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Here I would love to share with you our travels and adventures as international mushroom consultants. MEMOIRS about husband Pieter Vedder, who was a SCIENTIFIC PIONEER in Mushroom Cultivation Education. His practical handbook is in 9 languages and is called the MUSHROOM BIBLE: https://mariettesbacktobasics.blogspot.com/2020/08/modern-mushroom-growing-2020-harvesting.html

Monday, May 25, 2020

Visiting Dutch Mushroom Grower in Marl Cave

Being the Founder/Principal of the Practical Training College, my then boss, now husband Pieter, did take all of us in September of 1970 to the ONLY existing Mushroom Growing Marl Cave.
That was in the deep south of The Netherlands, in Maastricht the capital city of my Province Limburg.
Here we are inside the Marl Cave, of Mount Saint Peter, studying the mushrooms on those ridge beds ― on the floor!
Just imagine, what a toilfully labor it must have been for growing mushrooms inside a cave...
To the left, only her leg is visible, was a 2nd cousin, then 2nd from the left in the red lacquer coat its me... My sister Diny is standing with her face towards the ridge beds. Pieter is next to her and writing on the wall is my late 2nd cousin... Some other colleagues and the gentleman to the right in the back was our guide. 
Writing on the wall was easy, as this limestone is rather soft!
This is also inside Mount Saint Peter, from an old post card that Pieter saved from long time ago.
Those ridge beds on the floor were covered with ground up marl.
Photo by Lahaye, from P. J.C. Vedder's Moderne Champignonteelt, his Dutch publication.
After WWII some people started growing mushrooms in caves in the southern part of The Netherland; a way of growing at that time already quite common in France...
Also in Mount Saint Peter from one of P.J.C. Vedder's publications...
Hill beds in St. Peter's Mountain. The soil is not always flat and the dams to prevent the flow away of water sprayed, through the paths are extra needed. Cream mushrooms. (Photo "The South")
This photo is from the No. 4 - SEPTEMBER 1957 Champignon-cultuur, the Dutch mushroom magazine (click link for full Pdf from ISMS)
This photo is from the No. 4 - SEPTEMBER 1957 Champignon-cultuur, the Dutch mushroom magazine
Mr. Geijtenbeek studies the first tests with new culture technique inside the caves (Photo ENCI)
Fa. Gebr. Pluymackers, Maastricht
This is HISTORY now!
But grateful for having seen this with my own eyes, so did my colleagues after we'd visited first the ENCI (Eerste Nederlandse Cement Industrie or First Dutch Cement Industry) from 1926.
An interesting video about ENCI: bedrijfsfilm 2016 (in Dutch but still good to see how it all gets done). In July of 2018 they stopped with further digging, they still produce cement but haul it from elsewhere.


Related links:
1978 - P.J.C. Vedder's Modern Mushroom Growing Book Published in English | previous post by me
{My Teacher, Mentor, BOSS & Husband over 44+ Years} | previous post by me
{Angels engraved on lucky calendar coin of 1969} | previous post by me

28 comments:

  1. Hello Mariette, I envy you the fascinating experience of visiting these caves. I wonder what future archaeologists will think when they find these shaped mushroom beds in caves. They will probably think that aliens came and made the formations!
    --Jim

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dearest Jim,
      Yes, that was indeed fascinating to view in person.
      Guess that archeologists will not find anything of that as they always emptied those ridge beds at the end of the growing cycle. The spent compost material has been, and still is being used for gardening or for producing potting soil. We miss our truckload of spent compost since the local mushroom farm is out of production. The best material for improving waterholding capacity.
      Hugs,
      Mariette

      Delete
  2. Dearest Mariette,
    it always is really interesting to see, how different Mushrooms can be grown! Thank you! I have never seen them to be grown on the ground ....always in boxes ...
    Wishing you and Pieter a good week!
    Love and hugs, Claudia xo

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dearest Claudia,
      This is really history for the biggest part. They grow them in trays or in shelf beds nowadays and that improved the labor greatly.
      Hugs,
      Mariette

      Delete
  3. I always learn something new when I visit. I love mushrooms and made a tasty dish this week with chicken breasts, garlic, white wine and two types of mushrooms.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dearest Janey,
      The mushrooms grown in the caves were excellent quality, very firm. But for the labor conditions it is nearly extinct nowadays.
      You mention a very tasty entrée indeed!
      Hugs,
      Mariette

      Delete
  4. Liebe Mariette,

    WUNDERSCHÖN!

