Substrate Compatibility Guide
Selecting the right substrate is a key element in successful
Level:
Advanced
Optimal Conditions
Temperature: 45-95 F
Humidity: 85-90 %
Humidity: 85-90 %
Time to Harvest
3 months
What is included in my Myterra Easy Grow Kit?
A full list of the contents is included in your grow kit, but let’s go over each item to make sure that you have everything you need to get growing.
- Mushroom Substrate: This is an all-in-one mushroom grow kit which includes Myterra Labs Organic Rye Grain and Woodlovers fruiting substrate. The substrate is packaged in a white bag, which prevents your kit from losing moisture and degrading in UV light – this ensure that your mushroom substrate is perfectly hydrated whenever you are ready to grow.
- Liquid Culture Syringe: We’ve selected the best, easy-to-grow mushroom varieties. A liquid culture is simply mushroom mycelium that is grown in a nutrient-rich broth. Store your culture in the fridge if you don’t plan on using the kit straight away.
- Sterilized Needle: For mushrooms to be cultivated to the best of their potential, there can be no competing organisms/contaminants (eg. bacteria, mold, fungi). We’ve included a pre-sterilized needle to inject your mushroom culture into your kit and ensure perfect mushroom growth.
- Alcohol Wipe: Keeping everything clean is crucial for the success of your mushrooms. Alcohol is an effective disinfectant that will remove any unwanted contaminants from your bag and injection port.
- Injection Port: This stick-on injection port can easily be attached to your grow kit. The injection port is self-healing, so once you’ve added your liquid culture into the kit, you will be able to grow without worrying about any contaminants affecting your mushrooms.
- Humidity Bag: Mushrooms thrive in humid environments (70-85% RH) and this bag will help retain a humid environment around your kit. The humidity bag will only need to be used once your kit is ready to produce mushrooms (also known as fruiting).
- Misting Bottle: Fill this bottle with clean water when your kit is ready to produce mushrooms and use it to mist the inside of the humidity bag. Do not spray the mushroom kit directly with water.
- Clean area: Your kit does not require a sterile environment, but it does help to have a clean area when injecting the mushroom culture into the bag.
Step 1: Preparing to Grow
Are you ready to start growing your own block of shiitake mushrooms? Then let’s get started!
- Preparing your liquid culture syringe: Work quickly during this step to minimize any unclean air from getting into your syringe. Remove the cap from liquid culture syringe and hold the syringe in one hand. Do not allow the tip of the syringe to touch anything – including your hands. Remove the sterile needle from its packaging by peeling one end apart. Twist the capped needle onto the tip of your syringe. Place the syringe on clean surface. You’ve completed the hardest part and can relax for a bit while you get everything else set up.
- Remove packaging: Use scissors to carefully open the white kit bag. To avoid puncturing the clear inner bag, pull the top of the bag upwards and cut as close to the seal as possible.
Step 2: Inoculation
Inoculation means to add a culture into a growing medium – in this case, you will be adding your liquid culture into the rye grains in the lower portion of your kit where the X is marked on the picture below.
- Disinfect kit: Wipe the front of the kit with the alcohol wipe where the X is marked in the picture above. This will disinfect the area where you will be placing your injection port. Hold onto the wipe, you’ll be using it again in just a moment.
- Add injection port: Remove the backing on the injection port and stick the injection port in the area marked by an X in the image above. You’re aiming to have the injection port over the grains rather than the wood substrate.
- Disinfect injection port: Wipe the injection port with the alcohol wipe. This will disinfect the port and prevent any unwanted contaminants from getting into your kit. Avoid touching the injection port, but if you do accidentally touch it, simply wipe the port again.
- Inject: Remove the cap on the syringe needle by pulling it away from the syringe (Don’t twist it off). Push the needle through the injection port so that the tip of the needle is in the center of the grains. Slowly depress the syringe, moving the needle side-to-side while doing so. This will spread the mycelium among the grains, increasing the speed of your mushroom mycelium growth. Once the syringe is empty, recap the needle and safely dispose.
Not too sure how to complete this process? Watch the video below to see how we do it.
Step 3: Incubation
Patience is the hardest part of growing mushrooms. The excitement and anticipation will grow as you watch the white threads of mycelium growing through you kit.
