Shiitake Mushroom Dowels

Mr Fothergills Shiitake Marvellous Mushrooms are a mushroom that has been treasured in Asia for centuries. They have a superb flavour often described as meaty or smoky and a fine firm texture, and they are the perfect mushrooms for oriental dishes, stir-fries, grilling, casseroles, soups and gravy.

• The spawn is carried on wooden dowels.
• These mushrooms can be grown on logs. Beech, birch and oak are the most suitable.
• Drill 8mm holes along the log, spaced 15cm and offset to form a diamond pattern.
• Drill holes one and a half times deeper than the dowel plug, insert the plugs and drive them in flush using a mallet.
• Place log in a plastic bag and incubate in a warm location for around 3 months.
• Remove log from the bag and bury one end, around a third of the log in the soil and prop the other end up on a brick.
• Water regularly and do not allow the log to dry out.
• Mushrooms should start to appear with spring and autumn rains.
• It is often possible to harvest mushrooms for up to 3 years.