The production cycle

STEPS they used in the process of harvesting mushrooms:

Making mushroom compost:

A concrete slab, known as a wharf, is used for composting. Finishing the compost: Pasteurisation is necessary to kill insects, pest fungi or other pests that may be present. Spawning: Mushroom compost must be inoculated with mushroom spawn.

Cashing: A top dressing is put on the spawn-run compost on which the mushrooms form. Clayloam field soil, a mixture of peat moss and ground limestone, or reclaimed weathered spent compost can be used.

Pinning: Mushrooms develop after rhizomorphs have formed in the casing.

Cropping: The terms flush, break or bloom are names given to the repeating three- to five-day harvest periods during the cropping cycle. These are followed by a few days when no mushrooms are available to harvest.

It takes about 15 weeks to complete the production cycle, from composting to steaming off.