Grow Your Own Shiitake Mushroom Part 1【シイタケ栽培観察その1】

Grow Your Own Shitake Mushroom

-Day 1- Setting up the growing kit

Shitake Mushroom
(Source: Wikipedia)

Shiitake mushroom is a type of edible mushroom that is commonly consumed in Asia. In Japan, there are many ways you can eat shiitake mushrooms -- simply grill it next to your corn and meat at BBQ, slice it and put it in miso soup, or sauté it with some vegetables. It has a great flavor and can be used for "dashi" (Japanese word for soup and cooking stock). While I have always been a big fan of this mushroom, I realized that I didn't know much about the way it was grown. So I decided to find out by buying my own shiitake growing kit.

I bought a kit that was around 1000 yen (about 10 USD). It came with a log, plate, plastic bag, mist sprayer, and a rubber band.

Day 1

Above is a picture of the log that I took after soaking it in water for 24 hours. Now, I am suppose to wait for another 2-7 days to see a baby shitake growing on the log. Until then, I have to cover the log with the plastic bag to keep the log moist. I also need to spray water in the bag a few times a day to maintain the high humidity that shitake mushrooms need in order to grow.

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シイタケ栽培日記

−1日目−栽培セットの組み立て

日本人に馴染み深いシイタケですが、「お店で買うもの」というイメージが強いのではないでしょうか？

実際、私もそう思っていました...が、

シイタケは家庭でも手軽に栽培できるんです。

そのことを知人から聞き、ホームセンターで1000円程で売っている栽培セットを買ってきました。

まずは、木を栽培セットに入っていた袋に入れ、水に24時間つけます。
次に、木を取り出しお皿に木を立てます。
あとは、内側に水滴がついた袋をかぶせて待つだけ。

2日から7日でシイタケの芽が出てくるそうです。

1日目