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M.K. Dorje Sr. wrote:This is an interesting question. The videos you posted of someone growing oysters, turkey tail and reishi on sawdust blocks outdoors were also very interesting and new to me. Even though I've been growing mushrooms (including all the species mentioned) for over 30 years now, I've never seen a successful large outdoor sawdust block growing operation like the one shown. So it might be possible to grow shiitake like this in the fall and spring, but I would suspect that it would be almost impossible to do this and have year-round production without climate control for the summer and winter. This is because shiitake doesn't fruit at temperatures below 45 degrees or above 80 degrees F. (Where do you live?)
My suggestion would be to consult with the person who made those videos and see how they did it and how much input (money, time, supplies, lab work, water, etc.) they put into it and also what their output was. Also important would be their geographical location and your geographical location. For example, if you live in a mild, rainy maritime climate it would be easier to do this than if you lived in a hot, dry desert region.
My gut feeling is that it would be difficult for a inexperienced person to make a decent profit money growing mushrooms year-round, let alone on blocks outdoors. It would be easier as seasonal income stream in the fall and spring. Mushroom farming takes a lot of skill, a lot of effort, the right resources (clean hardwood sawdust) and the ability to be able to market your crop.
My advice would be to start small and develop your skills, market and strains. I knew a couple years ago who started out small with shiitake on logs, then they branched out into other species. Then they built their own tiny grow room pole building next to their house with climate control and a humidifier. It was probably less than 14 feet by 10 feet in size. They developed their market and had a schedule where they would travel to restaurants, natural food stores, farmers markets and a small supermarket once or twice a week. They got sawdust blocks in bulk from a regional supplier at a low price and also made their own blocks. They also foraged for wild species and sold morels in the spring and chanterelles in the fall. I think they did pretty well. It would be harder to do this nowadays though because of insurance bond requirements (a big hassle!) and corporate competition.
I watched a video recently of someone who spent hundreds (or thousands) of dollars making tons of morel spawn and setting up a massive set of long hoop houses in their backyard. They had BIG plans, but their project was a complete failure and they wasted a LOT of money and labor for nothing. They didn't start small and develop their method to make sure it worked. They didn't have a good business plan. It was sad to watch.
But good luck with your plans! Like I said, be sure to get more info and experience before you spend a lot of money- just my 2 cents...
William Bronson wrote: A covered pot in an oven is even better than a pot on a stovetop, in my opinion.
As for bread, the famous New York Times no Knead bread recipe does great in a hot but cooling oven.
It's a very wet dough that is baked in a closed container for a amazing crust.
I have a very old Chambers gas stove that is heavily insulate with a thick steel plate in the bottom.
I have often baked one last loaf in a session by running up the heat(It gets hotter than 550), popping the closed lid container of bread in, closing the door and shutting the whole thing off.
The next day I get a pretty nice loaf, to go with my other, very excellent loaves.
It's not like bread hot from the oven, but it still beats the brakes off of grocery store white bread.
A little less crusty from sitting in its own pot overnight, but still so very good toasted.
As a person with very little focus, I think No knead bread could work for your busy life.
I have baked hundreds of loaves, and even the over baked one were delicious.
It's also extremely cheap.
While I'm thinking about it, that kind of continuous heat could also be great for distilling water .
No idea if that would be useful.
Sourdough is healthier than store yeast they say.. so maybe some time i will just bite the bullet and dive back into it! i wish i could find a person who has some sour dough.
Jay Angler wrote:I haven't used a wood cookstove, so I don't know how controllable they are, however, we make a no-knead sourdough rye bread which we mix up in the evening to rise overnight. As soon as I get up in the morning, I put the cast iron Dutch oven into my electric oven and set the temperature for 425F and the timer for 30 minutes. When the timer goes, I pull out the bottom section of the Dutch oven and push the dough into it, put the lid on and put it back in the oven for 30 minutes. Then I take the lid off for 5-10 minutes to crisp up the top.
We can reverse the timing - prepare the dry ingredients in the evening. Add the sourdough/water mix and stir it in the morning, let it rise and bake at dinner time. The mix is supposed to rise for 8 hours and tends to start to sag if left longer than 11 or 12 hours.
I can post the precise ingredients if you think you want to try it. If you have a Cast Iron Dutch oven, it would be good to know what the dimensions are. We have two and have two variations of the recipe based on which we will use.
William Bronson wrote:Water moderates temperature.
A big pot of soup beans.
Way more water than you actually need, some fat or oil, onions,beans.
Maybe bone in beef or pork.
Let it cook while you are away.
Lid on, even with meat, it should be fine going from high temperature to room temperature.
I might space it off the stovetop, to prevent scorching, but if it does scorch, just leave the bottom layer, don't scrape it up or mix it in.
When you're back home, make fried pancake style corn cakes , and reheat the beans at the same time.
For turnips or potatoes I might try a steamer over a huge pot of water.
When you get home they should be ready to go.
Fry em , mash em, stick em in a stew!
Eggs are fast to cook, and not better for more cooking, in my opinion.
A fried egg with runny yolk is a glow up for so many things!
They are good for adding protein and fat, leavening baked goods and making patties and doughs stick together.
Add fatty pork, flour and onions, to what you already have and you will have lots of options.
Anne Miller wrote:I also have not been fortunate enough to have a wood stove.
So will the wood stove cook things slowly so it can be used like a slow cooker while you are at work? If so here are some recipes:
17 Cozy Slow Cooker Potato Recipes
https://www.tasteofhome.com/collection/slow-cooker-potato-recipes/
Here is one for turnips:
https://www.food.com/recipe/turnip-custard-crock-pot-117849
Jay Angler wrote:I haven't used a wood cookstove, so I don't know how controllable they are, however, we make a no-knead sourdough rye bread which we mix up in the evening to rise overnight. As soon as I get up in the morning, I put the cast iron Dutch oven into my electric oven and set the temperature for 425F and the timer for 30 minutes. When the timer goes, I pull out the bottom section of the Dutch oven and push the dough into it, put the lid on and put it back in the oven for 30 minutes. Then I take the lid off for 5-10 minutes to crisp up the top.
We can reverse the timing - prepare the dry ingredients in the evening. Add the sourdough/water mix and stir it in the morning, let it rise and bake at dinner time. The mix is supposed to rise for 8 hours and tends to start to sag if left longer than 11 or 12 hours.
I can post the precise ingredients if you think you want to try it. If you have a Cast Iron Dutch oven, it would be good to know what the dimensions are. We have two and have two variations of the recipe based on which we will use.