Root Mushroom Farm-Shiitake Mushroom Growing Kit-Start it Right Away Once Received

I have set up a greenhouse in my basement to grow mushrooms, and decided to try this log . I followed the instructions, but put the log in my greenhouse with the bag over it to play it safe. I was amazed when I saw mushroom growth within a couple of days and took the bag off the log. In two more days, the mushrooms were larger and looking good. I have included a couple of pictures of the log 6 days after I received it.So far, I am very happy with the development of the mushrooms on this log. In my research, I have found that Shiitake mushrooms require more fresh air than other mushroom varieties to keep the CO2 levels down. For what it's worth, I keep my greenhouse at 89%-94% humidity and the temperature ranges from 67-70 degrees. The 3rd and 4th pictures were taken at 11 days, only 5 days after the first two. A couple of these mushrooms will need to be harvested within the next day or so before they dump a load of spores. I am so happy with this log, I have ordered two more of them. The 5th picture was taken on day 13. I harvested 10 of the mushrooms to make room for the others to grow larger. I also noticed the development of more baby shiitake mushrooms. The picture shows my harvest and what was left on the log.I sliced and sauteed the mushrooms in a little butter with garlic for 10 minutes. Since the mushrooms dehydrate while cooking, 1/4 cup of water should be added to the pan and they should be cooked for 3 more minutes to hydrate them. This prevents them from getting tough or rubbery. After cooking, they were meaty and similar to portabella mushrooms.In my research, I found out that the stems of the shiitake mushrooms are fibrous and not edible. So,they should be removed before cooking the mushrooms. I also found out that the stems can be frozen and saved for use in broths and soups to add flavor. Then they should be removed.UPDATE 03/18/19:I decided to buy two more of these shiitake logs. The two new logs started pinning within 3 days of setting them up, and these have even more mushrooms than the first log. The 6th picture shows the two additional logs This picture was taken 8 days after I set up the logs to grow. On the 10th day, I harvested over 1 1/2 pounds of mushrooms from the 2 mushroom logs. I would definitely recommend Root Mushroom Farm for purchasing shiitake mushroom logs that produce well. I currently have all 3 logs drying for a second flush.UPDATE 04/10/19:I found out the hard way that this block shouldn't be soaked for more than 24 hours for the 2nd flush, it falls apart. I have saved it to see if the spawn is viable for inoculating substrate. I will update this review as I learn about this log.UPDATE 04/21/19:The disintegrated log had no growth, so I disposed of it. The two logs I had left were soaked as recommended and set up for a second flush. Within a couple of days, they started growing a white fuzzy mold. I tried wiping it off, but this mold persisted. Within a few more days, both logs appeared to have a black coating that almost looked as though they had been dusted with charcoal. I contacted the seller who told me this was mold and to dispose of the logs.Although I did get one good flush from each of the 3 kits, in my opinion, with only one flush, the mushrooms I got were expensive. Because of this, I have reduced my star rating to 4 stars. Since I also have shiitake kits from other vendors that are now successfully producing a second flush, I don't believe the mold on the kits from this vendor was caused by anything that I did wrong. The seller was nice enough to replace one of the logs, which I did not expect. I believe that Root Mushroom Company is one that backs up their mushroom kits.I believe the mold was caused because the logs were too wet after being soaked. In the future, I will soak these only a couple of hours for subsequent flushes. I will update this review when I have additional information.I hope this review was helpful for you. I will up date this review with pictures and my opinion if it change.

The first crop was great, second flush didn't happen at all. I followed instructions to the letter with no results. Contacted the seller explaining my experience and asking for advice. The did not grant me the courtesy of a response.

AMAZING!! We followed the instructions and we got an amazing first flush, with huge, delicious shiitake mushrooms. Anyone who left a negative review most likely did not follow the instructions and how important it is for the mushrooms to be in a constantly cool, very humid environment. The mushrooms developed very quickly and within one week were at their maximum bloom and ready for enjoying. As long as you follow the instructions, these are incredibly easy mushrooms to grow, great for people wanting to start out with growing their own mushrooms. We sprayed ours down 3-5 times a day to get an awesome flush.-----UPDATE 7-11-18-------We tried the instructions for getting a second flush, and never got a second flush of mushrooms. The first flush was bountiful and delicious, but never did get it to grow any more than those.

In theory, I love this kit- I really enjoy growing my own food. The directions that come with the log are easy to follow and comprehensive. After the first flush of mushrooms, I was ecstatic- we had so many (enough to make a meal from). I carefully followed the directions, allowing it to "hibernate", putting it in the fridge, soaking it, expecting to get a similar second flush (and hopefully third!). Unfortunately, on the second flush I only got 3 mushroom caps- nice, but not enough to do much with. If I had gotten the same number of mushrooms as the first time, I would be raving about this log, but just a single harvest isn't really worth the money it costs to purchase the log.

Shipping was fast and the block was ready to fruit immediately. Within a about 2 days it started pinning and full fruits shortly after that. I grew these in a mini greenhouse fruiting chamber next to some oysters. The mushrooms were delicious and a ton of fun to grow. This was a great way to learn how to grow one of my favorite mushrooms.

I had mushrooms sprouting after only a day or two of unboxing. After a week or so, I had about 14 beautiful mushrooms. I harvested them all at once and immediately sauteed some in butter. What a great flavor and consistency! I stored the remaining mushrooms in a paper bag in the refrigerator for a couple of days until they were used as well.After harvest, I cleaned the log per directions, and soaked it in water. The log is now spending 4 days in the dark, so, it's too soon to see if I'l get any additional mushrooms from a second spawn. Even if I don't get any, I'm still quite pleased with the kit.Overall, it seems like a pricey way to get mushrooms, so I won't do it on a regular basis. However, it does give you fresh beautiful mushrooms in a short time. I think it's a an outstanding gift for a foodie or for yourself once or twice a year.Highly satisfied; I very much recommend this.

They grow unbelievably fast. First pic was on 5/13/2018, second pic was today (5/15)! Already wondering if there's something I can do to get them growing again once the party is over. I bought another as a gift and sent to my brother as well.

The log grew even better than I expected! I had ordered two packages of two logs from a different company and never even got a pin mushroom. I was skeptical when I ordered this log. I was also skeptical of the claim of more than one flush (bloom if you will) but the claim was indeed true. Here is a pic of mu log.