Our Shiitake Mushroom Growing Kit is a colony of mushroom mycelium growing on a mixture of hardwood sawdust, grain and water. It is a living thing and is intended to be grown right away. If you are not able to start your kit within a week of receiving it, you can safely refrigerate it for up to four weeks at normal refrigerator temps (34-39*F).
WHAT YOU NEED TO SUCCEED:
- About a gallon of non-chlorinated water
- A plant sprayer or misting bottle for the water
- Three or four plastic or metal forks
- A plastic grocery sack or other clean plastic bag to loosely cover your kit
- A wire baking rack (optional, but recommended)
- A large plate or baking sheet
*NOTE ON WATER: Chlorine is a fungicide and will kill the mycelium that your mushroom kit is made of. You can either use store-bought spring water, or de-chlorinate city tap water by letting it sit out in an open-topped container for 12 or more hours. If your water comes from a well or spring, it is safe to use.*
The ideal temperature range for growing Shiitake is between 55 and 70 degrees F. Light should be a natural night/day cycle and light levels should be low, like a north-facing window or counter-top that doesn’t receive direct sun. Mushrooms don’t need sunlight to grow, but do require some indirect light; natural or artificial light works great. Avoid direct sun because that will dry out and potentially overheat the mushroom block.
CREATING THE MUSHROOM HABITAT:
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To activate your Shiitake kit and begin growing mushrooms, the first thing to do is remove the dark brown block from the original bag it was contained in. Since mushrooms will form all over the surface of the block, it’s necessary to completely remove this covering. To avoid making a mess, do this outdoors or in a sink so any liquid from the bag can go down the drain or onto the ground.
Do not position your kit near a heat source or in a drafty location where there is a lot of airflow. This may dry out your kit and decrease growth.
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Now set up the proper environment for your kit that will allow the mushrooms to grow. The basic requirements for mushroom growth are: proper humidity, temperature, and light. Ideal humidity is achieved by making a plastic humidity tent to drape over the kit. Create this tent using a white or clear plastic bag that fits loosely over the Shiitake block (grocery bags or white plastic garbage sacks work well). Gently stab 3 to 4 of your plastic or metal forks about an inch into the block evenly around the top – this will support the humidity tent. Cut 4 or more X-shaped holes in the bag so it can breathe, then drape the bag over the block so it sits on the forks and is held slightly away from the surface of the block.
Within 7-14 days of misting your kit, you will see small brown or tan bumps breaking out of the brown skin all over the block. This is the beginning of your first “flush” of mushrooms. Occasionally only a few bumps will form or some will not grow into large mushrooms, this is normal. Over the next 10 days these bumps (mushroom primordia) will grow and mature into full sized mushrooms just like you see in the grocery store or at the Farmers Market!
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Once you have the humidity tent set up, place the tented block on your wire baking rack on top of the plate or baking sheet.
- If you do not notice many mushrooms forming on the kit’s surface, check the underside to see if they are growing from the bottom. If so, flip the kit so that most mushrooms will grow upward–replace the humidity tent and continue misting daily.
CARE & WATERING:
To produce bountiful Shiitake crops, the proper conditions must be maintained:
Fill your plant sprayer with the non-chlorinated water. Two to four times a day, remove the humidity tent and liberally spray the Shiitake block surface, then replace the humidity tent. There is no need to soak the block when misting–we are only trying to create humidity–mist enough to create water droplets on all sides, that’s enough! A wire baking rack under the block will keep the Shiitake kit from becoming soggy with the water that collects in the plate below. When the baking sheet/plate basin becomes full of water, lift up the kit, pour out the water, and re-place the kit on the rack.
If the mushrooms are too large to fit easily under your humidity tent, it’s okay to grow the mushrooms without the tent once they are started. If you are not using a humidity tent you may need to mist more often.
WHEN TO HARVEST:
It’s time to harvest your Shiitake when the edges of the mushroom caps are beginning to flatten out. The underside of each mushroom cap should reveal the blade-like gills. If the gills aren’t visible, let it grow longer. All of the mushrooms should mature within a few days of each other, but not all are ready at the same time. Pick your mushrooms as they mature. Shiitake blocks will produce 1-2 crops.
HOW TO HARVEST SHIITAKES:
To harvest the mushrooms, simply snap them cleanly off the block with your fingers or cut them off with a sharp knife or scissors. Either prepare and consume the fresh mushrooms right away or place them in a paper bag in your refrigerator & store them for up to two weeks. They can also be dried & saved for two years in an airtight container.
HOW TO COOK SHIITAKE MUSHROOMS:
The stems of Shiitake can be dried or boiled fresh to make a great soup or gravy but some people find them too tough and chewy to cook fresh. The caps are deliciously meaty and juicy and can be sliced and sautéed fresh.
To prepare fresh Shiitake, slice or tear the caps into bite-size pieces & sauté with a bit of oil in a medium-high frying pan. Cook and stir them this way until all water has sweat out of the mushrooms. When steam no longer rises off the cooking mushrooms, add finely chopped onions or garlic and a bit of butter or oil. Continue to sauté until the Shiitake are slightly browned, but still tender.
This article is provided by Cascadia Mushrooms.
