Coffungi

A little project growing in a Danang neighborhood (Vietnam) 🌱

We’re collecting coffee grounds from local cafes and turning them into a “base” for growing mushrooms that we would supply to our community.

We’re working toward contributing a small garden together, one step closer to zero waste.

Hope to meet more zero-waste friends!

Here’s what you’ll need to start your mushroom project!!!

1. Spawn: This is like the “seed” for mushrooms, containing live mycelium ready to grow. Here are the link that you can get to know them:

(Currently, in Vietnam, where I live, there is not many suppliers have their spawn always available, so we mostly go with growing from the old colonized substrates (which do contain the "mushroom materials" in it) or the plastic buckets that are ready to water.)

1. Used coffee grounds: Rich in nutrients and perfect for mushrooms, they are the spotlight and help reduce local waste from our neighborhood cafes.
2. Straw: Acts as a bulk substrate, providing structure and air pockets (this is important! because if it is completely anaerobic, they can never colonize) for the mycelium to breathe. You can chop it into smaller pieces for easier mixing.
3. Container: You can reuse plastic containers (like large yogurt buckets or water bottles) that have been punched with holes on the sides to allow air exchange while keeping humidity.
4. A dark, humid spot: Mushrooms love cozy darkness. Under a sink, in a shaded corner of your balcony, or a dark shelf can all become your mini mushroom farm.

There are videos from who are experts one:))) that I really enjoyed along my journey so you really should check them out

We all need everything to be set up before diving in right?

Before starting to grow, you need to clean your substrate (coffee grounds, straw) to reduce unwanted bacteria or mold. A very easy way and I also highly recommend, which is PASTEURIZATION using heat.

You can pasteurize by soaking straw in hot water (~80 - 100°C) for an hour. Then let them dry a bit in 30 mins (pls remember keep them humid, not dry and craking:D )

(If you want to verify the pasteurization:D (however, I think that it isn't really needed:))) you can

This step gives your mushrooms a clean, healthy environment to thrive.

Take your plastic containers with holes and clean them well. Here I suggest that you should use ethanol to clean inside the buckets, to make sure that there is no further contamination or any disease can take place.

Pick a shaded, humid spot, and pls keep them FROM the DIRECT SUNLIGHT

1. If it is in the summer, it would be ideal if you leave your mushroom under the trees' shade, where there is fresh air and constant humidity.
2. Unfortunately, in the winter, you can put it in the OVEN (just as mine) and spray water twice a day.

Remember that the place must ensure good airflow while keeping enough moisture during growth.

Mix your pasteurized substrate (coffee grounds, straw) with your mushroom spawn evenly, and gently place the mix into your prepared containers. And cover the buckets with lids or a tower would be just fine!

Press lightly but avoid compacting too much, allowing airflow inside.

For some house farmers, they may place the substrate and the spawn layer by layers. In this way, it is really well organized; however, the performance, so far, has not been any different, so I think you can try them both:"p

Check your containers' surrounding space daily to ensure humidity and airflow are stable. You can open the bucket's lid to check, but pls don't shake or use too much force, because it can affect and disrupt the colonization. And we don't want that at all:D If the surface looks dry, mist lightly with clean water.

Avoid direct sunlight!!! Pls pls pls always remember this

Over the next few weeks, you will see white mycelium spreading, which means your mushrooms are growing well.

Once the container is fully colonized with white mycelium, create fruiting conditions: increase humidity, and expose to indirect light for a few hours daily. Soon, tiny mushroom pins will appear, gradually growing into full-sized mushrooms.

And trust me, its pace is really crazy:D

When the mushroom caps are fully formed and just before they start flattening out, harvest by twisting gently at the base. Freshly harvested mushrooms taste best and create so much joy and zero-waste produce to our community.

Once you have finished the very first batch and there is still colonized substrates. It is always ready to the next batch of growing.

It's very simple! Start with a clean bucket, then layer with the new clean substrate then a layer of old colonized substrate, and repeat this until your bucket is full.

One thing to remember that is the final layer must be a new one, because later you have to keep track of the colonization progress and so can you know the progress once the surface is the one which is already colonized???

I believe there is nothing to rush! The most important ingredient is your heart, so take care of them and enjoy the process.