Shiitake Mushrooms 2015

It's that time of year again! This is our 4th season of growing Shiitake mushrooms... the first year was experimental and we enjoyed them and shared with a few friends! Our second year and third year we grew and sold some in farmer's markets and also put some up for ourselves!

We are taking a slower approach this year to a lot of things....  Pete is soaking logs a few at a time and our harvest is coming in at a pace much easier to keep up with! Phew...

Check out these lovely mushrooms!

 Above is the log yard....  where we keep the logs stacked

similar to Lincoln Logs waiting their turn to be soaked.

Pete is holding a log with mushrooms ready to be harvested!

After the logs are soaked for roughly 12 hours, they are 

stood up and leaned until they grow mushrooms ready to

be picked! Then they are brought in for us to clean, eat, 

sell or prepare for storage!

These are the delicious Shiitake mushrooms!

All cut up and ready to dehydrate! Recommended

temperature is 90* for 2-3 hours and then 125* for 

an additional 4-7 hours. When they are firm and 

not longer spongy they are done!!

I like to store ours in mason jars and then use

my Food Saver with the mason jar attachment 

to seal air tight until ready for use! 

Wine Cap Mushrooms

Look at what Pete found last night!!

He was walking out past the asparagus -

mushroom bed and they caught his eye!

 

Can you say

'Holy mushrooms Batman?!' 

 

 

In the spring we started inoculating logs to

begin our adventures in mushrooming. What I

didn't tell you is that he also 'planted' some

wine cap mushrooms (spread the spores?) in

the asparagus bed in with wood shaving/sawdust.
Check out the above link to Field & Forest!
 

 Scientific name: Stropharia rugosa-annulata
 

We weren't sure how long it would be before

we'd see any results!

 



 

He went back out this morning and quickly

came back for the camera!

 

 

It's pretty amazing ...

 

 

Check out this cluster of mushrooms!

 

 

Myself, not a lover of fungus... still, I'm

finding this pretty cool!!

 

 

I've looked up different ways to preserve...

methods are simple!

 

1) Cut them up and freeze on a cookie sheet then

put them in a freezer container.

These should be used within 3 months.

 

2) Cut them up, blanch for 1-2 minutes, cool then freeze...

will last for up to 1 year. Add them to your soup

recipes in the last 20 minutes of cooking! (Add frozen)

 

3) Cut them up and saute in 2 TBsp of olive oil

or butter. Allow them to cook for about 5 minutes,

cool and put into freezer containers.

Use within 9 months.

 

4) Cut them up and steam them. They are suppose

to hold their flavor & texture the best using this method!

They will keep up to a year!

 

For more info. check out

Mushroom-Appreciation.Com

 

 

 

Now I need to find some good recipes...

I'm thinking cream of mushroom soup

or a veggie soup will

allow the flavor to be appreciated!

I'll be looking around and keep you posted

as to what I find!!

 

 

Check out this Gi-Normous Grouping!

 

 

Yup.... I see mushroom farming

in our future!! (OK, right NOW!)

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The Adventures of Mushroom Farming Begins....

Here in three neat stacks are 213 logs

cut from hardwood last week.

Each log is 40 inches long.

This angle grinder has the bit attachment

needed to drill the holes on all the logs!

These are the inoculators!

(They will deliver the mushroom spawn

into the holes in all the logs....)

                    

Here are the blocks of cheese wax.....

They are melted and used to seal the holes of spawn and

the ends of the logs!

Here is ONE of the bags of mushroom

spawn that were used!



All together used 4 bags of

spawn to fill all those logs!!

(That equals 22 pounds)

NOW the hard part...

 WAITING FOR NEXT SPRING!

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Mushrooms... The Next Step

Pete is drilling the holes, approx 4-5 inches

apart all the way down the log.

Depending on the diameter of the log,

you can drill a few rows.

 Pete and Arnie are filling the drilled holes

with mushroom spawn.

Audrey & Steve are painting cheese wax over the

spawn and over the ends of the logs.

This helps keep the moisture in over the

next year until they start growing!

 As the day went on.... the 'party got bigger'

We have a whole assembly line of helpers now!

Pete built the cool table so that the logs

can just be rolled down the line from holes,

filling holes (with the bags of spawn in the

center area), to waxing them up on the end!

Abby, Austin and Audrey are working on

the waxing process here!

A bit out of order, but once Austin helped

get the waxing caught up, he and Steve started

drilling holes on another stack!

Pete & Donna are working the palm

inoculators as Rita is keeping the log steady!

Can you see the wax seals?

The end of the day....  all the logs

are inoculated heading down to a

shady place where they will be stacked

again and

rest until spring!

In the spring, these logs will be shocked by

putting them into a cold water bath for up to

24 hours and then within 10 days the fruit

of mushrooms should begin to grow!!

We have ONE log from last year when Pete & Steve

went to a training seminar that has been shocked.

We are awaiting the fruit!!

I'll keep you posted as it grows!

This was shared on Simple Lives Thursday!!

Go check out the other wonderful

ideas that folks have shared!