Fungiculture involves the cultivation of fungi such as mushrooms and truffles. Fungiculture can yield foods, medicine, construction and other products.

Fungiculture can include growing mushrooms in a backyard, cultivating truffles or even producing mushroom spawn to use commercially or in home gardens. Fungiculture can be a great way to produce food for yourself and others, as well as to explore the fascinating world of fungi.

Instead of seeds, mushrooms reproduce through spores. Spores can be contaminated with airborne microorganism, which will interfere with mushroom growth and prevent a healthy crop.

To grow mushrooms, the process is following five stages: spawning, inoculation, incubation, fruiting and harvesting.

Abalone mushrooms are cultivated in a backyard. (Photo: Olwen Phan)