(February 22, 2012)
       I am still going strong with my sunflower seed experiment. This time we added whole sunflower seeds to the substrate, in order to then mix it in with the mycelia. I am working in the labs and labeling my tools all on my own. What a sense of accomplishment and independence! The most exciting parts of this entire sunflower seed experiment are the results. They are phenomenal! (Referring to the ground up sunflower seeds from last week) Normally, when the substrate starts to colonize (the mushroom grows and the entire tool (plastic container) becomes white, it takes about 7-8 days to just flip it over. Then it grows a little bit longer, then it is dried, and finally taken to the machine to test its strength. The most recent experiment only took 4 days to flip! This is extremely quick and my mentor and I are super proud of these fast results. The mushrooms are also healthy, with hardly any mold. I am excited to keep experimenting with my sunflower seeds and try to get more of these results!