Karo/Potato Flakes Agar

MushroomJoe · 10-30-09, 17:04

I'm going to experiment around using some Agar-Agar, Hungry Jacks Potato Flakes, and Karo (and some baby food jars, you know I had to do it).

Lets see if I can get anything decent going.

I'll update as I make some progress.

TheFreak · 10-31-09, 00:26

cant wait to see this

MushroomJoe · 10-31-09, 11:43

Ok, I was playing around with quantities of water and agar just to get the measurement right and I think i got it. I was going to actually mix and sterilize yesterday, but the wife came home wanting to test my chocolate mushie treats. And who am I to deny her......

I will be actually putting it together soon, and will write exactly what I do.

MushroomJoe · 10-31-09, 12:46

Alright, So I've got everything in the PC cookin away.

I ended up going with measurements of:

500g water (500ml)
4g agar-agar
3tsp Karo
1tsp potato flakes

I'm am unsure is this will be enough, but that's what this is all about. Finding what works.

I also have some syringes in a jar, and the baby food jars wrapped in foil. I placed them in coffee cups so that they would not sit in the water at the bottom.

Now to wait for the PC to finish, then to go pour the jars.

I will say one thing, if this or a similar run with little changes actually works, this will be a very cheap alternative. I think that for the WHOLE box of flakes, the Karo and the 12 baby food jars, I might have spent around 10 dollars. And with the tiny quantities that are needed this stuff will last a while.

MushroomJoe · 10-31-09, 15:49

OK, PC is finished and I have poured the 12 baby food jars. It used up a little less than half, so now I know that 500ml of water will effectively do 24 jars or so.

Now to wait for them to cool and harden.

Time to go get some Panda Express, all this PCing has made me hungry!

MushroomJoe · 11-02-09, 20:42

Just finished noc'ing them up.

I ended up finding an old Malabar print I had stored away, so I ended up doing half B+ and half MAL.

Here are some pics.

TheFreak · 11-02-09, 21:29

just curious to why you use karo. doesnt it carmelize and make it useless like it would lc? how long you pc for?

glad to see less agar work. now im cutting back i was using 7 g of both potato/agar for 500ml

MushroomJoe · 11-02-09, 21:34

Well, to be honest, I'm not really certain. I know that Karo is used in LC, and thought I might try it in an agar formula to see if it works. Then I thought of using the potato flakes.

I have no reason to believe that this will work, or that it wont work. It's an experiment, and I'm posting the log of it so that all can see, and add their $0.02.

As for the sterilization time, I think it was about 60-90min.

TheFreak · 11-02-09, 21:37

you might be on to something with the karo i never tried it

TheFreak · 11-02-09, 21:39

i like the tyvek idea too. im gonna go bb style and silicone washers with tyvek siliconed to them for the fresh air.

MushroomJoe · 11-02-09, 22:02

Yeah, I hope this works out. It will def make my agar work a lot less expensive. I used to buy the powders from online sources, and that can get really expensive.

copelandiaKidd · 11-03-09, 02:03

please keep this thres up bro. I want to do small scale agar work and this might just clear everything up!!!!! I made some jars of agar and their just sitting in the fridge bc i am afraid they wont work, lol. I am Very interested in the outcome of this!!!!!! THANX in advance!!!!!

MushroomJoe · 11-04-09, 21:21

So I just checked and I can barely make out white fuzzers around where the spores are.

Looks like a good sign.

And seems to be at a good pace.

I will post pics when they grow enough to see though the jars with a camera lens.

XxMushroomsxX · 11-04-09, 22:36

Hay man wat size jars r thos? If there 4oz jars wat is the mixture for the 4oz jars? B/c i dont know wat it would be. If u can help plz priv message me the mixture .

TheFreak · 11-04-09, 23:57

hell ya. this will be the easiest way to do agar now. well cheapest for glass any ways.

MushroomJoe · 11-05-09, 06:41

Quote:

Originally Posted by XxMushroomsxX

Hay man wat size jars r thos? If there 4oz jars wat is the mixture for the 4oz jars? B/c i dont know wat it would be. If u can help plz priv message me the mixture .

