New Mycology Vendor has GordoTEK kits, I put them to the test (Pan Cyan and Natalensis) RESULTS

Don't get me wrong, in general I'm a do-it-yourselfer and see the value in a person learning to do every step from scratch, but on the other hand, I absolutely recognize that for many people, gathering all ingredients, mixing, hydrating, and pressure cooking for hours, can be either a daunting task, a major challenge, or just too much of a time commitment. Some people also may just want to do a few grows and don't want to invest in a pressure cooker or bags of ingredients they may never use up. It can be a whole lot easier to use a kit, and my goal is to make this hobby as accessible as possible to a wide variety of people who are serious about pursuing this path.

In the past I've worked with one major vendor, a good partnership and I'm not severing ties nor do I wish them to take offense, but its been a bit difficult to communicate with them and they haven't offered an exact match to my latest TEK (despite my requests). Enter a new small family owned business, MidwestFreshMushrooms, this vendor has actually been a patron here first, and is a teacher by day who has long had a deep love of mycology, he has grown many gourmet species. Recently he had the idea of turning his hobby into a business, and I think he choose a great way to start. After investing in the necessary equipment to scale, they created both a complete kit matching my TEK calling it the Gordo Special which includes the recommended totes, heater, screen, enough substrate for a full size grow (8lbs!), casing, and grains. They also have a GordoTEK Special REFILL Kit that has enough substrate for a full sized grow (8 lbs!) plus the casing, AND sterile grains with injection port. And finally they also sell just the recommended substrate too if that's all you need, which is based on my quantities and ingredients (for a full size grow, get 8lbs, for a half size grow which is probably plenty for most people, you can get the 4lbs size).

So anyway, as I would with any vendor, I required them to send me product to test, I used their substrate to do both pan cyan and natalensis grows (I used the same substrate for both grows which is coir based with manure and some additional supplements as per my published recipe). The instructions did recommend adding some water but I wanted to try it "as is" just to see what would happen, and the results were a resounding success with rapid colonization and multiple contam free flushes for both species (I did water heavily after casing). The 8 pound version was enough to properly fill the large totes used in my latest easy pan cyan TEK. For a species that likes a deeper substrate, the quantity was also perfect for the slightly smaller 28qt sterilite totes sold at big box stores (but natalensis grows fine at the same depth as pan cyans and I think you will get higher biological efficiency using the bigger tote).

Here are some pictures of the results of the two grows using MidwestFreshMushrooms substrate:

Pan Cyan (I used the long totes recommended in my latest TEK with heat and screen, daily misting by hand only, got 5 nice flushes with zero signs of contamination even after the 5th flush before I stuck it on my compost pile):

(was able to make a large number of excellent prints)

And Natalensis (used the same MidwestFreshMushrooms substrate!):

(Natalensis illuminated by the purple lid of this tote on a bright sunny day 😇, single tote was used, no heater and no screen, just your basic simple unmodified tote grow with a cracked lid and daily misting by hand, its currently on its 4th flush, no signs of contams whatsoever)

I whole heartedly recommend and endorse this vendor! I have received their products personally and tested them with absolute perfect results and zero contams and I have high confidence that they will please you too. High quality, attention to detail, perfect match to my recipes, perfect sterilization, correct volume and weight. Using my links also supports the channel, so double win. And for what its worth, I was so impressed by this vendor I have already ordered more of their products myself, which are currently on the way. I think I may have hit the point where even I don't always want to spend all day making substrate and stinking up the house for hours at a time 😂 🔥.

If you try this vendor, be sure to leave a review, they should have total accountability and sink on swim on their own merit. I also want to point out that if you are going to compare these guys to other vendors, keep in mind that they are shipping very heavy items unlike most vendors, this means their margins are thin, but you get the real deal full sizes you really wanted. They also have a variety of gourmet mushroom grow kits (already colonized substrate) that many people may be interested in, and other items you may want to check out.

Also wanted to point out that someone who wanted to simplify the process of growing could order a spore syringe (this vendor has both TTBVI and Estero my two favorite pan cyans) or liquid culture syringe (I'm looking for a trusted vendor to recommend) and just inject the grains that come with the kit, wait for colonization, dump the substrate from the kit into the tote that also comes with the kit, dump the colonized grains on top of that, mix, cover with tote lid, and wait for colonization (preferably in warm temps 75-85F or using the heater that comes with the kit). After full colonization remove the lid, apply the casing that comes with the kit, spray casing heavily with water, add screen that comes with the kit, spray the casing and screen 2-3 times a day and you should see pins within a week.  Doesn't get much easier than that (it is possible to get a harvest start to finish in 3 weeks). Full write and with details, pics, and video is here.

You could also make your own spore syringe of course.

p.s. If MidwestFreshMushrooms is sold out and you can't wait for them to restock, this is the other vendor I partner with who sells a slightly different (and slightly smaller) kit: https://www.patreon.com/posts/63406767

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Links to all of my TEKs, Videos, Trip music, and frequently asked questions with answers can be found here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/22774475 (everything is made available for FREE, I do not use pay walls, support the work only if you feel like you've benefited from it and you are able to do so). People have told me my work has helped them overcome depression, addictions, PTSD, relationship issues, direction in life, and to have important, meaningful, sometimes life changing mystical experiences. I feel honored and blessed to play a small role in this. That is my reward.