and want a larger harvest, Damiano says it costs less to put the materials together yourself. It is easy, she says.

For starters, you will need a wooden, metal, or plastic box or container. It needs to be about 15 centimeters deep and large enough to hold your harvest.

You will also need a growing substance -- soil mixed with compost and other materials. The materials depend on the mushrooms. White button mushrooms grow better in a half-and-half mix of compost and well-rotted manure. Oyster mushrooms do well in oat or wheat straw. Shiitakes, another kind of mushroom, like sawdust.

Finally, you will need fungal spores: Think of them as seeds. You can purchase these online or at specialty stores.

Clean your hands well. Avoid bringing bacteria, mold, or non-mushroom fungi into the box. Fill the box with your growing substance (soil and materials) leaving about 25 millimeters at the top. Put the spores evenly over the soil substance and gently wet it. Spray it with water twice daily. Keep it wet but not too wet.

To grow quickly and effectively, the spore-topped soil material should be kept away from direct sunlight. It should be kept at or close to 21 degrees Celsius. If you cannot keep a room in your home at that temperature, set the box or tray on a heating pad set to 21 degrees but no higher (warmer temperatures can kill the spores). A soil thermometer can help make sure the soil does not get too warm.

Put a piece of cloth lightly over the top of the box to keep moisture in. But do not seal it tightly.

Soon, a white coating will form on the surface of the soil. That is mycelium, a network of fungal threads from which your mushrooms will grow.

When the soil is completely coated with mycelium, top it off with a bit more of the soil mixture. Remove any heating elements. And move the tray to a cooler spot – 12 to 15 degrees Celsius.

Mushrooms usually grow, or “fruit,” within a week or two. They nearly double in size daily until they are finished growing. Depending on the kind of mushroom, they will be ready to harvest, with their tops fully open. That will be in roughly three to four weeks. Use a sharp, clean knife to cut them at soil level to avoid disrupting nearby growth.

Jessica Damiano reported this story for the Associated Press. Anna Matteo adapted it for VOA Learning English.



Source:How to Grow Mushrooms Indoors VOA

本教材は、the U.S. Agency for Global Mediaより許諾を得て、産経ヒューマンラーニング株式会社が編集しています。

テキストの無断転載・無断使用を固く禁じます 。

Weekly News Digest
ニュースディスカッション教材

2.Key phrases and vocabulary

First repeat after your tutor and then read aloud by yourself.

  1. 1. nutrient (n.) a substance that provides nourishment for growth
    The plants need sunlight and water to get nutrients from the soil.
  2. 2. collect (v.) to gather things together
    We collect old postcards from different countries.
  3. 3. harvest (n.) the gathering of crops when they are ready to eat
    The harvest of apples was celebrated at a local fair.
  4. 4. substance (n.) a material with particular physical characteristics
    The scientist studied the strange substance in the vial.
  5. 5. moisture (n.) small amounts of water in the air or on surfaces
    After the rain, there was moisture on the windows.

3.Questions

Read the questions aloud and answer them.

  1. 1. What are two ways to grow mushrooms indoors according to the article?
  2. 2. Why is eating wild mushrooms risky?
  3. 3. What materials does a grow kit include?
  4. 4. Why might someone enjoy growing their own food at home?
  5. 5. How could growing mushrooms indoors help someone learn about science?

本教材は、the U.S. Agency for Global Mediaより許諾を得て、産経ヒューマンラーニング株式会社が編集しています。

テキストの無断転載・無断使用を固く禁じます 。