Growing Blue Oyster Mushrooms at Home
Have you ever wanted to grow gourmet mushrooms at home? You can! Many people like me have found growing their own mushrooms to be a truly rewarding experience and those that haven't probably just need a few tips to make it happen.
I've found that I can grow these beautiful giant mushrooms for about 1/3 of the cost of purchasing them fresh from specialty markets and it takes very little effort.
I purchased my first mushroom block recently at a farmers market and the merchant was very helpful with information about how to successfully grow them.
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It helps to have a place in your home with the right growing conditions so pay attention to the light, air flow and temperatures in the various areas of your home where you have the space to grow them.
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You need to have a space about 18" square where your mushrooms will receive at least 6 hours of good indirect light. Mine do get a short amount of direct light but it's never too strong or for more than a few hours. It's a myth that mushrooms want a super cool dark place. Think about the mushrooms that pop up in your yard in direct sun. It certainly happens in my yard but I'm never very sure about identifying them so I leave them alone.
The next very important thing is moisture. To insure your mushrooms get enough moisture you need to do two things.
1. Cover the mushroom block that has been slit open on the top about 4 inches wide, with a plastic tent using chopsticks and a gallon sized zip top freezer bag. Split open both sides of the bag and remove the zipper from the top as illustrated in the picture above. Leave open the sides for good air circulation.
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2. Keep a clean spray bottle filled with water nearby so that you will be easily able to spray the inside of the plastic tent with water regularly. I live in a very warm dry climate so this means I need to spritz the plastic sheet (Not the block or growing mushrooms) at least twice a day.
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It's also important to keep your mushroom block in a place that is not being blown by heating or air conditioning sources as these can be drying. Also, fluctuations in temperatures might too great. Most regular household temperatures are just perfect for growing mushrooms. My home is generally 65 to 75 degrees as we have gas heat and central air conditioning.
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Just look at all the gorgeous Blue Oyster mushrooms I've been getting! The block produces it's first flush of mushrooms from pins that pop up in the center of the open slit about 2-3 weeks after you slit the top and begin spraying the tent with water regularly.
It's miraculous how quickly they grow once the pins appear! The flush will develop into a large number of fungi in about 5 days. You'll want to remove the flush before the largest mushrooms spread their gills completely by pulling the whole cluster right off the block.
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One block should produce at least 2-3 or perhaps 4 flushes! That's a lot of mushrooms. I purchased this block from a local mushroom farmer but these are quite easily purchased online if you don't have access to someone in your area. They vary widely in price depending on the variety and such but usually they will be between $15 and $30 dollars for one block.
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So now that you've grown some beautiful and delicious gourmet mushrooms, what can you do with them?
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We love this simple recipe that really highlights the mushrooms so you can enjoy the delicate savory flavor and texture that makes gourmet mushrooms so special.
Simple Blue Oyster Mushroom
Snap Pea Stir-fry
First chop the mushrooms into 1 1/2 inch pieces, then slice a handful of sweet snap peas in half. For this dish I used about 1 1/2 cups of mushrooms to 2/3 cup sliced snap peas.
Heat a pan to medium heat and add 1 tablespoon of olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon of sesame oil or butter and 1 teaspoon minced garlic.
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Stir fry the garlic for 20 seconds, then add the mushrooms and snap peas.
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Stir fry for about 2 more minutes unless you use wild oysters.
Wild mushrooms should be cooked thoroughly at least 15 minutes before adding the snap peas and then stir fry 2 minutes more.
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Enjoy!
Gourmet mushrooms make a fantastic side dish but are also outstanding for vegan or vegetarian meals. This recipe would be fantastic for a super fast meatless Monday meal, just add rice or another favorite grain.
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Cheers!
~Melisa
If you enjoyed this post you might like these!
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How to Grow and Harvest Garlic
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How to Ferment Kefir
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Sourdough Pull Apart Rolls
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How to Make Rose Hip Vinegar
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Everyday Sourdough Bread
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Simple Blue Oyster Mushroom
Snap Pea Stir-fry
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups of mushrooms chopped to about 1 1/2 inches
2/3 cup snap peas sliced in half
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil or butter
Method
Heat a pan to medium heat and add 1 tablespoon of olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon of sesame oil or butter and 1 teaspoon minced garlic.
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Stir fry the garlic for 20 seconds, then add the mushrooms and snap peas.
Stir fry for about 2 more minutes unless you use wild oysters. Wild mushrooms should be cooked thoroughly at least 15 minutes before adding the snap peas and then stir fry 2 minutes more.
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