I have some pink spawn which was being expanded out in jars of rye berries and popcorn kernels. There’s been good growth and since a couple weeks ago the jar appeared to be completely colonized (at which time I left one jar sitting and moved another jar to a couple fruiting bags). It’s been sitting on the basement floor since then, but I’ve noticed some pink coloration that seems to have gone throughout the jar, and there seems to be a bit of the pink also in the fruiting bags.
I prepared some jars of blue oyster spawn at the same time, using the same batch of rye and popcorn, and those jars are still snow white. This has me wondering, could I have possibly gotten contamination ONLY in the pink oyster jars while all of the blue oyster jars somehow escaped contamination? Or is this pink color natural for pink oysters? It just seems like an awful big coincidence that only the pink oysters would get contaminated when everything was prepped together in the still-air box and there was definitely cross-exposure between the jars.
Since this is my first batch of oysters I’m just not sure what I should be expecting.
Pink oysters are one of the few species that have colored mycelium. It is pinkish-beige.
But if it’s brightly pink, it might be lipstick mold. Then toss it, it might be super toxic to you!
I can send you a picture of my GS tomorrow when the lightning is better if you want :)
Guenther what are the other species you know of with colored mycelium? Only one I know is Pholiota adiposa which can orange/brown