For this stage of growth, you are aiming to get the mushroom mycelium growing through all the grains – don’t worry, the mushrooms will know which way to go to find the grains. Grains are packed full of nutrition and are the perfect food to start growing mushrooms on. Think of the grains as baby food and the hardwood substrate as adult food. Mushrooms will need as much nutrition as possible while they are establishing themselves before moving onto a different food source: wood. Below you can see the white mycelium starting to grow on the grains.
Keep the bag upright and follow these tips to get the best growth from your mushrooms:
- Airflow: Pull the gussets of the bag outwards and adjust the bag so that the filter patch is not stuck to the back of the bag. This will encourage airflow within the bag and make it easier to shake the bag once it is colonized.
- Sunlight: Place your bag in an area that does not receive direct sunlight. The extra light and warmth can cause your kit to lose more moisture than it needs to. Mushrooms consist of about 90% water so it is crucial that your kit is perfectly hydrated in order to achieve a large harvest of mushrooms.
- Temperature: Shiitake mushrooms will grow well at room temperature or between 50-70F. Cooler temperatures will cause slower growth and warmer temperatures can dry out and kill your mushrooms.
- Humidity: At this stage, you will not need to worry about humidity. The Myterra Labs Easy Mushroom Grow Kit contains the perfect amount of moisture to keep your mushrooms growing well.
- Time: This stage will take 7-10 days or until about 90% of your grains have white mycelium on them. In the mushroom world, having mushroom mycelium grown through all of the grains would change the terminology from “grains” to “colonized grains”, and your colonized grains would be referred to as “grain spawn” if that was all that was in the bag.
- Spot check: Check on your bag during this stage. You should only see white growth in your bag. If you see any unusual colors growing in the bag, there is a chance that the bag is growing more than just mushrooms. Don’t panic if this happens, we’re here to help. Send us an email with a picture of your kit and any questions to info@myterralabs.com. We’ll work together to figure out any issues until you are successfully growing mushrooms.
You will know that this step is complete when your bag looks like the photo below, or when the grains are 90% colonized.
Step 4: Shake it up!
When your grains are white/colonized, it is time to shake the bag.
Your aim is to distribute the grains evenly through the hardwood substrate.
- Squish the grains gently to break them apart – mushroom mycelium will be rather thick between the grains, holding them together. Breaking up this congealed mass of grains and mycelium will help spread the grains among the hardwood.
- Shake the bag up and down or hold the bag on its side and shake the bag – whichever method works best for you.
- Avoid pulling off the injection port during this process. If you are worried that it will be pulled off, you can tape over the injection port to keep it in place.
- Be gentle, but firm. Long/sharp fingernails can poke holes in the bag while you are shaking it, so be aware of what your hands are doing or simply wear gloves if you are worried about puncturing the bag.
- Your bag should look like a nice blend of wood and grains at this point. Place the bag in an upright position and tap off any excess wood that may have stuck to the filter patch.
- Gently press the top of the substrate down to lightly compress the wood/grain blend.
- Place the bag back on the shelf and watch as each colonized grain sends mycelium into the wood. Leave it on the shelf for approximately 1.5-2 months as your mushroom block goes through a radical transformation called “popcorning”, which we will cover in the next step.
Step 5: Popcorning and Browning
Shiitake mycelium takes about a month to fully colonize both the grains and the wood substrate. During this time the mycelium will become thick and white and have a sponge-like texture as it continues to mature. The relatively smooth surface of the grow kit will start to form white lumps, which resemble popcorn, hence the term “popcorning”. “Popcorning” is a term used in mushroom cultivation to describe the change in appearance of the shiitake mushroom block. All of this occurs inside the bag without needing additional prompting in the second month of incubation. The more lumps your block develops, the bigger the harvest! Below is a good example of a mushroom block “popcorning”.
Browning” occurs in the third month of cultivation. The white, popcorned mycelium will slowly start to turn a dark brown, similar to the bark on a log. Your mushroom block will start to take on a cork-like texture. You may even notice some golden to dark-brown colored liquid developing. All of this is absolutely normal and a very good sign for your future harvests. When your block is 80-90 % browned, you can move onto the fruiting stage.
