Hi.

I was reading yesterday about a fellow who learned he could grow fungi on fresh coffee beans from his own coffee 'tree'.

He said he noticed that the fungi really seemed to like the shells of the coffee beans.

Now, I've never seen an un-roasted coffee bean.

But today I was in a local garden center and on my way out I passed the bags of Cocoa Bean Shell mulch.

And I turned and asked one of the guys about this mulch. I told him about the fungi reference to coffee bean shells.

He said "We have to keep the Cocoa shells inside because if rainwater gets in the bags fungi will form right away".

So, I started to think that Cocoa bean mulch could be used for substrate.

The original author said of his coffee beans that for some reason 3 of 4 of his test batches had no trouble with contamination.

I wonder if it was luck or if coffee shells have an bacterial inhibitor.

Anyway, now I think I might buy a bag of Cocoa shell mulch and try growing some Portabellos.

Sounds easier than sterilizing straw.