Shiitake mushroom have a rich , smoky flavour that makes mushroom dishes more exciting . When you grow you own you get the sassy mushrooms possible , and with no pesticide . Since shiitakes are relatively well-to-do to grow , they are a good choice for the beginning home mushroom agriculturist .
If you have a small amount of demesne with protection from sun and wind , you may have succeeder grow shiitake mushrooms the right way in your own back one thousand .
About Shiitake Mushrooms
Shiitake are native to China and other parts of Asia ; they do not grow in the natural state in the U.S. Where they do grow naturally , spores release from the caps of fruiting mushroom in spring , flow through the air , and settle on tree limbs , both live and drained . The spore eat the cellulose of the wood and raise , emerging the next year , quick to be harvest .
Growing Shiitake Mushrooms
In commercial cultivation golden oak mushroom are typically grown on sterilized blocks of sawdust . Some say this faster method produces shiitake that are not as meaty or tasty as those turn on logs . Most home base shiitake agriculturist grow their mushroom on logs , using any of a miscellany of method .
you could purchase a kit for growing golden oak mushroom alfresco or even indoors or you could grow your mushroom from scratch using a method like the one described below . In most area of the country inoculation is well done in the spring .
1 . To start you need impertinently cut hardwood log , preferably oak , poplar , or alder tree . The logs should be about forty inches prospicient and four - to - six inches in diam . Logs need to rest for about three calendar week after they are thin out in parliamentary procedure to countenance the born antifungal agent pall out , but must be used before they dry out out , usually within six months of cutting .
2 . Purchase mushroom spawn ( the mushroom cloud tissue used for propagation ) in the descriptor of plug , thimbles , or sawdust . A number of online website sell mushroom spawn , provide a variety of strain of shiitake spawn with different characteristics . You ask about 25 shiitake plugs per logarithm .
you’re able to grade a starter kit on Amazon like this one : Shiitake Plug Spawn Starter Kit – Grown Your Own Mushrooms . ( Amazon affiliate linkup )
3 . bore quarter - in holes around the circumference of your logs , part two in from either end , and drilling every six - to - eight inches . Drill hole out about one inch deep .
4 . punch the hole with spawn .
5 . Melt beeswax or expend intellectual nourishment grade paraffin wax wax ( called cheese wax ) and , using a brush or turkey baster , cover the holes with the wax to protect the spawn from contaminants .
6 . Stack your log like a tipi against a fencing or freestanding , or lay them on the basis on a bed of chaff . They need to be in a shady , moist place with good air circulation . If there ’s not much rain you may douse the logs in water or give them a ponderous watering ( four to six 60 minutes per week ) . Keeping the log moist but not loaded is the only tricky part of the operation , and may take trial and error to get correct .
7 . In six - to - twelve calendar month , after a showery 24-hour interval , shiitake will go forth from the logs , and continue to produce in spring ( and maybe fall ) for three to four years , until all the log ’s cellulose is used up . Reports of average yield kitchen stove from one pound of shiitakes for every linear ft of logarithm to eight pounds over the lifetime of the log . If you grow more than you postulate you may sell them , give them off , dry them , or freeze them .
Learn More About Growing Mushrooms
The University of Missouri has a greatPDF file about Growing Shiitake Mushrooms in an Agroforesty Practice .
Here ’s another gravid .pdf filing cabinet dedicate toGrowing Shiitake Mushrooms .
Mother Earth News can tell you how toGrow Your Own mushroom cloud .
For great info , readSources of Shiitake Spawn .
Please note that links to Amazon from Gardening Channel are affiliate links .