Quick note: You can start the fruiting process when the block is still white with flecks of dark brown, but the yields are unpredictable when you choose to do this. We recommend remaining patient and waiting for the block to fully mature.
Step 6: Fruiting
Fruiting is the phase of growth in which visible mushrooms begin to appear on your kit. Shiitake mushroom mycelium is triggered into the fruiting stage by a few factors: full colonization of the growing medium (kit), vibration, temperature change and an increase in fresh air. This is the most exciting stage of cultivation and can seem like the most complex, but we’re here to guide you through it.
- Give the underside of the bag a good spank with an open hand. This is thought to simulate lightning hitting the ground during the when shiitake go into fruiting.
- Place the bag in a fridge for 2-4 days (no more than 7 days). This is called a “cold-shock” and will increase the number of mushrooms that appear from your block.
- Cut open the bag and gently remove the brown block. There might be some liquid that drips out so make sure you do this in an area that can be cleaned very easily. You can always use a syringe to collect this liquid. It is sometimes used a growth accelerator for potted plants.
- Rinse the block under cool tap water. This will hydrate the block. You can also choose to soak the block in water for an hour if your block seems extremely dry. Rinsing/soaking will simulate the rainy season.
- Place the damp block on a baking rack or anything that will keep it off of a flat surface. Shiitake will produce mushrooms underneath the block too.
- Place the block and rack out of direct sunlight and away from any areas in your home where they might dry out. Shiitake can handle a wide range of temperatures between 45-95 F.
- Place the humidity bag, upside down, over the block and tuck the edges underneath the rack. Shiitake can withstand higher CO2 levels, but do not fruit optimally if they dry out. The humidity bag will keep the block nice and moist.
- For the next 2-4 days, spray the block directly with water using the misting bottle provided twice a day. You will stop spraying the block when you start to see mushrooms forming on the block (usually after 2 days). Once you start to see mushrooms, spray the inside of the humidity bag twice a day to keep the air around the mushrooms humid.
Step 7: Harvesting
Knowing when to harvest your mushrooms is a quick skill to learn. It is very tempting to let your mushrooms grow for longer than they should. We are big advocates for experimentation so if this is your first time growing and you simply want to see how big they can grow then by all means have some fun and try it out. Keep in mind that if shiitake mushrooms are harvested past their prime, their stems will become very rubbery and unpleasant.
If you want to harvest your mushrooms at their prime for cooking then follow the steps below.
- Look at the caps: As shiitake mushrooms grow, the edges of their caps will slowly unroll from the stem outwards. As the caps unfurl, the shape of the cap will change from a convex shape to a concave shape. This change in shape exposes more of the gills to the air, readying the mushroom for spore release. Once the cap is completely unfurled, the mushroom will release spores into the air. You will want to harvest the mushroom before the cap completely uncurls.
- Gills: Look underneath the mushroom cap at the beautiful lines of gills beneath them. If you start to notice tiny white dots on the gills, these are the mushroom spores starting to fall. Spores will form long strings on the gills and will form a white dust on the shelf beneath the mushrooms. Harvest your mushrooms if you see spores starting to fall.
- Time: If you are unsure as to whether you should harvest or the mushrooms look rather small, leave them for an extra day. Keep an eye on them and, if you do see signs of spores (white powder) on the gills on your shelf, harvest immediately.
When the edges of your mushrooms look like the image below, you are ready to harvest. Use scissors or a knife to cut through the base of the mushroom stem, close to the substrate, to harvest your mushrooms.
Can I get more harvests from my kit?
Once you’ve harvested your mushrooms, you’ll be able to get a second harvest or “flush” of mushrooms. Mushrooms can continue to grow as long as they have all of the requirements for growth such as: water and nutrition. The Myterra Labs Easy Mushroom Grow Kit has more than enough of both to sustain your mushrooms for a second round of mushrooms to form. Here’s what you need to do:
- Spray your mushroom block with water and place it inside a plastic bag, making sure to close the bag tightly.
- Place the bag in the fridge for 2-4 days to cold-shock the mushrooms.
