Halifax Retro

Shittake mushrooms have been getting a lot of press. They’re a tasty change from button mushrooms and they’re supposed to do everything from reducing the size of cancerous tumours to providing increased immunity to the common cold. The first record of cultivated Shiitake mushrooms dates back over 1000 years to the Song dynasty and since that time Asian cultures have believed in the mushroom’s medicinal abilities and its ability to boost qi, or life energy. Let’s just say that compared to most fungi, Shiitake have a good thing going.

If you’re wondering where you can get some of this wonderful fungus, you can probably head to your local grocery store to pick some up but chances are that it’s not available at the farmer’s market (I apologize to anyone who says, “Yes they are! I sell them! - I just haven’t seen them before). With this whole shift toward healthier and organic foods, it would be nice to grow some of your own. If you’re interested, all it takes is a few 60 cm logs and a sawdust/spore concoction (called spawn) you can order online.

The name shiitake literally translates to oak (shii) and mushroom (take), aptly describing the mushroom. Red Oak logs work well to grow well to grow Shiitake, but if you can get them, White Oaks, like Bur, English, and Pin Oak work better because they hold moisture better. If you’re cutting your own logs, you can identify white oaks by the tips of their leaves - they have rounded lobes, where red oak leaves have pointy lobes. You can use any size log, but one about 10-15 cm in diameter and 60 cm long works best. You can use a bigger log, but remember you have to be able to handle it too.

After ordering spawn online (I don’t know of any that are better than others, you’ll have to experiment with that part) and getting a few 60 cm logs, the next thing you’ll need is cold, fresh water. Tap water just won’t do - most city water has chlorine in it, a chemical designed to kill bacteria and fungus, and fungicide doesn’t help when you’re trying to grow mushrooms. A good idea is to use a large plastic barrel to collect rainwater or snow (which you can melt later) and then store it somewhere cool and shaded. Ideally, the water should be somewhere around 12°C or colder.

Once you have everything, you’ll need to drill holes in the log about a centimetre deep. The holes should be drilled about 15 cm apart in rows and you should have one row for every 2.5 centimetres of diameter. The holes should alternate, creating a sort of “diamond” pattern. Also, be sure to use a sharp bit at a low speed so you don’t burn the hole and seal the log. If you’re proficient with a power saw, you can also cut slices in the log about 4-5 cm apart and in lines running lengthwise along the log - this will increase your yield per log.

You should next plug the holes with spawn (or slice) - the back of a pen works well for this part. Try not to handle the spawn with your bare hands or you might contaminate it, reducing your yield.

Allow the logs to sit in a warm shaded area (not completely dark) for up to six months. During the ‘spawn run,’ ensure the logs maintain a moisture content above 25%. There are some complicated ways of doing this, but common sense should work too. Every once in a while, mist the logs for a couple of hours and allow the bark to dry between watering to prevent competing moulds and fungi. This process may only take a few weeks - what you’re looking for is signs of mushroom growth on the end of the log. Once you see a whitish moldy looking patch or little tiny mushrooms, you’re almost ready to harvest your fresh mushrooms.

Shock the logs by soaking them in cold water for 3-4 hours, take them out of the water and put them back in the warm shaded location you used before. In 7-10 days you should see your very own home-grown shiitake mushrooms. Be sure to pick them before the edges of the caps start to curl upwards and never eat any mushroom that looks black or rotten. It only takes about 24 hours for the mushrooms to mature, so don’t leave them too long!

After all that hard work, you don’t want to throw away your logs. You can reuse the same ones because now that they’ve been inoculated, the mushroom is alive and well. All you’ve picked is the fruiting body of the fungus. Let the mycelium rest for about five weeks, and shock the logs again - this time for 24-48 hours. 7-10 days later, you’ll have more fresh mushrooms.

If you’re interested. there are a few things you can do to experiment with shiitake and other mushrooms - try using different types of wood. Any sugary wood should do - trees like yellow birch and sugar maple work well. Try using different shocking periods or ways of inoculating the logs. Storing them in different places might also make a difference. If you want to collect your own spore, place a mushroom cap on some wax paper, put a cup over it, and leave it overnight. Try mixing the spore with sawdust, flour, straw, or even manure. The bottom line is have fun and eat healthy.

Growing your own mushrooms sounds like a lot of work, but it’s really not that bad. Once you’ve set up five or six logs, you can shock a different one each week, allowing enough rest time for the mycelium - also allowing yourself fresh mushrooms every week. You can even store the logs outside during the winter - you might not get fresh mushrooms, but when the spring rolls around you can start shocking them again. I haven’t tried it yet, but some of the spawn kits claim you can get four or five years out of a log. We’ll have to wait and see.