Following is a short précis of the process. 

Cut fresh hardwood limb wood (oak and are best but you can also use alder, hickory, beech, ironwood, poplar, cottonwood, sweetgum, birch, willow and many other non-aromatic, broad-leaf hardwoods; more rapidly decomposing hardwoods have about ½ the lifespan; fruitwoods are notoriously poor) after leaf fall and before leaf bud.  The branches can be left in the bush and cut up in 3-4 ‘ long pieces prior to inoculation. The wood need to be cut about two months prior to planned inoculation date so that the cells have a chance to die out and not fight off the spawn.

 Order “spawn” (fungal mycelium grown out on hardwood sawdust medium) during winter months.  We prepare spawn only in January to March for delivery between February and May.

Inoculate in early spring. A log is inoculated one time and then managed to fruit every 6 to 8 weeks during the growing season (May to November in a temperate climate).

Log management involves intermittent soaking, fruiting, harvesting, and resting. You must have access to water for soaking and/or sprinkling. 

Wait approximately 1 year (depending on environmental conditions) for the spawn run (fungal mycelium colonizes the sapwood) and begin harvesting mushrooms the following spring (or perhaps that fall).

During the spawn run carry out specific market research and networking in order to line up prospective customers to take delivery when you begin producing.  You should be prepared with packaging, such as brown paper bags or cardboard boxes, a scale, and delivery slips. 

Please refer to the Information section and FAQ s for more details.