- Remove the block from the bag and resume fruiting protocols
Mushroom blocks typically produce fewer and fewer mushrooms with each harvest as nutrients are depleted.
Cooking and Storing Your Mushrooms
Well done! You’ve successfully grown your own mushrooms. The options for what to do next are endless.
If you would like to increase the amount of vitamin D in your mushrooms, leave the harvested mushrooms in the sun for 15-30 minutes. That’s all it takes!
Cooking: There are numerous ways to cook shiitake mushrooms with an abundant number of recipes online. We recommend cooking these mushrooms on a high heat pan without oil. When the mushrooms start to turn brown or stick to the bottom of the pan, add in your oils/butter and garlic. These mushrooms can compliment any dish with their umami flavor.
Long term storage: If you grow multiple kits at once or if you’re going away for a week, you can dry your harvested mushrooms. Airdry at 115F for 24-28 hours or until they are dry enough to snap apart. Store in an air-tight container for up to 6 months. Dried mushrooms can be rehydrated in a bowl of water for 30 minutes before use or they can be ground into powder to add to soups and stews.
Related Posts/Products
Why Should You Grow Shiitake?
Learn how to grow Shiitake mushrooms using the Myterra Labs Easy Mushroom Grow Kit
Read More
What's next!
You are officially part of the mushroom growing community! Share your success on social media and follow us for more mushroom growing tips and tricks – there are so many mushrooms that you can test your new growing skills on!
If you liked growing shiitake mushrooms and want to expand your medicinal mushroom growing skills, we suggest growing Lion’s Mane mushrooms.
Lion’s mane mushrooms are creamy and pom-pom shaped with dense flesh. Our lion’s mane strain produces large mushrooms in 4-5 weeks. Lion’s mane mushrooms are easier to grow than the shiitake.
You might also enjoy
SHIITAKE: Grow Kit Instructions
Learn how to grow Shiitake mushrooms using the Myterra Labs Easy Mushroom Grow Kit
Read More
Substrate Compatibility Guide
Selecting the right substrate is a key element in successful mushroom cultivation. Our Substrate Compatibility Guide is your go-to resource for understanding which substrate works ...
Read More
PS1: Grow Kit Instructions
Welcome to the enchanting realm of our All-in-one Grow Kit, where you're about to embark on a mesmerizing journey into the world of naturally occurring ...
Read More
Featured products
Level:
Advanced
Optimal Conditions
Temperature: 45-95 F
Humidity: 85-90 %
Humidity: 85-90 %
Time to Harvest
3 months
What is included in my Myterra Easy Grow Kit?
A full list of the contents is included in your grow kit, but let’s go over each item to make sure that you have everything you need to get growing.
- Mushroom Substrate: This is an all-in-one mushroom grow kit which includes Myterra Labs Organic Rye Grain and Woodlovers fruiting substrate. The substrate is packaged in a white bag, which prevents your kit from losing moisture and degrading in UV light – this ensure that your mushroom substrate is perfectly hydrated whenever you are ready to grow.
- Liquid Culture Syringe: We’ve selected the best, easy-to-grow mushroom varieties. A liquid culture is simply mushroom mycelium that is grown in a nutrient-rich broth. Store your culture in the fridge if you don’t plan on using the kit straight away.
- Sterilized Needle: For mushrooms to be cultivated to the best of their potential, there can be no competing organisms/contaminants (eg. bacteria, mold, fungi). We’ve included a pre-sterilized needle to inject your mushroom culture into your kit and ensure perfect mushroom growth.
- Alcohol Wipe: Keeping everything clean is crucial for the success of your mushrooms. Alcohol is an effective disinfectant that will remove any unwanted contaminants from your bag and injection port.
- Injection Port: This stick-on injection port can easily be attached to your grow kit. The injection port is self-healing, so once you’ve added your liquid culture into the kit, you will be able to grow without worrying about any contaminants affecting your mushrooms.
- Humidity Bag: Mushrooms thrive in humid environments (70-85% RH) and this bag will help retain a humid environment around your kit. The humidity bag will only need to be used once your kit is ready to produce mushrooms (also known as fruiting).
- Misting Bottle: Fill this bottle with clean water when your kit is ready to produce mushrooms and use it to mist the inside of the humidity bag. Do not spray the mushroom kit directly with water.
