Blue Oyster Mushroom

Pinning: 5-10 days. First harvest: 7-12 days. Final harvest: 35-50 days. Please note these timeframes may vary as mushrooms are living organisms.

White spores will spread and cover the substrate giving a strong visual indication of when to cut your grow bag. Cut the bag when there is a fully-expanded mycelial network is visible. The mycelial network expands quickly and if misted every day will soon produce blue-headed “pins” that look like storybook creatures or aliens!

Aim for keeping your grow kit at 18-22 degrees celsius and 60-80% humidity. After each harvest, soak the substrate in a bowl of cold water for 3-6 hours for thorough rehydration. Mushrooms require soft indirect light to grow. We recommend providing just enough light that one would be able to read!

Harvest while mushroom caps are still slightly rounded. The grow circle should be completely occupied with mushroom clumps that will vary in size. Be careful not to wait too long to harvest or the mushroom will dry, fade in color and lose flavor. If you leave the mushrooms for too long they also may release spores that will spray onto surrounding surfaces like a film of white dust. Second and tertiary harvests can be slightly smaller in yield.

To harvest, gently grab as close to the base of a mushroom clump as possible, twist slightly, and pull to release from the substrate. Repeat until all the mushroom clumps have been harvested. If you are not able to reach the base of any mushroom head because they are so large then start by removing a smaller exterior one to access the lower body of the mushroom clumps. Remove any leftover mushrooms from the substrate before rehydrating.

Blue Oysters mushrooms are a low-fat, high-fibre food source with protein, micronutrients, and essential minerals such as phosphorus, copper, and niacin.

Oyster mushrooms were cultivated in Germany during WW1 for soldiers due to their high nutritious density and short growth.