Take a closer look and it becomes obvious that these are not human dwellings, but huts erected to grow oyster mushrooms — a Malaysian delicacy.
Gerisek is the country’s oyster mushroom capital.
At least 10 farms are cultivating them, with their combined production of about 150 tonnes a month going to markets in the peninsula and Singapore. Many villagers are also growing the mushroom.
C&C Mushroom Cultivation Farm Sdn Bhd is the pioneer in mushroom farming here, having started the business in 1987.
Managing director Chew Swee King said there were four types of oyster mushroom: white, grey, pink and yellow. Gerisek is popular for the grey variety.
"This variety, which has a better texture, is the product of laboratory research in India. It is rich in fibre and antioxidants," he said. "It is cultivated by tissue culture."
Chew started the business after completing a course in mushroom cultivation conducted by the Malaysia Agricultural Research and Development Institute in 1987.
In his farms, wheat grains are used as the tissue culture medium. The grains are inserted into a bottle-shaped container filled with sawdust for spawning, which takes two months.
Mushrooms start growing rapidly when the cap of the container is removed after the two-month period, and be ready for harvesting in five days. The containers are stacked on shelves in the huts. Each container yields about 250g of mushrooms.
Chew said the ideal temperature for mushrooms to grow was from 25º to 28º Celsius.
"To maintain the temperature range, our huts are built in areas surrounded by trees to provide shelter and oxygen," he added.
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