- Clean area: Your kit does not require a sterile environment, but it does help to have a clean area when injecting the mushroom culture into the bag.
Step 1: Preparing to Grow
Are you ready to start growing your own block of shiitake mushrooms? Then let’s get started!
- Preparing your liquid culture syringe: Work quickly during this step to minimize any unclean air from getting into your syringe. Remove the cap from liquid culture syringe and hold the syringe in one hand. Do not allow the tip of the syringe to touch anything – including your hands. Remove the sterile needle from its packaging by peeling one end apart. Twist the capped needle onto the tip of your syringe. Place the syringe on clean surface. You’ve completed the hardest part and can relax for a bit while you get everything else set up.
- Remove packaging: Use scissors to carefully open the white kit bag. To avoid puncturing the clear inner bag, pull the top of the bag upwards and cut as close to the seal as possible.
Step 2: Inoculation
Inoculation means to add a culture into a growing medium – in this case, you will be adding your liquid culture into the rye grains in the lower portion of your kit where the X is marked on the picture below.
- Disinfect kit: Wipe the front of the kit with the alcohol wipe where the X is marked in the picture above. This will disinfect the area where you will be placing your injection port. Hold onto the wipe, you’ll be using it again in just a moment.
- Add injection port: Remove the backing on the injection port and stick the injection port in the area marked by an X in the image above. You’re aiming to have the injection port over the grains rather than the wood substrate.
- Disinfect injection port: Wipe the injection port with the alcohol wipe. This will disinfect the port and prevent any unwanted contaminants from getting into your kit. Avoid touching the injection port, but if you do accidentally touch it, simply wipe the port again.
- Inject: Remove the cap on the syringe needle by pulling it away from the syringe (Don’t twist it off). Push the needle through the injection port so that the tip of the needle is in the center of the grains. Slowly depress the syringe, moving the needle side-to-side while doing so. This will spread the mycelium among the grains, increasing the speed of your mushroom mycelium growth. Once the syringe is empty, recap the needle and safely dispose.
Not too sure how to complete this process? Watch the video below to see how we do it.
Step 3: Incubation
Patience is the hardest part of growing mushrooms. The excitement and anticipation will grow as you watch the white threads of mycelium growing through you kit.
For this stage of growth, you are aiming to get the mushroom mycelium growing through all the grains – don’t worry, the mushrooms will know which way to go to find the grains. Grains are packed full of nutrition and are the perfect food to start growing mushrooms on. Think of the grains as baby food and the hardwood substrate as adult food. Mushrooms will need as much nutrition as possible while they are establishing themselves before moving onto a different food source: wood. Below you can see the white mycelium starting to grow on the grains.
Keep the bag upright and follow these tips to get the best growth from your mushrooms:
- Airflow: Pull the gussets of the bag outwards and adjust the bag so that the filter patch is not stuck to the back of the bag. This will encourage airflow within the bag and make it easier to shake the bag once it is colonized.
- Sunlight: Place your bag in an area that does not receive direct sunlight. The extra light and warmth can cause your kit to lose more moisture than it needs to. Mushrooms consist of about 90% water so it is crucial that your kit is perfectly hydrated in order to achieve a large harvest of mushrooms.
- Temperature: Shiitake mushrooms will grow well at room temperature or between 50-70F. Cooler temperatures will cause slower growth and warmer temperatures can dry out and kill your mushrooms.
- Humidity: At this stage, you will not need to worry about humidity. The Myterra Labs Easy Mushroom Grow Kit contains the perfect amount of moisture to keep your mushrooms growing well.
- Time: This stage will take 7-10 days or until about 90% of your grains have white mycelium on them. In the mushroom world, having mushroom mycelium grown through all of the grains would change the terminology from “grains” to “colonized grains”, and your colonized grains would be referred to as “grain spawn” if that was all that was in the bag.
- Spot check: Check on your bag during this stage. You should only see white growth in your bag. If you see any unusual colors growing in the bag, there is a chance that the bag is growing more than just mushrooms. Don’t panic if this happens, we’re here to help. Send us an email with a picture of your kit and any questions to info@myterralabs.com. We’ll work together to figure out any issues until you are successfully growing mushrooms.
