A Step-by-Step Guide to Growing Shiitake Mushrooms Growing shiitakes at home is easy and fun! It can add variety to both your garden and dinner plate. Shiitakes are especially useful for cooking with, as they have four times the flavour of white button mushrooms. In addition to their fine flavour, shiitakes also offer medicinal and health benefits. Shiitakes have extremely high levels of protein, potassium, B vitamins, calcium, magnesium and phosphorus, as well as all essential amino acids. Even more, shiitakes have antiviral and immunity-boosting properties and can be used to fight viruses, lower cholesterol, and regulate blood pressure. A Step-by-Step Guide to Growing Shiitake Mushrooms With a small investment and a little work, shiitake mushrooms can easily be grown on hardwood logs right in your own backyard. Nearly a year before the mushrooms grow, a log is inoculated with mushroom spawn by drilling several holes into a log, filling the holes with mushroom spawn, and sealing them. For the next 8-12 months, the log is left to sit in a moist, shady area. In the spring, the log is emerged in water for 2 days to “shock” the fungus into fruiting. Anywhere from 4 to 14 days later, the mushrooms will begin to appear, and shortly thereafter can be harvested. Step One Cut hardwood logs Month February to March Materials/Tools Needed • Saw (chainsaw) and appropriate safety equipment • Standing (live) hardwood trees 5 to 7 inches in diameter, 2 to 4 feet in length (Oak, maple, birth, poplar, beech, hornbeam, ash, etc.) • Or contact information for someone willing to thin a few trees The first step in growing shiitakes is gathering the medium in which they will be grown. Traditionally, shiitakes are grown in oak logs. Shiittake means oak mushroom (shii = oak, take=mushroom). We have found that shiitake will also grow well in many hardwoods. In New Brunswick beech trees are plagued with a bark disease called nectria or beech canker. Shiitake seem to love these gnarly logs. Cut beech logs Shiitake logs need to be cut live just as the sap starts to run in late February or March and allowed to die sufficiently before inoculation. Any of the tree’s natural fungus-fighting attributes remaining in the log will effectively reject the shiitake spawn. Logs should be cut into manageable sizes to be manipulated during it’s new life as host to shiitake mushrooms. Step Two Obtain Shiitake Spawn When - April to May Materials/Tools Needed • Refrigerator • Contact information for mushroom spawn supplier (David Boyle of Maritime Microbiological, Truro, N.S.) - or Richterts Herbs www.richters.com/ in Ontario The second step to growing shiitakes is obtaining mushroom spawn. Mushroom spawn is the reproductive structure of the mushroom. Some microbiologists and mycologists (fungispecialists) sell mushroom spawn in breathable bags filled with sawdust. Place your order at least 6 weeks in advance of the time you would like to inoculate your logs, giving it enough time to grow. Once you obtain spawn, keep it refrigerated and sealed in the bag until ready for use. (Or follow the instructions provided for spawn in plugs). Step Three Inoculate Logs and Prepare for Storage Materials/Tools Needed: • Hardwood logs from Step One • Spawn from Step Two • Drill (not cordless) • Wood drill bit that is slightly bigger than the inoculator tool • Extension cord for drill • Wax mixture (2 parts beeswax: 1 part paraffin approximately 1/8 cup is enough for 20-30 holes • Tin can to melt wax • Hot plate to heat wax can • Metal spoon • Bleach solution (1 part bleach: 10 parts water) • Inoculator tool or funnel with dowel plunger • Workbench • Rags for spills (clean rags not used for grease) Mushroom spawn When - May Funnel with plunger or inoculator tool - either can be used for inoculation To inoculate the logs, you will need to arrange a workspace that is as clean as possible to reduce the chances of contamination by bacteria, and out of the sun to prevent damage to the spawn. It is also recommended that the drill bits and inoculator tool be disinfected by rinsing them in a mixture of bleach and water. There are five steps involved in inoculating the logs: 1. Start by melting the prepared mixture of beeswax and paraffin in a clean tin can (rinse the can with your bleach solution first) on a hot plate. When cool, the wax mixture needs to be soft, but not too soft that you can put a fingerprint in it. Conversely, the wax cannot be too brittle that it cracks and falls off before the initial log-soaking period. When heated, the wax mixture should be liquid. 2. Drilling holes into log 2. While the wax is melting, start drilling the inoculation holes in your logs. Using a drill and drill bit, drill holes evenly into the log about 3 cm deep, and 20 cm apart along the length of the log. The holes should be closer together (about 10 cm apart) around the diameter of log. The mushroom mycelium grows through the wood more quickly along the vertical length than around the diameter. For each 1 meter-long log, there should be about 20 to 30 holes. 