Shiitake Mushroom Fruiting Block

Fresh Shiitake From Your Own Block

Shiitake (Lentinula edodes) is the mushroom that converts people who say they do not like mushrooms. Home grown shiitake has a depth of savoury flavour that dried or supermarket ones simply cannot match. Our shiitake mushroom fruiting block is 3kg of supplemented hardwood substrate that has been fully colonised and matured, ready to fruit.

What Is Included

• 1 x 3kg shiitake fruiting block
• Access to our online growing guide

How Shiitake Is Different

Shiitake blocks do not fruit through a cut in the bag like oysters. Instead, you remove the bag completely. A mature block will be brown and slightly leathery on the outside. That bark like skin protects it and is completely normal.

How to Fruit It

1. Remove the bag and rinse the block under cold water.
2. Give it a cold shock by soaking it in cold water, or placing it in the fridge, for 12 to 24 hours. This mimics an autumn rainstorm and triggers pinning.
3. Place it in a humid fruiting tent at 12 to 20°C with indirect light.
4. Mist daily. Pins should appear within one to two weeks.
5. Harvest when the caps open but the edges are still curled under slightly.
6. Let the block dry and rest for two to three weeks, then soak and repeat.

Worth the Wait

Shiitake is slower than oysters and asks a bit more of you, but a well kept block can keep producing for months. We still remember the first fat, cracked caps on our first block. The flavour was on another level.

Cooking

Remove the tough stems (save them for stock), slice the caps and fry hot in sesame oil. Brilliant in ramen, stir fries, dumplings and miso soup. They also dry beautifully in a low oven.

More Shiitake

Grow your own with shiitake grain spawn or a shiitake liquid culture. For trade, see bulk fruiting blocks. All species live in mushroom fruiting blocks.