You will know that this step is complete when your bag looks like the photo below, or when the grains are 90% colonized.
Step 4: Shake it up!
When your grains are white/colonized, it is time to shake the bag.
Your aim is to distribute the grains evenly through the hardwood substrate.
- Squish the grains gently to break them apart – mushroom mycelium will be rather thick between the grains, holding them together. Breaking up this congealed mass of grains and mycelium will help spread the grains among the hardwood.
- Shake the bag up and down or hold the bag on its side and shake the bag – whichever method works best for you.
- Avoid pulling off the injection port during this process. If you are worried that it will be pulled off, you can tape over the injection port to keep it in place.
- Be gentle, but firm. Long/sharp fingernails can poke holes in the bag while you are shaking it, so be aware of what your hands are doing or simply wear gloves if you are worried about puncturing the bag.
- Your bag should look like a nice blend of wood and grains at this point. Place the bag in an upright position and tap off any excess wood that may have stuck to the filter patch.
- Gently press the top of the substrate down to lightly compress the wood/grain blend.
- Place the bag back on the shelf and watch as each colonized grain sends mycelium into the wood. Leave it on the shelf for approximately 1.5-2 months as your mushroom block goes through a radical transformation called “popcorning”, which we will cover in the next step.
Step 5: Popcorning and Browning
Shiitake mycelium takes about a month to fully colonize both the grains and the wood substrate. During this time the mycelium will become thick and white and have a sponge-like texture as it continues to mature. The relatively smooth surface of the grow kit will start to form white lumps, which resemble popcorn, hence the term “popcorning”. “Popcorning” is a term used in mushroom cultivation to describe the change in appearance of the shiitake mushroom block. All of this occurs inside the bag without needing additional prompting in the second month of incubation. The more lumps your block develops, the bigger the harvest! Below is a good example of a mushroom block “popcorning”.
Browning” occurs in the third month of cultivation. The white, popcorned mycelium will slowly start to turn a dark brown, similar to the bark on a log. Your mushroom block will start to take on a cork-like texture. You may even notice some golden to dark-brown colored liquid developing. All of this is absolutely normal and a very good sign for your future harvests. When your block is 80-90 % browned, you can move onto the fruiting stage.
Quick note: You can start the fruiting process when the block is still white with flecks of dark brown, but the yields are unpredictable when you choose to do this. We recommend remaining patient and waiting for the block to fully mature.
Step 6: Fruiting
Fruiting is the phase of growth in which visible mushrooms begin to appear on your kit. Shiitake mushroom mycelium is triggered into the fruiting stage by a few factors: full colonization of the growing medium (kit), vibration, temperature change and an increase in fresh air. This is the most exciting stage of cultivation and can seem like the most complex, but we’re here to guide you through it.
- Give the underside of the bag a good spank with an open hand. This is thought to simulate lightning hitting the ground during the when shiitake go into fruiting.
- Place the bag in a fridge for 2-4 days (no more than 7 days). This is called a “cold-shock” and will increase the number of mushrooms that appear from your block.
- Cut open the bag and gently remove the brown block. There might be some liquid that drips out so make sure you do this in an area that can be cleaned very easily. You can always use a syringe to collect this liquid. It is sometimes used a growth accelerator for potted plants.
- Rinse the block under cool tap water. This will hydrate the block. You can also choose to soak the block in water for an hour if your block seems extremely dry. Rinsing/soaking will simulate the rainy season.
- Place the damp block on a baking rack or anything that will keep it off of a flat surface. Shiitake will produce mushrooms underneath the block too.
- Place the block and rack out of direct sunlight and away from any areas in your home where they might dry out. Shiitake can handle a wide range of temperatures between 45-95 F.
- Place the humidity bag, upside down, over the block and tuck the edges underneath the rack. Shiitake can withstand higher CO2 levels, but do not fruit optimally if they dry out. The humidity bag will keep the block nice and moist.
- For the next 2-4 days, spray the block directly with water using the misting bottle provided twice a day. You will stop spraying the block when you start to see mushrooms forming on the block (usually after 2 days). Once you start to see mushrooms, spray the inside of the humidity bag twice a day to keep the air around the mushrooms humid.
