Mushrooms are wonderful and mysterious things.
The fruit of a mycelium network that is complex and often invisible to us, they’re powerfully medicinal and incredibly delicious. Living in the Pacific Northwest, there are many varieties that can readily be foraged here in the woods and meadows, and we’ve quite recently come to develop the mushroomers’ mania.
Fresh chantrelles, cauliflower mushrooms, chicken of the woods and turkey tails are just some of the treasures that can be found on a short walk from our front door.
We have also recently discovered that some of the tastiest ~and most expensive mushrooms can readily be cultivated right here at home, and we’re currently experimenting with several ways to grow them ourselves. On cut logs, we can inoculate many types of oyster mushrooms as well as shitakes. Similarly, both can be grown in bags using a woodchip substrate, and we’re using both methods. The King Stropheria is a delicious garden mushroom too, and we’re cultivating it on a moist patch of cut straw.
The rain brings us many good things, and mushrooms are of the very best of them. You can read about how our garden develops throughout the year in the Mushroomery part of my blog HERE.
