Yesterday I purchased something that I’ve been wanting for ages. No, not a new stove (got that a couple of weeks ago!). No, not a new dress (pshaw, who needs clothes?). No, I bought myself a mushroom log. Yes, a mushroom log.
It is less of a log and more of a batch of compressed hardwood chips pressed into a bag and inoculated with fungus. Yum, yum. The bag looks like I left something in the fridge for too long, then let it sit on the counter for a while. It’s brown and white, with little black bits. Currently, the bag is living in a bucket in my basement.
Now, these are no ordinary boring mushrooms. I had the pleasure of choosing between oyster and shiitake. Ah, delicious delights. I got oyster mushrooms, by the way.
The mushrooms came with instructions that outline the amount of moisture that they like, how to harvest them, and the fact that you should not sleep with them next to your bed. I wasn’t intending on it, even though a mushroom log is my next favorite choice for a pillow. They’re best kept in a garage in cool, humid conditions, just like the free range mushrooms that live outdoors.
Soon, the little mushrooms will pop up. For two months, I’ll get mushrooms. Given the price of fancy mushrooms at the grocery store, I think it’s a good investment.
The best part? When I told all of my friends at work that I was getting a mushroom log, they wanted one too. One of them got two as Christmas gifts. I like being a trendsetter, especially in the area of home-grown fungi.
For the amateur gardener, a mushroom log is a clever gift. You might have a shovel, you might have your seeds, but you probably don’t have a mushroom log. Online stores will ship them to your location, so there’s really no excuse for avoiding homemade oyster mushrooms.
Next up: where can I get a beehive that will go on my deck?
Where have your culinary adventures taken you? Would you grow edible mushrooms for your own stir fries?
Image Credit: aldswarrio