    Sonnige Grüße
    Elisabeth

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Liebe Elisabeth,
      Ja, es war sicher wunderschön um das mal zu sehen!
      Liebe Grüße,
      Mariette

      Delete
  5. It's very interesting to see these photos of mushrooms grown inside the cave. You are really lucky to have visited there in person and seen this with your own eyes!
    Thank you for sharing your precious experiences, Mariette.

    Have a great day xo

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dearest Tamago,
      It is just a piece of history in mushroom growing and for the biggest part this is now obsolete. We sure enjoyed seeing this with our own eyes.
      Hugs,
      Mariette

      Delete
  6. Oh I didn't know this was how people grew mushrooms, so fascinating! it's great you got to see and experience all this in person!

    Hope you are having a great week :)

    Away From Blue

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dearest Mica,
      Well, this at least once used to be a very common way of mushroom growing.
      Hugs,
      Mariette

      Delete
  7. Dear Mariette these are such priceless photographs! It is an amazing experience that not all people can have experienced to be able to see how these mushrooms grow and are cultivated in the underground! Love it so much!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dearest Stevenson,
      Yes, this IS unique history and I was very fortunate for having seen it.
      Hugs,
      Mariette

      Delete
  8. technique to grow mushroom looks so advance....mushroom is one of my favorite foods....yummy.
    Have a great day.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dearest Tanza,
      Well, this was the very old way of mushroom growing and since then it really has advanced into a science and is done in state of the art farms.
      Hugs,
      Mariette

      Delete
  9. Ik houd niet zo van grotten, maar als de mogelijkheid er is om zoiets te zien, zou ik toch wel meegaan. Het filmpje houd ik nog even tegoed (straks binnen heb ik een duidelijker beeldscherm).
    Fijne dag, lieve groet

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Beste Willy,
      Ja, dit was zeker erg educatief om meegemaakt te hebben.
      Het gevaar van grotten die instorten is ook mede de oorzaak dat dit is afgeschaft. Een eerdere post over de ramp van België ging daarover.
      Zelf zijn we ook meer van buiten leven, frisse lucht en open ruimten!
      Liefs,
      Mariette

      Delete
  10. I love mushrooms, cooked or uncooked, and it's always so interesting to see your posts about them. I think I would have been claustrophobic in the caves, though!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dearest Kim,
      Yes, you are right about that! Husband Pieter often told me stories that they had to follow e.g. the water pipes and for the electricity. It went on for miles... that IS scary indeed! If one would run out of flash lights...
      Hugs,
      Mariette

      Delete
  11. Replies
    1. Dearest Anne,
      Yes, that was a very interesting excursion for all of us!
      Hugs,
      Mariette

      Delete
  12. Finally, I find the real mushroom expert... I'm So happy to meet you!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dearest Endah,
      Can't believe that we actually lived in the same town for some three years, when you were very little... Such a small world! Glad we found each other here!
      Hugs,
      Mariette

      Delete
  13. I always have mushrooms here to eat. I like all types. I see information on growing them on a log and tempted to try it. Interesting post here. The beds in the caves for growing must have taken some time to construct.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dearest Betsy,
      Good for you to like mushrooms, we had a mushroom risotto yesterday, fresh brown mushrooms from Costco with broad and short stem, I always check for that! There are also dried Porcini mushrooms in that risotto, for added flavor and it works well.
      Yeah, can you imagine having to stoop down to the ground for building those ridge beds from compost, adding the ground marl and also picking them?! They had to empty them too and start all over... No one would be willing to go that 'low' nowadays!
      Hugs,
      Mariette

      Delete
  14. How interesting! I had no idea that mushrooms used to be grown like this !!!
    Thanks to both Pieter and you for showing us so many aspects of the cultivation of mushrooms!
    Hugs!
    Mrie-Anne

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dearest Marie-Anne,
      Yes, this sure was the way to grow the champignon de Paris, back then and in several countries. In France there still is a museum in the cave with actual mushroom growing for tourists to see and learn and afterwards getting a meal served in their restaurant. People also can buy them fresh. Look under my labels below blog: Marl Caves and you find that story too.
      This experience I sure do treasure!
      Hugs,
      Mariette

      Delete

Thanks for your visit and comment.

Mariette...

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MARIETTE'S BACK TO BASICS © 2009. All rights reserved - Text and images may not be copied for distribution or sale.

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