I'm going to post my reply rather than PM, just in case anyone else has a similar question.

The jars that i used this time are actually 2.5oz jars. (tiny) I plan on moving up in size after this test run.

As for the mixture. I usually always make more than I need. Simply because, if my memory serves me, I know you can reheat the sterilized agar and it will liquefy again.

So I Make 500ml worth of water in a quart jar and add all of the other ingredients. In this case the entire recipe was as follows:

500g water (500ml)
4g agar-agar
3tsp Karo
1tsp potato flakes

All placed into quart jar with hole in lid and tyvek filter. PC'd for about 1-1.5 hrs in PC @ 15 PSI (longer time needed if working with lesser PSI)

I poured the first jars right after the PC was finished. Then I re-capped the jar and placed the remaining agar in my fridge for storage.

500ml of agar mixture filled 12 2.5oz baby food jars with a very thick layer on the bottom, and there was still about 300ml left. I will let you know how many 4oz jars I can do with the remaining 300ml of agar mixture.

Probably this weekend I will be buying more baby food jars (bigger ones) and will be pouring the rest of my agar. I plan on reheating the agar mixture in a pot of water so I don't burn it.

I imagine I could just re-PC the remaining agar and it would liquefy again, but this will take too long and I don't think I will end up doing this unless I encounter contamination.

Hope this answered your question.

Here are some pics of the myc growh so far...

MLBjammer · 11-05-09, 07:27

That looks great, Joe. Your explanations of your process are very easy to follow and straightforward. I will keep an eye on this one.

I guess you got the agar powder at an Asian market?

MushroomJoe · 11-09-09, 00:06

Yes, sorry for the late reply. I went to the local Asian market and found packets of agar-agar for about 1.75. Not a bad deal.

MushroomJoe · 11-09-09, 21:13

So, my first jars are almost completely overgrown with myc now.

I poured the rest of my agar into slightly larger jars this time.

I managed to get another 10 jars, and believe me, I could have easily gotten 20 out of it.

There ended up being about a half inch layer of agar. (lots wasted)

I will be isolating some of the better jars from the first batch tomorrow.

MushroomJoe · 11-10-09, 17:16

I need to make an update....

The 10 jars I poured yesterday did NOT fully solidify. It seems as thought the agar mixture did not like being refrigerated then PC'd a second time.

I have washed out all of the jars and will be PCing them again, along with another 10 that I purchased today.

I made another batch of agar, this time using 5g of agar-agar instead of just 4.

MushroomJoe · 11-11-09, 20:43

Alright....

Got home today and decided to do my first isolation and to try a cloning from the cluster in the photo below.

(from this thread: http://forums.mycotopia.net/fungi-gr...brf-cakes.html (B+ on BRF cakes))

I did not take the mutant one, but one of the ones on the side. I wanted to try to allow the cluster to continue to grow.

I did five 4.0oz jars each of B+, MAL, and the clone (named it "Cluster Fuck 001").

Here are some pics.

P4ulada · 11-11-09, 20:50

Nice work! These was the best cake hehe

TheFreak · 11-12-09, 08:19

great job glad these are working out...

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10-30-09, 17:04	#1 (permalink)
MushroomJoe Mycotechnician Join Date: Nov 2005 Posts: 238	Karo/Potato Flakes Agar I'm going to experiment around using some Agar-Agar, Hungry Jacks Potato Flakes, and Karo (and some baby food jars, you know I had to do it). Lets see if I can get anything decent going. I'll update as I make some progress. Attached Thumbnails __________________ "We are a way for the Universe to know itself, we are starstuff contemplating the stars." - Carl Sagan ~Temet Nosce~

10-31-09, 11:43	#3 (permalink)
MushroomJoe Mycotechnician Join Date: Nov 2005 Posts: 238	Ok, I was playing around with quantities of water and agar just to get the measurement right and I think i got it. I was going to actually mix and sterilize yesterday, but the wife came home wanting to test my chocolate mushie treats. And who am I to deny her...... I will be actually putting it together soon, and will write exactly what I do. __________________ "We are a way for the Universe to know itself, we are starstuff contemplating the stars." - Carl Sagan ~Temet Nosce~

