Eric Hanson

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since May 03, 2017
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Recent posts by Eric Hanson

Hello Danny,

I will give a shot at this question.  Firstly, as far as sawdust goes, I am going to have to give you a very definite maybe.  A lot of the mushrooms that we like to grow and eat don’t care for conifer wood.  Apparently the sap inhibits fungal growth.  However, pine boards turned to sawdust *MIGHT* behave differently, but I just don’t know.  I have not grown either lions mane or oysters (but I would love like to soon!!), but I have grown wine caps and generally what’s good for wine caps is good for oysters.

I imagine that the pressure cooker wood work fine.

Regarding the slit sides, you don’t really need much more than those slits as the fungus will consume the wood and happily push out mushroom through the sides.  

If you have any other questions, please feel free to ask.

Eric
7 hours ago
I will ad this bit to my last statement.  We do naturally get attached to our pets--that's why we get them in the first place.  We also tend to project our thoughts/feelings into the responses of our pets.  I am not going to say that the pet makes the person, but rather the reverse.  To a degree, our own feelings about our pets makes us attribute special meaning to our pets based on our own emotions, regardless of what the pet actually does.  This is a normal outgrowth of caring for another creature.

Eric
2 weeks ago
I smile when I see these types of comparisons.  Personally, I don't feel the need to specifically be a cat or a dog type of person.  I have had many cats and I presently have one, adorable, loyal, absolutely dependable and lovable dog.  It is hard to imagine living without either type of pets.  In fact, one of the slides even mentioned that there are probably very few, if any differences between "cat" and "dog" people.  I tend to agree with that statement.  But I love both cats and dogs and I think that both make a wonderful addition to a family/household.  I foresee myself having both for some time.

Eric
2 weeks ago
Ben,

I would love to add in my own input on this topic as I am currently working on my own project that parallels your project.  However, I would find it hard to say anything better than what Michael has already stated.  Take special note about the solar panels being the cheap point of the system right now--in the past, solar panels were the most expensive component.  Also, a true, MPPT controller is a good investment.  Just make certain it is actually a true MPPT controller as there exist brands out there whose name is "MPPT" and sell a cheap controller but it is not a functional MPPT controller.  Buyer beware.

Good luck,

Eric
2 weeks ago
Thanks guys.

This was just another of those weird, bizarre moments in yet another teacher institute day, with this day being essentially a repeat of the same activity that we had about two years ago.  I didn't participate in either.  It was just too weird.

Eric
2 weeks ago
It’s done!  Great!  

Hopefully next year’s speaker won’t have us do this again.
3 weeks ago
A couple of years ago I posted about being in the dreaded October teacher institute where we were asked by the presenter to find another person and stare silently into their eyes for 30 seconds for the purpose of getting to “know your Opra.”  I have no idea what that phrase means, but I just refused to stare at another person for 30 seconds.

Well, just a few minutes ago, at this year’s dreaded annual teacher institute, a different presenter asked us to do the same.  I immediately turned off to this idea and just sat, but about half of the roughly 1000 other teachers in the gymnasium did stand up and engage in the act—so absolutely silently that you could hear a pin drop.  And then the presenter played Barry White!

Groan!

Eric
3 weeks ago
Matt, do you have access to hardwood chips (that is non-conifer chips) or affordable straw bales?

Eric
1 month ago
I love that this thread got revived, I only wished that I had gotten to it earlier.  I just wanted to echo what others have only said.  This time of year is about perfect for zone 7 to start a Wine Cap mushroom project.  And also to echo what has already been said, Wine Caps, being a fungus and not a plant technically feed on wood/straw/etc. and not the soil.  That said, Wine Caps do like to have some contact with the soil as they derive benefit from interaction with soil dwelling bacteria and other microbia.

Good Luck!

Eric
1 month ago
Hello Joylynn,

If you could make something useful out of giant ragweed, that would be absolutely AMAZING!  As for me, I could never do it as I am so terribly allergic to the stuff that actually working in it might put me at risk for anaphylactic shock--and that is no exaggeration.  But it is a long, fibrous plant and it seemingly grows absolutely everywhere, despite my attempts to control it by mowing.  So if this plant which has always been a noxious weed to me can become a useful, practical resource to you, then you have accomplished something that I have never done and likely never will.  As for just exactly how good a twine it will make, I have no idea, but by all means, please do find out and let us all know.

Great work,

Eric  
1 month ago