Blog
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Hericium americanum - A closer look at Comb Tooth
Hericium americanum , also known as Comb Tooth or Bears Head mushroom, is commonly found in early fall in the...Read More » -
Dormancy: When it is, What it is, and Why it is Important for Mushroom Cultivation
Fall is a great time to think about starting or expanding your shiitake log family. Trees have fallen into dormancy,...Read More » -
How Much Spawn Do I Need to Plant a Wine Cap Bed?
One of our most frequently asked questions in regards to Wine Cap cultivation is "How much spawn do I need to plant...Read More » -
Turkey Tail Mushroom Identification: How to tell if your Trametes versicolor is Legit or a Look-a-like.
Identifying Turkey Tail Mushrooms, or Trametes versicolor can be more difficult than expected, but these few...Read More » -
"Shocking" Shiitake Logs: What does is mean to force-fruit mushroom logs?
If you have been waiting for your mushrooms to show up that you planted many months ago, there are some "forcing"...Read More » -
What are Fruiting Blankets and How do I Use Them?
We get a lot of questions on pest control as well as mushroom formation in the spring and summer months. There is a...Read More » -
What to do with a "Spent" Mushroom Kit?
Oyster Blocks: Twice is nice, but is there more where that came from?
What are Those Yellow Blobs Growing on my Wood Chips?
Have you ever walked out to your wine cap bed expecting to find wine cap and instead found something resembling dog...Read More »
All About Almonds
Almond Agaricus, also known as Royal Sun and Agaricus Blazei, is known for its high concentrations of beta...Read More »
Chemical-Free Slug Control
Ahhh The spring mushroom crop. The beautiful caps emerging in bounty from logs as the humidity and temperature...Read More »
How Long Can My Mushroom Logs Sit Before Inoculating?
Information on how long you need to wait after wood is cut for mushroom cultivation is all over the map. This is...Read More »
Are my Logs Healthy? Three Checks Before you Inoculate.
There are several ways to check your logs prior to inoculation to ensure success. Learning these indicators can...Read More »
Clean & Fresh Spring Shiitake: Tips for the Best Early Crops
The earliest harvested Shiitake of the season are also the most appreciated. The winters are long, and local farm...Read More »
Using Mushrooms in Hugelkultur
Over the years we've gotten many questions on how to properly incorporate mushrooms into a hugelkultur bed or mound....Read More »
The Shipping and Packaging Carbon Footprint: How we all can Help Manage Holiday Waste
Who in the North doesn't love the winter holidays? Early winter darkness opens the door to enchanting...Read More »
Frightfully Tricky Forest Fungi
Fungi can be a tricky lot. We know lots of folks who cook with mushrooms they harvest from their forest farm. Many...Read More »
The History of Psychedelic Mushrooms
The growing shroom boom has become popularized through media highlighting the benefits of psychedelics, such as the...Read More »
Normal Looking Wine Cap Defined
In the spring and late fall, Wine Cap mushrooms can look different than expected. Just like spring Shiitake, (...Read More »
How to Plant a Wine Cap Mushroom Bed In Fall for a Spring Harvest
Spring and fall fruiting Wine Caps ( Stropharia rugoso-annulata ) claim both ends of summer as...Read More »
How Can I Tell if a Tree is Still Dormant?
For mushroom cultivation it's important that your logs are cut from living, dormant trees. This blog will cover a...Read More »
6 Places to Sustainably Source Wood for Mushroom Logs
Growing mushrooms on logs is one of the most sustainable ways to grow mushrooms, both for your wallet and the...Read More »
5 Places to Source Wood Chips for Wine Cap Cultivation
One of the members of the fungi kingdom that has made leaps and bounds in popularity over the last several years is...Read More »
Choosing Wood Chips to Grow Wine Cap Mushrooms: Part 1
Wine Cap Mushrooms are incredible organisms that grow in wood chips and straw. However, "wood chips" is a broad...Read More »
Growing Oyster Mushrooms Commercially on Straw
There are many ways and mediums on which you can grow oyster mushrooms. However, if you're looking into doing so...Read More »
Can I Grow Mushrooms on Wood that Comes Down in Summer?