10-31-09, 12:46	#4 (permalink)
MushroomJoe Mycotechnician Join Date: Nov 2005 Posts: 238	Alright, So I've got everything in the PC cookin away. I ended up going with measurements of: 500g water (500ml) 4g agar-agar 3tsp Karo 1tsp potato flakes I'm am unsure is this will be enough, but that's what this is all about. Finding what works. I also have some syringes in a jar, and the baby food jars wrapped in foil. I placed them in coffee cups so that they would not sit in the water at the bottom. Now to wait for the PC to finish, then to go pour the jars. I will say one thing, if this or a similar run with little changes actually works, this will be a very cheap alternative. I think that for the WHOLE box of flakes, the Karo and the 12 baby food jars, I might have spent around 10 dollars. And with the tiny quantities that are needed this stuff will last a while. Attached Thumbnails __________________ "We are a way for the Universe to know itself, we are starstuff contemplating the stars." - Carl Sagan ~Temet Nosce~

10-31-09, 15:49	#5 (permalink)
MushroomJoe Mycotechnician Join Date: Nov 2005 Posts: 238	OK, PC is finished and I have poured the 12 baby food jars. It used up a little less than half, so now I know that 500ml of water will effectively do 24 jars or so. Now to wait for them to cool and harden. Time to go get some Panda Express, all this PCing has made me hungry! Attached Thumbnails __________________ "We are a way for the Universe to know itself, we are starstuff contemplating the stars." - Carl Sagan ~Temet Nosce~

10-31-09, 00:26	#2 (permalink)
TheFreak Mycophage Join Date: Aug 2009 Posts: 139	cant wait to see this

11-02-09, 20:42	#6 (permalink)
MushroomJoe Mycotechnician Join Date: Nov 2005 Posts: 238	Just finished noc'ing them up. I ended up finding an old Malabar print I had stored away, so I ended up doing half B+ and half MAL. Here are some pics. Attached Thumbnails __________________ "We are a way for the Universe to know itself, we are starstuff contemplating the stars." - Carl Sagan ~Temet Nosce~

11-02-09, 21:29	#7 (permalink)
TheFreak Mycophage Join Date: Aug 2009 Posts: 139	just curious to why you use karo. doesnt it carmelize and make it useless like it would lc? how long you pc for? glad to see less agar work. now im cutting back i was using 7 g of both potato/agar for 500ml

11-02-09, 21:34	#8 (permalink)
MushroomJoe Mycotechnician Join Date: Nov 2005 Posts: 238	Well, to be honest, I'm not really certain. I know that Karo is used in LC, and thought I might try it in an agar formula to see if it works. Then I thought of using the potato flakes. I have no reason to believe that this will work, or that it wont work. It's an experiment, and I'm posting the log of it so that all can see, and add their $0.02. As for the sterilization time, I think it was about 60-90min. __________________ "We are a way for the Universe to know itself, we are starstuff contemplating the stars." - Carl Sagan ~Temet Nosce~

11-02-09, 21:37	#9 (permalink)
TheFreak Mycophage Join Date: Aug 2009 Posts: 139	you might be on to something with the karo i never tried it

11-02-09, 21:39	#10 (permalink)
TheFreak Mycophage Join Date: Aug 2009 Posts: 139	i like the tyvek idea too. im gonna go bb style and silicone washers with tyvek siliconed to them for the fresh air.

11-02-09, 22:02	#11 (permalink)
MushroomJoe Mycotechnician Join Date: Nov 2005 Posts: 238	Yeah, I hope this works out. It will def make my agar work a lot less expensive. I used to buy the powders from online sources, and that can get really expensive. __________________ "We are a way for the Universe to know itself, we are starstuff contemplating the stars." - Carl Sagan ~Temet Nosce~

11-03-09, 02:03	#12 (permalink)
copelandiaKidd Void Of Boundaries Join Date: Jul 2009 Posts: 578	please keep this thres up bro. I want to do small scale agar work and this might just clear everything up!!!!! I made some jars of agar and their just sitting in the fridge bc i am afraid they wont work, lol. I am Very interested in the outcome of this!!!!!! THANX in advance!!!!! __________________ "LEARN THE RULES SO YOU CAN BREAK THEM PROPERLY" -The Dali lama "i don't care if it eats my cat, as long as the damn thing fruits"~ prism

