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Banana plant on last night in Florida
Iowa

From Florida to The Funny Farm

Goodbye Florida I know, I know. You have questions. Did we really say we moved from Florida to a Funny Farm in Iowa? Why in…
Mushrooms

What Do Plastic Eating Mushrooms Eat?

What do plastic eating mushrooms (pestalotiopsis microspora) eat? If you Google this question, you'll likely find one of many websites describing a 2011 study from…
Black turmeric rhizomes (curcuma caesia) on a hand-thrown stoneware plate
IowaPLANTS!

Can Turmeric Grow in Iowa?

Perhaps you love growing your own fresh herbs and spices. Maybe you were inspired on a recent trip to a tropical location. Perhaps you simply…
Contaminated (right and bottom) and clean (left) lion's mane (Hericium erinaceus) clones in petri dishes
Mushrooms

Contaminated Lion’s Mane Clones

If you are new to cloning lion's mane mushrooms (hericium erinaceus), you may wonder how to distinguish between healthy mycelium growth and contamination. The goals…
Variety of ripe pumpkins on wooden spool
Making MoneyPLANTS!

Profit From A Roadside Stand

Picture this: you plant a garden that produces far more tomatoes (or other vegetables/fruits) than your family could ever eat. You could spam your coworkers…
Poison Hemlock (Conium maculatum) stem and seedpods in a black plastic trash bag
PLANTS!

Safely Massacre Hemlock

This post details how you can safely massacre hemlock that you find in your own yard while avoiding mistakes I made!
Weed with wilted leaves after use of backpack flame weeder
PLANTS!Weeds

You Need a Backpack Flame Weeder

Tired of hand-weeding your garden? You need a backpack flame weeder. Learn how they work and why you want one here!
All American Sterilizer
Mushrooms

All-American Sterilizer for Mushroom Production

Sterilization of Substrate for Mushroom Production The All-American Sterilizer is touted as the gold standard for home mushroom production. If you're looking into growing your…
Pan-friend mushrooms (king trumpet on top, oyster on right, and maitake on left)
Mushrooms

Choose the Right Gourmet Mushroom

The growing popularity of gourmet mushrooms is exciting to us! We enjoy seeing new varieties at our local farmer's markets and/or grocery stores and want…
King trumpet mushrooms (Pleurotus eryngii) fruiting in glass jars
Mushrooms

Grow King Trumpet Mushrooms in Jars

This post details how to grow king trumpet mushrooms in jars. If you talk to any number of mushroom enthusiasts, you will likely hear many…
Blue oyster mushrooms (Pleurotus ostreatus) fruiting in glass jar
Mushrooms

Growing Oyster Mushrooms in Jars

In this post I will advocate for growing oyster mushrooms in jars. If you talk to any number of mushroom growing enthusiasts, you will likely…
Pan-fried king trumpet mushrooms with risotto
FOOD!IowaMushrooms

How to Make King Trumpet Risotto

King Trumpet Risotto is the ultimate meatless comfort food. You can disagree, but I recommend you don't do so until trying this recipe. The pan-fried…
Vegetable enchiladas, ready to bake
FOOD!IowaMushrooms

How to Make Garden-Fresh Enchiladas

There are many reasons to make garden-fresh enchiladas. Perhaps you have been working on adding more vegetables to your diet. Maybe you have a garden…