Grow Your Own Mushrooms
Did you know you can grow your own mushrooms indoors? Here at Territorial Seed Company, we love to help our customers grow as much of their own food as possible, and with one of our indoor mushroom kits and a few materials from your kitchen you can be harvesting your own mushrooms in just a week or two!
Setting up your Organic Shiitake Mushroom Kit
Items you’ll need:
-Spray bottle with distilled/non-chlorinated water
-Four metal or plastic forks
-A plastic grocery bag
-A baking sheet
-A wire baking rack
1. Remove the block from the original packaging
2. Create a growing tent!
a. Gently stab the forks into the block around the top
b. Cut at least 4 holes in your plastic bag
c. Place the plastic bag over the block, so it’s supported by the forks & is slightly separated from the block surface
3. Place the tent-covered block on your baking rack with a baking sheet underneath
4. Situate your kit in an area in your home that doesn’t receive direct sunlight and is not near a heat source or drafty location. The ideal temperature range for growth is 55-70˚F
5. Carefully remove the tent and spray the block 3-4 times a day, then replace the tent
Within 7-14 days you will start to see bumps forming on the block, which is the start of your first flush of mushrooms!
Continuing Care
It’s important to maintain the watering schedule by removing the humidity tent and misting the block 3-4 times a day, then replacing the tent. If the mushrooms are too large to easily fit under your humidity tent, you can remove it, selectively harvest the largest mushrooms, or use a larger bag to tent. If you choose to remove the tent, you will likely need to mist more often (anywhere from 4-7 times a day depending upon how quickly your block dries out).
Harvest
You’ll know it’s time to harvest your Shiitake mushrooms when:
-The caps start to flatten
-The underside looks like gills.
If you can see gills, it’s time to harvest regardless of mushroom size, but if you don’t see gills let the mushrooms continue to grow.
To harvest the mushrooms cut them from the block using a knife leaving no stem on the block surface.
You can eat them right away or store them in a paper bag in the fridge for a couple of weeks.
Cooking with your Mushrooms
Here’s a delicious recipe you can try with your harvested shiitake mushrooms!
Creamy Mushroom Sauce with Gnocchi
Ingredients:
3T Butter
1-3 Ambition shallots
3 cups Organic Shiitake Mushrooms (harvested from our kit)
1/2 cup sun-dried Mountain Magic tomatoes
Salt
Pepper
1 1/2 cups Heavy Cream
½ cup grated parmesan cheese
3 sprigs Fresh Arp Rosemary
1 package of gnocchi
Fresh mixed greens
Freshly shredded Asiago (or other cheese of your choosing)
1. Thinly slice Ambition shallots and sauté in butter over medium heat for about 10 minutes
2. Chop up the Organic Shiitake Mushrooms and add them to the pan with shallots & sauté for an additional 10 minutes
3. Add sun-dried Mountain Magic tomatoes
4. Add salt & pepper to taste
5. While your sauce is cooking, harvest, wash and chop your 3 sprigs of Arp rosemary
6. After about another 10 minutes (from adding the tomatoes) add the heavy cream & parmesan cheese & stir well
7. Add chopped Arp rosemary, stir, turn down heat & let your sauce simmer
8. Cook your gnocchi according to the package’s instructions – gnocchi cooks fast, so it should be ready in about 3-4 minutes
9. Plate your fresh mixed greens, add your cooked gnocchi, then top with your creamy mushroom sauce & shredded Asiago. Enjoy!
