Episode 151 Shiitake Mushroom Cultivation

Good timing Jason I just got my spawn and logs! The only logs I could get were some kind of cherry and hickory, so Im hoping they work. Im very interested in the natural cultivation myself. Do you have any resources that give historical details on how they did this? Things like time of year, orientation of logs etc.? Thanks, and another great podcast!

Rob

PS I would like to do a guest post someday when my homestead is more established. I think it would be good to share experiences, especially starting as a newbie for the first time. What do you think?

what a small world , field and forest is about 25 miles from my house. i plan on getting over there and getting some mushrooms and some spawn this spring. when i get some time this winter i gotta cut some logs to grow some mushrooms in.hopefully the squrrels wont eat them all . 

They are good peeps!

Heck yeah!  I never turn down guest posts!  There’s a paper that I found about the first guy that went to Japan to study this.  Very interesting read.  I’ll try to find it.

Thanks!

Here it is:  http://128.104.77.228/documnts/pdf1982/leath82a.pdf

Awesome, thanks for taking the time to do this.

No problem!

Hi Jason,
Thank you for the mention and for the kind words on my first post. Thank you for the opportunity to be featured on your website, I really appreciate it! I am encouraged by the feedback. I am honored and look forward to providing more content. I like the crowd-sourcing approach and look forward to reading the guest posts of others.
 
Thank you for the show on Shitakes. After hearing you talk about them last year, I inoculated some logs and hope they will start fruiting in the Spring. I am growing a combo of Reishi, Shitake and Oyster mushrooms. I have a Lion’s Mane patch that seems to have died. Thank you for the Field & Forest link- I found a new technique, the Totem technique on their website, which would work well for the spent patch by spreading the sawdust in the bottom of a garbage bag and stacking short logs with the sawdust sandwiched in between. This seems quicker and easier than the plug method. Beeswax is pricy. I used a large can in boiling water to melt the wax on the stove and a paintbrush to apply the wax. I wonder if duck feathers would work?
 
I am gluten intolerant, so I am glad that you mentioned that the spawn can have barley and/or rye.
 
Lion’s Mane is a nootropic (cognitive enhancer). Reishi and Shitake boost the immune system. (Hope the FDA doesn’t read this.)

LOL Andrew – Not a problem.  You deserve all the kudos for real. 

You really branched out with the shrooms.  I need to add some diversity.  I do like the totem method though. 

You mentioned gluten intolerance.  That wouldn’t apply if the spawn that you innoculate with was in it right?  The original substrate should rot away and they fruit from other places anyways.  Unless I don’t understand gluten intolerance (which might be the case!).
Take care,
Jason

Hi Jason,
Great to hear this one as I am planning to grow shiitake and lion’s mane mushrooms. We have found lion’s mane in the wild, but not in the quantities we want!

Anyway, a question about laying the logs directly on the ground. I have read that doing that might put the logs in jeopardy because competing fungi might get into the logs. Have you seen any evidence of that on your inoculated logs?

Thanks.

Hi Mil, I love your cooking segments! How do you recommend one prepare and cook Lion’s Mane?
The notion that competing fungi can invade logs on the ground seems plausible. I have also heard that logs with contact over a large surface area with the ground tend to decompose faster and, thus, wear out sooner.
Are there any mushrooms that do really well in conifers? I have taken down some very large pine trees and would rather not move the logs and, instead, leave them in place producing mushrooms.

Thanks, Jason!
I purchased the mushrooms as part of a variety pack. I purchased it from another place, but I think that Soil Cube now carries the spawn.
If the spawn is cultivated with wheat, barley or rye, I think that if one is careful, the mushrooms can be harvested without gluten contamination, even if the spores have it. More incentive for one to grow themselves or know their farmer!  Paul Stamets demonstrated how Oyster mushrooms can clean up fuel spills!

Hi Agorculture,
Thank you!
Hmmm…I usually cook up lion’s mane like I do chanterelles. I cook them in olive oil and butter with some diced onions and chopped garlic. Don’t forget the salt and pepper! Then you can use them as a side veg, stuff them into tacos, put them on a steak with a nice sauce, add it to a cheese sandwich…

I know there are mushrooms that grow in conifers, but I haven’t personally found that many in the wild. I wonder if there is something in a pine that prevents many mushrooms from fruiting there. Perhaps call the folks at Field and Forest? I just placed an order with them, and spoke to Joe, one of the owners. He’s a nice guy. Of course, I mentioned SSG when I ordered.