Yes, you can! While inoculating trees downed in the summer is not usually recommended it can, in fact, yield a...Read More »
Home-Grown Hen of the Woods (aka Maitake mushroom)
Hen of the Woods mushrooms are members of the "superior" class of wild edible mushrooms. Crunchy even when cooked,...Read More »
Oyster Mushroom Meets Grill
Here in Northeast Wisconsin a party ain't a party unless you have "three meats." Usually that means pork,...Read More »
Lion's Mane- a Memorable Medicinal
When people ask us what the medicinal benefits of Lion's Mane (aka Monkey Head, Pom Pom, Hericium erinaceus) are, we...Read More »
Easy Method for Growing Oyster Mushrooms: Aspen Shavings in a 5 Gallon Bucket
Pink Oysters are a fun and fast mushroom to grow in warm weather. The deeply pink, clustered rosettes bloom in...Read More »
What to do with Leftover Mushroom Spawn?
Now that we are entering spring and the mushroom frenzy season, we get the occasional call from growers asking what...Read More »
Growing Mushrooms on Logs with Plug Spawn
Growing mushrooms can be intimidating when you're just starting out. Not only are there many different kinds of...Read More »
How to Build and Plant a Wine Cap Stropharia Bed: A Quick Method for Both Large and Small Areas
Wine cap mushrooms are easy to grow and so fun to harvest. They are a mildly flavored mushroom that has an earthy...Read More »
Red Maple: Can this native new weed of the temperate forest make for good mushroom wood?
Red Maple is a very successful native tree that appears to be on the move, increasing its predominance across the...Read More »
Tips for Handling Mushroom Logs after Cutting
If you are planning on inoculating logs this spring, the following tips can help answer some questions you may have....Read More »
Table Top Farms: Tips, Tricks, and Troubleshooting
Questions on kits? We've compiled a list of frequently asked questions, troubleshooting tips, and how to get a...Read More »
Stacking Methods for Winter Storage
Overall, mushroom logs are pretty tough once they are fully colonized. Logs that were inoculated in the spring or...Read More »
When to Harvest Wine Cap
Wondering when exactly to harvest your Wine Cap Mushrooms?Read More »
When to Harvest Shiitake Mushrooms
If you're new to growing mushrooms, or anything really, there is always the question of "when is the best time to...Read More »
Water Management of Shiitake Bed Logs for Incubation and Mushroom Production
With spring shiitake bed log inoculation behind us, we now turn our attention on the farm to outdoor mushroom...Read More »
Choosing Straw for Oyster Mushroom Cultivation
Oyster mushroom cultivation on straw is a popular way to grow an abundant harvest of these delicate mushrooms. The...Read More »
How to Make Mushroom Tincture
Watching a mushroom grow from a tiny pin into a brilliant fruiting body is a process that most people will never...Read More »
Using Wine Cap Mushrooms for Soil Health
Wine Cap Stropharia (Stropharia rugosa annulata) is native to North America and is being trialed for multiple uses,...Read More »
I'm Telling You My Dear, That It Can't Happen Here
We are all a little overconfident sometimes and think we're exempt from human rules. This blog is to serve as a...Read More »
Spiced Wine Caps (and a side of Pork Chops)
Wine Cap Mushrooms are one of the milder flavored mu...Read More »
Growing Oyster Mushrooms on Toilet Paper
The thought of growing mushrooms may seem too daunting for those just starting out. Maybe your green thumb easily...Read More »
Is Grain or Sawdust Spawn Better for Oyster Mushroom Production on Straw?
More often than not, people use grain spawn to inoculate straw. Why not sawdust spawn? No reason in particular, but...Read More »
The ABC's of Almond Agaricus: A Warm Weather Mushroom, Superlative in Any Garden
Almond Agaricus (Almonds) are sweet, fragrant summer mushrooms that can be grown outdoors in the garden. A...Read More »
Weird and Crazed Shiitake: Why are my Mushrooms Cracked?
This spring a lot of new growers have been sending pictures of Shiitake that looks different than what they might...Read More »
