Question bout rye grain..

[Leftover Salmon]

Would a 24 hr soak, then loaded into jars (four hole lids w/tyvek covers, wrapped in foil) then PC'd for 1andhalf hours, be sufficient for moisture? Or did I just shoot myself in the foot and the jars be to dry? Do I need to "cook" the rye grains?

Could or should rye be treated like popcorn?

Only reason I ask is I just read a thread that Fahtster wrote in which he stated that he cooked the popcorn straight outta the bag in the pressure cooker, he then dried and wiped using towels then to pc'er in jars... Would this method work for rye?

Onlly reason I ask is because I can obtain rye in large amounts for next to nothing... Any help is greatly appreciated for I am Newbo 5000..

Salmon

[Sideshow]

The next few quarts I do will be using this method:
http://forums.mycotopia.net/holding-...-rye-prep.html (Quick step rye prep)

To me, popcorn is a different animal altogether than the other common grains because of it's size. A simmer is an absolute must for corn, and pc'ing it for 45-60 min is even better. On the other hand, WBS is good with a short simmer or a long hot soak. My point is, rye is more on the WBS side than the corn side. Me thinks a simmer/soak would be good for rye, and I wouldn't want to ever attempt to towel off cooked rye; I don't do that with corn either, come to think of it.

[marmy]

that is way too much work for rye grain. There is a quick rye grain tek somewhere that has worked 100% of the time for me. especially because I make sure that lids and jars are debris free. I of course changed it up slightly but the theory is the same.

why here it is
http://forums.mycotopia.net/holding-...-rye-prep.html (Quick step rye prep)

the search engine is your friend: know it learn it live it .. hey guys you had shirts on when you came in

[marmy]

you beat me to it sideshow

[Leftover Salmon]

Right, I read that tek on the link from Fahtster as well thanks... The search engine is a friend of mine trust me.

Would a 24 hr soak, then loaded into jars (four hole lids w/tyvek covers, wrapped in foil) then PC'd for 1andhalf hours, be sufficient for moisture? Or did I just shoot myself in the foot and the jars be to dry? Do I need to "cook" the rye grains?

I did this to about 20 jars before I read any tek on here about Rye grains. Although appreciated; your links do not answer these above questions.

Did I fuck up these jars of RYE? Or do they stand a chance?

[marmy]

Originally Posted by Leftover Salmon

Would a 24 hr soak, then loaded into jars (four hole lids w/tyvek covers, wrapped in foil) then PC'd for 1andhalf hours, be sufficient for moisture? Or did I just shoot myself in the foot and the jars be to dry? Do I need to "cook" the rye grains?


Salmon

You do not need to cook the grain prior to pcing. although I would think you will still need to add some water to the jar when pcing.. post some pics of the jars after pcing and we can see if they are too dry, although drier is better than wetter.

[Thre365ive]

Just a soak, then a PC with that moisture isn't gonna be enough, IMO (but not IME, I've never worked with rye berries.) I would soak, then either simmer and towel dry or soak then PC with the proper amount of water in the jars. From everything I know, just a soak will not have enough moisture to function properly.

I must state clearly, though, that I've never worked with rye, but I have grown for 7 years and studied for about 2 years prior to that, and I've never failed at growing, even under the worst conditions.

[Sideshow]

I'm with marmy - I thnk they will work, but wll be a little on the dry side.
A little too Dry is better than too wet.

[Leftover Salmon]

Alrighty, I will post some pics asap. Thanks for the input...

It is day five of incubation and to me they appear dry. With them being on the dry side it would most likely take alot longer to colonize yes?

Another question. Since I have already inoculated and done what I have done, is it possible to pressure cook these jars again, with water in them this time round and just inoculate?

Or is it not that simple and I should just start over? Thoughts? Thanks.

[BuckarooBanzai]

If the jars are extremely dry, they won't grow at all or they will stall.

I would start over completely. I would also do a bunch of small batches, maybe just two or three jars at a time, until you get the moisture level perfect.

If you can get rye cheap, just toss the first 30-40-50 jars that don't have the ideal moisture level. Don't shoot spores until you get the moisture perfect. There isn't a lot of room for error with grain.

The only real "trick" with any grain is mastering a process that will get the water content right and do it every time.

The best way to do that is trial and error.

[Leftover Salmon]

Thanks for the repy Buck, (and everyone else thus far) I know this is prob a very newbish question but I gotta know...

You say to make up jars until I get the moisture right. Also not to inoculate them until I do. How do I tell if they are right if I don't put spore in them? Just make them up and let them set for the amount of time it takes to colonize? Then if they are still moist I have done things correctly? Please forgive my ignorance I would just like to get this right. I would use BFR or something else that is a bit easier; but I rye is what is most readily available for me and well... I kind of like a challenge.

The reason I did what did with these is because this is my first attempt at harvesting mushrooms ever. I read a WBS tek some where other than this site and it said to soak for 24hrs then drain and wash good then put in jars alone then PC it. I thought the same could be applied to rye...

I done fucked up.. Live and learn back to the drawing board.

[BuckarooBanzai]

It ain't nothin' but a thing, man. Answering questions is why I'm here. The only stupid question you will ever have is the question you don't ask.

You can tell "right" moisture by looking at the jars after you PC them.

After you have shaken the jars, after they have cooled - you shouldn't see "moisture" in the jars. There should be no obvious, pooling moisture either in the bottom of the jar or against the sides of the jar. The grain should be mostly whole (very few kernels broken) and not "sticky."

The grain should look almost dry in the jar, after the PC run. But it should be swollen from moisture inside the kernels. Properly hydrated grain kernels will be notably larger than dry grain kernels.

When you can get the grain to be swollen with water (compared to the dry grain) after sterilization - without any obvious moisture in the jar - you are in great shape.