Growing Fomes fomentarius

[Pappa]

Hi,

I know a lot of you are interested in getting your hands on some Tinder fungus, and as it's restricted to certain locales in the UK, it can be a bit tricky to get hold off. Anyway, I've bought myself some Fomes fomentarius 'plugs' from a US website. I'll be trying to grow it on cut deciduous logs in the garden. Apparently, they're quite easy to grow.

Pappa

 

[Ogri the trog]

Pappa,
Now thats the best thing I've heard in a long time. I posed the same question a while ago but got no real information. I've scoured the woods near my home in Mid Wales and drawn a blank for Fommes and Innonotus Obliqus, Even Cramp balls are small and hard to find. Toddy sent me some Fommes to trial but its almost too precious to start using.
Do you have a link that we could all see for the plugs?
Also, I hope you'll keep us all posted as to your progress.

ATB

Ogri the trog

 

[Pappa]

Here's the site:

http://www.fungiperfecti.com/plugs/plugs.html

I'm going to give my dad a hand chopping some assorted deciduous trees down soon, so hopefully I'll be able to see which trees the mushrooms prefer.

Pappa

 

[Toddy]

Hi, look save the pennies, there are enough meet ups going on with people visiting a few different ones that we can get stuff like this passed around. In my neck of the woods the Fomes is bordering on becoming a destructive pest, there's no shortage of infected timber or fungi. I believe that it's the same in many areas of the central belt.
Alternatively,
How about that those of us who can get some, each post our willingness to post to say, half a dozen?, people on the list, on a first post back basis and we'll see how that works out. (I'll need to empty my pm box again )
Postage costs to be refunded in kind or barter
Cheers,
Toddy

 

[Toddy]

On offer;
I've got three fomes dried out just now, but will agree to find another three and post to those that ask first.
1, Albeo lupus
2, British Red
3,
4,
5,
6,

Cheers,
Toddy

 

[AlbeoLupus]

I would like to try to do this but as I've never tried before would it be wasting the valuble substance on a neebie, who might just kill it dead ?

If you think not then, YES PLEASE.

Andy

 

[Ogri the trog]

Toddy,
Another brilliant offer from your good self. This time please don't add my name to the list. There will be plenty of others who can share in your goodness. I still have some good sized pieces from the lot that you sent some time ago.

I'm very interested in seeing if it can be grown here in Mid Wales though, and I'd like to know of any success stories on this topic.

ATB

Ogri the trog

 

[Grooveski]

I'm going out to Kintyre again in a few weeks. I'll try to mind and grab some. It's an old birch woodland and is rife with them. To be honest I presumed everywhere was until a minute ago.
Sounds like a job for a rubber-blunt flu-flu on a short fishing leash, should be entertaining.

I'll be gathering on an SAC(with permission) but I don't remember seeing them on the list of protected/endangered species.
....although I better check, that list was very long and latin.

 

[British Red]

Toddy,

I would love one please - happy to cover any postage charges etc.

red

 

[Toddy]

I've got three fomes dried out just now, but will agree to find another three and post to those that ask first. The dried ones are easily set to burn but they're d***ed hard work to cut. The fresh ones cut more easily but they'll need to be dried out. Which would you prefer?....I could just give half of each
So far,
1, Albeo lupus
2, British Red
3, Longstrider
4, Biddlesby
5, Beachlover
6,

Okay, one to go I'll need addresses by pm's please folks.

Nice one Grooveski. I thought they were everywhere too, until I mentioned I could get them, on the forum. I checked with my local Greenspace and they have no problem with me collecting them.

Cheers,
Toddy

 

[Longstrider]

Toddy, I would love to take you up on the offer. I would actually prefer fresh to ready dried if thats OK. Happy to re-imburse any costs etc. Will send details via PM. Many thanks.

 

[Biddlesby]

Ooh count me in. Will PM.

 

[pierre girard]

Hi,

I know a lot of you are interested in getting your hands on some Tinder fungus, and as it's restricted to certain locales in the UK, it can be a bit tricky to get hold off. Anyway, I've bought myself some Fomes fomentarius 'plugs' from a US website. I'll be trying to grow it on cut deciduous logs in the garden. Apparently, they're quite easy to grow.

Pappa

The first fungus on the website you listed looks like the stuff we use for tinder (fomes fomentarius). We cut it in chunks and char it for use as a spark catcher - just as you do with char cloth. Is that the common method in GB? There is some other stuff which works as char - right off the tree (or maybe it is the same stuff in a state of decomposition). I don't know much about fungus - just know it when I see it.

PG

 

[Toddy]

The first fungus on the website you listed looks like the stuff we use for tinder (fomes fomentarius). We cut it in chunks and char it for use as a spark catcher - just as you do with char cloth. Is that the common method in GB? There is some other stuff which works as char - right off the tree (or maybe it is the same stuff in a state of decomposition). I don't know much about fungus - just know it when I see it.

PG

It seems that there are as many ways of preparing fomes as there are fish in the sea I agree though that sliced and charred it works very well.

Wayland and I were talking about this and we reckon that folks have put together all sorts of little bits and pieces of what used to be done with this fungus and created some sort of hotchpotch.

Stale urine becomes ammonia; ammonia is used to de-grease wool before dyeing; fomes is sliced up and boiled for dyeing wool; the waste fomes when dried out will still take a spark.
Somehow this transmuted into boiling fomes in urine before using it for firemaking
I can see no other reason for boiling fomes in the first place than for a dyebath. It's inedible so it's not for cooking it, it's not a good medicine, and it's not a fertilizer or a cosmetic. But it does give me a good green dye on wool

I do seperate out the rather corky layer and boil it up, then while it's still wet I pound it with a stone until it's like a bit of felt. I use this under my bowdrill to catch the ember, it gives me something to handle the coal with. I have boiled it up with saltpetre and it *really* catches a spark once it's been allowed to dry out, then.
There's an old rhyme for this one

"As dark as auld Nick who burns forever.
Roast it black and they'll burn thegither"

Cheers,
Toddy

 

[JFW]

Toddy,

I do seperate out the rather corky layer and boil it up, then while it's still wet I pound it with a stone until it's like a bit of felt. I use this under my bowdrill to catch the ember, it gives me something to handle the coal with. I have boiled it up with saltpetre and it *really* catches a spark once it's been allowed to dry out, then.

was this the circular "hide" material that you had at the Plean meet? I thought it was a piece of leather. Did you just boil it in water or did you add wood ash?

Cheers

JFW

 

[Pappa]

In programme one of Ray Mears' "Bushcraft", "Aboriginal Britain", he used a thin, dry sheet of Fomes fomentarius and scraped it with a piece of flint to loosten and lift the fibres.

 

[Topcat02]

Does anyone want to swap some dried slices of Fomes for some dried slices of razorstrop.

I've got loads of razor strop, and as its quite abundant should have no problem acquiring more.

TC

 

[Marts]

I notice that the website link suggests using Fomes for a tea. I've never heard of this use. Anyone tried it?

 

[British Red]

Toddy,

Given your existing kindness, I'm embarrased to ask, but could you post a preapration guide to making the best tinder from the fomes please? I am really anxious to do it myself because I believe that:

I hear and I forget
I see and I remember
I do and I understand

Thanks everso

Red

 

[AlbeoLupus]

Beat me to it, me was going to ask this as well

Toddy PM sent by the way

and thankyou for your kindness

Andy