Miraculous Mushrooms

y frequent visits to Japan made me an ardent mycophile. All cooked Asian mushrooms have a special place on my plate— and in my anti-inflammatory diet pyramid. They’re packed with fiber, protein, vitamins B and D, antioxidants, and other beneficial compounds, and they’re also low in fat. The shiitake (Lentinula edodes) is one of my favorites. And it’s a mushroom you can grow at home.

Featuring a firm texture and a savory taste, rich in umami flavor, shiitakes are an integral, delicious part of Chinese, Japanese, and Korean cuisines. They have been used medicinally for centuries, and recent research suggests they may indeed offer unique health benefits: These meaty mushrooms contain a substance called eritadenine, which encourages body tissues to absorb cholesterol and lower the amount circulating in the blood. Shiitakes also contain active hexose correlated compound, or AHCC, which has been shown in laboratory studies to enhance immune function and possibly hinder the development of both liver and prostate cancers.

The Great Shiitake Experiment

With shiitakes—as with anything that grows—freshness matters. I’m also always looking for new gardening challenges, so not long ago I began cultivating my own shiitakes at my garden in British Columbia (BC) with the help of three friends.

Here’s how the initial process went: In the late summer/early fall, we secured 16 freshly cut alder logs. Alders are known as “weed trees” in BC, and abundant. (In Japan and other parts of North America, oak logs are used; we don’t have oaks in the part of coastal BC where I spend my summers.) Three days after they were cut, we went through this inoculation sequence:

• Drilling holes, 40 to 50 per log. The holes are 5/16ths inch in diameter, 1 1/4 inches deep, and roughly three inches apart.

• Pounding plug spawn (provided by my friend Paul Stamets; fungi.com) into the holes.

• Waxing the plug-tops and ends of the logs to prevent contamination by other fungi.

• Stacking logs in a tree-shaded “rick” (a pile in which logs are stacked in alternating directions) that is regularly sprayed by an irrigation head so that they won’t dry out.

Then, we waited. That following spring, when it warmed up, we initiated fruiting by soaking the logs in water for 24 hours. Soon after, I cooked a meal with my first homegrown mushrooms.

Growing shiitakes is not for the impatient, but the rewards should make it all worthwhile. Once logs begin to fruit, they can produce two flushes of mushrooms a year (usually spring and fall; more on timing at right) for up to seven years. One of my friends recently harvested an impressive 50 pounds of shiitake from just 20 logs that he prepared the year before.

Shiitake Seasons

In the Southern half of the U.S. and in the Pacific Northwest, shiitake logs can be inoculated outdoors in any season of the year except summer. In northern locations, logs need to be inoculated indoors in the winter. Typically, you’ll have fruiting in the spring and fall. In some cases, it will take a full year for your logs to fruit, but you may be able to speed that up if you soak them, as my friends and I did. That means if you inoculate in the fall, you could get mushrooms come spring; likewise, if you inoculate in the spring, you may get a harvest that fall.

Many experts believe fall is the optimum time to fell the trees that you will cut into mushroom logs. I’ve read that one reason for this is because the tree cells haven’t completely hardened off for the winter, suggesting that if a fall inoculation is done, the shiitake would then easily be able to colonize the wood. You can cut wood in fall for a spring inoculation, you’ll just want to be sure you keep it protected and covered over the winter. Other experts say late winter and early spring are the best time to cut trees for mushroom logs. Experiment to see what works best for you in your particular location.

MUSHROOM-GROWING GLOSSARY

Here’s a quick guide to the terminology:

Fruiting body: The fleshy, spore-bearing part of a fungus that protrudes above the ground (or grows out of a living or dead tree). This is the part that is typically harvested. It often represents only a small percentage, by weight and volume, of the overall organism.

Inoculate: Introducing mushroom spores or spawn (see below) into logs or another material on which mushrooms thrive.

Mycelium: The vegetative, usually hidden part of a fungus—a network of microscopic and visible threads analogous to the roots of a plant.

Spawn: Mycelium allowed to colonize grain (rye, wheat, etc.) or wood plugs, which can then be used for inoculation.

Spores: Mushroom spores are like a plant’s seeds. Spores are microscopic, produced in great abundance on the gills of the mushroom cap.