Growing your own mushrooms seems a bit unusual, seeing as I steer clear of their random unwanted cousins in my garden. When I first tried this I was living in the Midwest. I had a huge crop of shitakes that were a great conversation piece when visitors came. I am not sure how I came upon getting my first kit. It has been so many years…

and for you moms out there… many years plus two kids later…memory gets a little foggy.

So here we go again. I ordered my shitake mushroom kits from two different sources this time. I decided to compare the mushroom log growing technique with the mushroom block that I had originally tried, way back when. Besides, double the pleasure of mushrooms. And my family loves mushrooms, especially shitakes. It is also a wonderful learning experience for my kids. They watch with amazement and help with the cultivation and eat what they have grown. It is very important that they see where their food comes from as well as the impact on their life when choosing the foods they eat.  I hope after reading this you decide to try one or both of the techniques below. It is really interesting to watch the mushrooms grow and also an extremely healthy food.

The shitake log came nestled in straw to hold the moisture. I followed the instructions and with ice packs, soaked the log in pure water (from my reverse osmosis system) for 24 hours . I then set it upright on a dish and covered it a with a plastic grocery bag to keep the humidity in. Misting it several times a day sounds time consuming, but if you make it fun the kids really get into it. I set mine on the kitchen counter up against the backsplash. It received indirect light. In retrospect, it would have done much better on the bathroom vanity where the humidity was higher. You can also place a wet cloth over it to keep in the moisture and block out the extra light. I had to mist quite often in our dry California environment.

The shitake block arrived wrapped in a plastic bag and dated 37 days prior to arrival. It was not to be opened unless the 40 day incubation period had passed. I had to wait only a few days. When I removed the block from its bag it already had small little mushroom starts on the block so I skipped the step of soaking for 24 hours. I used stainless steel chopsticks to prop up the bag to make the humidity tent, which was included in the kit. I placed it alongside the log on my counter. Probably not the best place to put it, but with my busy life, I was really concerned I would forget to do the daily misting.

Within days I had a few mushrooms growing on each of the kits. They matured in only a few days. The log only produced 2. That is the nature of the log. The more times you fruit it, the more mushrooms will grow. It will last for a few years. The block produced 3 very large shitakes. It is not quite the quantity I remember from my first experience years ago, but I am sure it has to do with the location. A darker and more humid environment would have been better. The block will yield a comparable or larger crop next time, though will not last as long as the log, which flourishes with each fruiting.

With this said, we shall try…. try … try again.

As for now, they have been resting for the 2 week time period. I am getting ready to fruit them again. I will keep you posted….

So you ask, what did I do with my first small, but ‘plenty’ crop of mushrooms…..??

Homegrown Shitake and Spinach Stir-fry

serves 4

prep time: 15 minutes

1 tablespoon sesame oil
3-4 garlic cloves, minced
5-6 large shitake mushrooms, sliced
1 tablespoon cooking sherry
1 lb. spinach leaves
2 tablespoon soy sauce (or to taste)

Heat oil and garlic until fragrant. Add mushrooms, stir fry until soft. Add sherry, cook for a few minutes to absorb. Add spinach, cook until just wilted and then add the soy sauce. Remove from heat and enjoy!

For Babies 9+:

Separate out a small portion before adding the soy sauce. Add  1 tablespoon of chicken, beef or vegetable broth or water. Puree to desired consistency.

For kids: A great introduction to learning how mushrooms grow and eating such a healthy food. Please teach them to only eat cultivated mushrooms that we grow ourselves or buy at the market. To never eat one that is growing outside, as they could be poisonous.