11-04-09, 21:21	#13 (permalink)
MushroomJoe Mycotechnician Join Date: Nov 2005 Posts: 238	So I just checked and I can barely make out white fuzzers around where the spores are. Looks like a good sign. And seems to be at a good pace. I will post pics when they grow enough to see though the jars with a camera lens. __________________ "We are a way for the Universe to know itself, we are starstuff contemplating the stars." - Carl Sagan ~Temet Nosce~

11-04-09, 22:36	#14 (permalink)
XxMushroomsxX He Will Consume Them All. Join Date: Sep 2009 Posts: 84	Hay man wat size jars r thos? If there 4oz jars wat is the mixture for the 4oz jars? B/c i dont know wat it would be. If u can help plz priv message me the mixture . __________________ *Why Do The Shadow People Watch Me?*

11-04-09, 23:57	#15 (permalink)
TheFreak Mycophage Join Date: Aug 2009 Posts: 139	hell ya. this will be the easiest way to do agar now. well cheapest for glass any ways.

11-05-09, 07:27	#17 (permalink)
MLBjammer Addicted to Invitro Join Date: Mar 2006 Posts: 1,877	That looks great, Joe. Your explanations of your process are very easy to follow and straightforward. I will keep an eye on this one. I guess you got the agar powder at an Asian market?

11-09-09, 00:06	#18 (permalink)
MushroomJoe Mycotechnician Join Date: Nov 2005 Posts: 238	Yes, sorry for the late reply. I went to the local Asian market and found packets of agar-agar for about 1.75. Not a bad deal. __________________ "We are a way for the Universe to know itself, we are starstuff contemplating the stars." - Carl Sagan ~Temet Nosce~

11-09-09, 21:13	#19 (permalink)
MushroomJoe Mycotechnician Join Date: Nov 2005 Posts: 238	So, my first jars are almost completely overgrown with myc now. I poured the rest of my agar into slightly larger jars this time. I managed to get another 10 jars, and believe me, I could have easily gotten 20 out of it. There ended up being about a half inch layer of agar. (lots wasted) I will be isolating some of the better jars from the first batch tomorrow. Attached Thumbnails __________________ "We are a way for the Universe to know itself, we are starstuff contemplating the stars." - Carl Sagan ~Temet Nosce~

11-10-09, 17:16	#20 (permalink)
MushroomJoe Mycotechnician Join Date: Nov 2005 Posts: 238	I need to make an update.... The 10 jars I poured yesterday did NOT fully solidify. It seems as thought the agar mixture did not like being refrigerated then PC'd a second time. I have washed out all of the jars and will be PCing them again, along with another 10 that I purchased today. I made another batch of agar, this time using 5g of agar-agar instead of just 4. __________________ "We are a way for the Universe to know itself, we are starstuff contemplating the stars." - Carl Sagan ~Temet Nosce~

11-11-09, 20:43	#21 (permalink)
MushroomJoe Mycotechnician Join Date: Nov 2005 Posts: 238	Alright.... Got home today and decided to do my first isolation and to try a cloning from the cluster in the photo below. (from this thread: http://forums.mycotopia.net/fungi-gr...brf-cakes.html (B+ on BRF cakes)) I did not take the mutant one, but one of the ones on the side. I wanted to try to allow the cluster to continue to grow. I did five 4.0oz jars each of B+, MAL, and the clone (named it "Cluster Fuck 001"). Here are some pics. Attached Thumbnails __________________ "We are a way for the Universe to know itself, we are starstuff contemplating the stars." - Carl Sagan ~Temet Nosce~

11-11-09, 20:50	#22 (permalink)
P4ulada Mycotopiate Join Date: Feb 2009 Posts: 696	Nice work! These was the best cake hehe __________________ *I don´t know the key to success, but the key to failure is trying to please everybody.*

11-12-09, 08:19	#23 (permalink)
TheFreak Mycophage Join Date: Aug 2009 Posts: 139	great job glad these are working out...

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