About a week ago, we noticed that our shiitake bag which Phoenix picked up at the Mycological Society event at the L.A. Arboretum, was in bloom.
They were pretty cramped in the bag so I carefully pulled it down to have a better look.
I harvested the biggest one then and put it in the fridge. Next I cut little holes for the rest of the mushrooms as I worked the bag back up and over the block.
I figured that it would allow the mushrooms to expand while keeping the block moist. Everything looked good for two days but on the third day in the morning I noticed that they were all drying out - halfway on their way to being dried Shiitake mushrooms. I checked the harvested one in the fridge and it still looked fresh picked after 2 days.I am such a fan now of the fresh shiitakes that I am on a mission to generate a lasting source. I think next time I might try putting them in the fridge at night. I've also heard of small tents that keep the moisture in.
I harvested all the half dried mushrooms and we'll probably use them soon rather than dehydrate and save them but they are still in the fridge.
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If you could find a big enough cloche, it would keep the moisture in but allow the mushrooms room to grown and make a pretty cool display piece! The gardening store sells beautiful ones here, but I don't know how pricey they are.
ReplyDeleteThe cloche is a great idea. They are kind of expensive but I agree that it would make a beautiful display.
ReplyDeleteI've seen little mushroom kits around, but this post thread is a first for me. Where are you keeping the log for moisture/storage? How many harvests of mushrooms can you expect from a log? Can you "re-stock" the log with new spores? Can you guess I want one, too?
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