3. Pushing spawn into log using inoculator tool or funnel with plunger 3. Take the inoculator tool and push the open end into your bag of spawn, filling the spout. Place the inoculator over the hole and push down on the plunger on the top, forcing the spawn into the hole. The spawn should be pushed into the hole enough so it is just slightly lower than the bark. 4. Covering holes with wax mixture 4. Cover the spawn-filled holes with hot, melted wax by spreading a small amount over the spawn-filled holes with a clean metal spoon. Wait until the wax has cooled enough to stay in place before turning or moving the log. The wax is used to kill off any bacteria and to protect the spawn from insect and weather damage once outside. 5. Shiitake logs stacked, growing mycelium 5. Once you are finished inoculating the log, lay it on the ground horizontally. If you have more than one log, stack the logs in opposing directions horizontally. Make sure to put the log in a moist, shady environment, such as under a tree to protect it from the sun and wind. Think of where you find mushrooms growing in the wild and try to find or create a similar environment for your shiitake logs. For the following 12 months, the log(s) should rest undisturbed. In these months, the mushroom spawn will spread mycelium throughout the log. You will know your log has rested long enough when you are able to see the mycelium on the ends of the logs the following spring. It will usually appear white and fuzzy, like mould, but it may brown from exposure to the air. Step Four Soak the Logs When - the following May or June Materials/Tools Needed: • Tub or pond large enough to submerge logs (i.e. bathtub, kiddie pool) • Stopper to plug tub while soaking logs • Clean water for soaking logs • Weights (rocks, other logs, etc.) • Hoses to fill tub • Stand/area to rest logs in vertical position after soaking • Spray bottle or hose with spray nozzle In order to encourage the shiitakes to fruit in the following spring, the mushroom must be “shocked”. This is done by soaking the log(s) in water for 2 days. Place the log(s) in a barrel or tub filled with water. Make sure the log(s) are completely submerged. Alternatively, you may soak the log(s) in a pond or lake, provided the water is relatively clean. You will probably need weights to keep the logs under water, as they tend to float. Step Five Place Logs on Racks Logs soaking When - Throughout the Growing Season After being soaked, remove the log(s) from the water, and place them in an upright or vertical position by propping them up against a tree, where it is moist and shady. During this fruiting stage, the log must remain moist and may require misting or watering if weather is hot and dry. Shiitake Logs Racked Vertically Shiitake Logs Racked Horizontally With Mushrooms Growing Step Six Harvest Mushrooms Month—Throughout the Growing Season Materials/Tools Needed: • Bowl & Knife After 4 to 14 days after soaking, the shiitakes will begin to appear on the log(s). They are ready to be harvested when they reach full size, approximately 5-8 cms in diameter. Take a knife and cut the mushroom stem closest to the bark. The mushrooms can be eaten raw, cooked, or dehydrated for later use. If conditions are right, it may be possible to harvest the mushrooms a second or even third time in the same season. Mushrooms ready to be harvested Repeat steps four and five in July or August when the first batch of shiitakes have stopped growing. During harvest time, you may encounter the shiitake mushroom’s only pest—slugs. There are a number of non-toxic control methods for slugs. Planting perennials, such as delphiniums, foxgloves, and primroses, near your log will naturally repel slugs. The slugs can also be trapped by placing cabbage leaves and wet newspaper, or cups filled with stale beer, spoiled yoghurt, or a mixture of Slugs: Shiitake’s number one predator Step Six yeast and water near the log that the slugs will congregate in. These can then easily be taken away. If you only have a few logs, it will be easy enough to remove the slugs by hand. Winter Storage When - Late September/Early October In the fall, after the mushrooms have stopped growing, it is time to allow the log to rest again. Lay the log down horizontally on the ground in its previous moist and shady spot. Repeat steps 4, 5, and 6 every year. Your shiitake log should produce mushrooms for another 4-5 years. Additional Shiitake Mushroom Information Shiitake Recipes Lost Creek Shiitake Mushroom Farm http://shiitakemushroomlog.com/recipes.html Oakshire Mushroom Farm http://www.oakshire.com/Oakshire_Mushrooms/ Shiitake_Recipes.html The Mushroom Information Centre http://mushroominfo.com/search-recipes/ Slug Controls Earth Easy http://eartheasy.com/grow_nat_slug_cntrl.htm Pioneer Thinking http://www.pioneerthinking.com/tv-slugs.html North Coast Gardening http://www.northcoastgardening.com/2009/06/organic-snailslug-control/ Growing and Harvesting Shiitake Mushrooms Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada http://www.agr.gc.ca/pfra/shelterbelt/shbpub31.htm Grow your Own Mushrooms http://www.mycosource.com/shiilogs.htm Ohio State University http://ohioline.osu.edu/for-fact/0042.html Ontario Woodlot Association http://www.ont-woodlot-assoc.org/sw_shitake.html