Chestnut mushroom fruiting block (6lb)

Details

• Species: Chestnut Mushroom (Pholiota adiposa) 
• Fruiting to harvest time: 3-5 weeks
• Flushes: 2-3
• Total yield: up to 2lb
• Overall difficulty: Medium

Requirements

To successfully grow Chestnut mushrooms you’ll need:

• A fruiting chamber. If you don't have one, check out this guide to build a simple SGFC How To Build A Shotgun Fruiting Chamber (SGFC) - EZMushroom. There are many other resources online. A Martha tent can be more effective, but also requires more resources and setup.
• Location in a well-lit room. Avoid direct sunlight. 
• Patience

Growing Instructions

First flush

• Fold the top of the bag underneath the bottom of the block. Squeeze out excess air from the top of the block. Tape the top of bag as tightly as possible to the bottom. Removing air from the inside of the bag encourages growth out of the front of the block.
• Cut the bag along recommended lines with a clean knife. Do not worry much about cutting into the block, the mycelium will recover.
• Place in fruiting chamber and maintain environment conditions daily. See table above for ideal ranges. Mist/fan twice per day is acceptable - more often is better. Chestnuts are a slow species. In 3-5 weeks you will have a full chestnut mushroom cluster!

Harvest

• It is time to harvest when the caps begin to flatten and before the mushrooms begin to drop spores. P. adiposa spores are dark brown, they are quite visible in large quantities. The images on our website are a good indicator of when to harvest.
• Remove block from chamber. Harvest by cutting at the base of the mushroom cluster with a clean knife. Cut as close to the base of the block as possible. Be sure to remove all fruiting bodies - lingering ones have a high chance of becoming contaminated.
• Alternatively, you can twist/pull clusters off, but cutting will ensure the block is not damaged.
• Cook and enjoy immediately for the best quality, or refrigerate in a brown paper bag for up to 10 days. Chestnuts also freeze well - boil them for 15-20min, flash freeze on a cookie sheet, then transfer to a bag in freezer for longer term storage.

Subsequent flushes

The block will produce a second flush if conditions are maintained. Third flush is optional, yield will be low.

• Rehydrate the block between each flush. Immediately after harvesting, place block in sink or tub and fill bag with lukewarm or cool water. Let sit for 10-16 hours, overnight is ideal. The mycelium will absorb the water it needs for a second flush of mushrooms.
• After duration has passed, drain excess water from the bag and return block to fruiting conditions.