Step 7: Harvesting
Knowing when to harvest your mushrooms is a quick skill to learn. It is very tempting to let your mushrooms grow for longer than they should. We are big advocates for experimentation so if this is your first time growing and you simply want to see how big they can grow then by all means have some fun and try it out. Keep in mind that if shiitake mushrooms are harvested past their prime, their stems will become very rubbery and unpleasant.
If you want to harvest your mushrooms at their prime for cooking then follow the steps below.
- Look at the caps: As shiitake mushrooms grow, the edges of their caps will slowly unroll from the stem outwards. As the caps unfurl, the shape of the cap will change from a convex shape to a concave shape. This change in shape exposes more of the gills to the air, readying the mushroom for spore release. Once the cap is completely unfurled, the mushroom will release spores into the air. You will want to harvest the mushroom before the cap completely uncurls.
- Gills: Look underneath the mushroom cap at the beautiful lines of gills beneath them. If you start to notice tiny white dots on the gills, these are the mushroom spores starting to fall. Spores will form long strings on the gills and will form a white dust on the shelf beneath the mushrooms. Harvest your mushrooms if you see spores starting to fall.
- Time: If you are unsure as to whether you should harvest or the mushrooms look rather small, leave them for an extra day. Keep an eye on them and, if you do see signs of spores (white powder) on the gills on your shelf, harvest immediately.
When the edges of your mushrooms look like the image below, you are ready to harvest. Use scissors or a knife to cut through the base of the mushroom stem, close to the substrate, to harvest your mushrooms.
Can I get more harvests from my kit?
Once you’ve harvested your mushrooms, you’ll be able to get a second harvest or “flush” of mushrooms. Mushrooms can continue to grow as long as they have all of the requirements for growth such as: water and nutrition. The Myterra Labs Easy Mushroom Grow Kit has more than enough of both to sustain your mushrooms for a second round of mushrooms to form. Here’s what you need to do:
- Spray your mushroom block with water and place it inside a plastic bag, making sure to close the bag tightly.
- Place the bag in the fridge for 2-4 days to cold-shock the mushrooms.
- Remove the block from the bag and resume fruiting protocols
Mushroom blocks typically produce fewer and fewer mushrooms with each harvest as nutrients are depleted.
Cooking and Storing Your Mushrooms
Well done! You’ve successfully grown your own mushrooms. The options for what to do next are endless.
If you would like to increase the amount of vitamin D in your mushrooms, leave the harvested mushrooms in the sun for 15-30 minutes. That’s all it takes!
Cooking: There are numerous ways to cook shiitake mushrooms with an abundant number of recipes online. We recommend cooking these mushrooms on a high heat pan without oil. When the mushrooms start to turn brown or stick to the bottom of the pan, add in your oils/butter and garlic. These mushrooms can compliment any dish with their umami flavor.
Long term storage: If you grow multiple kits at once or if you’re going away for a week, you can dry your harvested mushrooms. Airdry at 115F for 24-28 hours or until they are dry enough to snap apart. Store in an air-tight container for up to 6 months. Dried mushrooms can be rehydrated in a bowl of water for 30 minutes before use or they can be ground into powder to add to soups and stews.
Related Posts/Products
Why Should You Grow Shiitake?
Learn how to grow Shiitake mushrooms using the Myterra Labs Easy Mushroom Grow Kit
Read More
What's next!
You are officially part of the mushroom growing community! Share your success on social media and follow us for more mushroom growing tips and tricks – there are so many mushrooms that you can test your new growing skills on!
If you liked growing shiitake mushrooms and want to expand your medicinal mushroom growing skills, we suggest growing Lion’s Mane mushrooms.
Lion’s mane mushrooms are creamy and pom-pom shaped with dense flesh. Our lion’s mane strain produces large mushrooms in 4-5 weeks. Lion’s mane mushrooms are easier to grow than the shiitake.
You might also enjoy
PS1: Grow Kit Instructions
Welcome to the enchanting realm of our All-in-one Grow Kit,
Going Organic: Why Organic Grains are Vital for Successful Mushroom Spawn
Mushrooms are a popular ingredient in many dishes around the
