No Soak, No Simmer Grain Tek is a technique of creating grain spawn without pre-soaking the grain in water.
This method reduces the time needed to create grain spawn from days to a matter of hours. The process consists of weighing out your grains and water and then sterilizing the grain. As the grains are sterilized they will also absorb water, hydrating the grain.
This no-soak, no-simmer grain spawn technique can be used with all types of grains, including rye, wheat, millet and wbs.
It is particularly useful for grains that typically require a long time to soak to achieve full hydration such as rye berries.
Because pre-soaking is not necessary, it saves time and resources. After the grains have been sterilized and cooled, they can be used immediately for grain spawn inoculation.
I like no soak, no simmer grain tek because it's fast and efficient, although not perfect. However its adequate for anyone who wants to prepare grain spawn in a hurry!
No Soak Grain Spawn.
In this post, I am going to do some experimentation to discover the best method for no soak grain tek for the following grains:
Millet.
Wheat.
To do this I added water to the grains at different ratio's then analysed the grains to see which have the best hydration levels. I then inoculated the grains to create grain spawn and ensure they are viable.
No soak No simmer Millet Tek.
In this section, the optimal ratios for no-soak millet tek will be analyzed.
To begin, 300g of millet was weighed out and placed into individual jars.
Next, varying volumes of water were added to each jar.
In this section, the optimal ratios for no-soak millet tek will be analyzed.
To begin, 300g of millet was weighed out and placed into individual jars.
Next, varying volumes of water were added to each jar.
The jars were then pressure sterilized at 15 psi for 90 minutes, and allowed to cool overnight.
After analyzing the jars, any that were deemed non-viable were discarded, and the remaining jars were inoculated.
The following table summarizes the contents of each jar.
| Jar Names | Millet | Water | Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| M1 | 300g | 300ml | 1 : 1 |
| M2 | 300g | 225ml | 1 : 0.75 |
| M3 | 300g | 150ml | 1 : 0.5 |
Inoculation
Firstly, Jar M1 had completely turned to mush and a large majority of the grains were not viable so this was thrown out and would not be inoculated.
Jar M2 had a few broken kernels spread out around the jar and there was considerable water pooling at the bottom of the jar, however the majority of the grains in the jar looked good to innoculate.
Jar M3 had very few broken kernels, the majority of the millet looked hydrated. Some kernels at the bottom of the jars were a little wet but this was reabsorbed after a few days.
Based on my observations of the grains in this jar, i felt that this jar would demonstrate the most effective results.
I inoculated the two viable jars M2 and M3 with liquid culture to see how the colonized.
Verdict
Winner – Jar M2
For No Soak No Simmer Millet Tek, I found that a 1:0.75 ratio of millet to water appears to work best.
The gains in the jar colonized considerably faster than the other ratios and the no soak millet tek was comparable to a soaked and simmered grain.
Although some grains had burst others were bulbous and well hydrated resulting in faster colonization.
Jar M3 worked but it just didnt colonize as fast.
No soak No simmer Wheat Tek.
In this section, the optimal ratios for no-soak wheat tek will be analyzed.
To begin, 200g of wheat was weighed out and placed into individual jars.
Next, varying volumes of water were added to each jar.
The jars were then sterilized and allowed to cool overnight.
Finally, the viable jars were inoculated to assess their performance.
The following table summarizes the contents of each jar
| Jar Name | Wheat | Water | Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| W1 | 200g | 200ml | 1 : 1 |
| W2 | 200g | 150ml | 1 : 0.75 |
| W3 | 200g | 100ml | 1 : 0.5 |
Inoculation
Firstly, W1 had so many burst kernels inside the jar i threw that one out straight away. Jar W1 had completely turned to mush and a large majority of the grains were not viable.
Jar W2 had a few broken kernels spread out around the jar and some pooling at the bottom, but the majority of the other grains in the jar appeared to have a good hydration levels. There was some pooling at the bottom of the jars.
Jar W3 had very few broken kernels, the wheat at the top of the jar almost looked perfect.
The bottom kernels were a little wet but this was reabsorbed after a few days.
I inoculated the two viable jars W2 and W3 with liquid culture to see how the colonized.
Verdict
Winner – Jar W3 & W2
For No Soak No Simmer Wheat Tek, I found that a 1:0.5 or 1 : 0.75 ratio of wheat to water will work when performing no soak no simmer wheat tek.
Both jars performed in comparable way.
Advantages of no soak tek.
- Faster and more efficient spawn creation.
- No need to pre soak grains, saving time and resources.
- The results are consistent across different types of grain.
- Easily repeatable process.
Disadvantages of no soak tek.
- Grains are at a higher risk of bursting using this method.
- No soak tek is more susceptible to contamination due to the lack of pre-soaking and simmering.
Overall, the benefits and drawbacks of no-soak tek should be carefully considered when deciding whether to use this method.
Pre-soaking is normally performed to ensure endospores are fully germinated before sterilization, skipping this step may result in contamination occasionally.
Personally I prefer to perform a proper soak and simmer for my grain spawn creation, however if I am in a rush I may perform this technique.
Conclusion.
No soak grain tek is a great option for those looking to grow mushrooms efficiently and effectively.
For those interested in experimenting with this technique, I encourage you to try it out and compare the results with a traditional soak and simmer method.
You may, like me, discover the ease of using no-soak grain tek in your own grows!
Good luck and happy growing!
