Shipping Now Available! Get 1-2 Day Local Delivery! 408-227-7272 - DIRECTIONS
Your cart is currently empty
Product image slideshow Items
Available in store
Close| Skill level | Experimental |
| Grow location | Outdoors |
| Spawn shelf life | 6 months (refrigerated) |
| Incubation | 12-24 months |
| Fruiting temps | 55-70°F |
| Best log type | See wood chart below |
Chicken of the woods (Laetiporus sulphureus) produces large, bright orange, multi-layered fruiting bodies with a texture reminiscent of chicken. When cooked, these mushrooms are juicy, succulent, and meaty with a mild, lemony aroma.
Chicken of the woods can be difficult to cultivate, and is therefore recommended for enthusiast growers who have had some success with other more advanced species or are looking to experiment and try new methods.
Because chicken of the woods is not a strong competitor, it requires a different cultivation strategy. Inoculation works best when logs are steam sterilized, incubated and colonized in filter patch bags, then removed from bags and partially buried in a shaded spot.
Each outdoor log kit contains:
Note: Dowel may be fluted or spiral. Aside from being kiln dried, our wooden dowels are not treated in any other way.
Chicken of the Woods wood chart:
| BEST WOOD SPECIES* | White Oak, Red Oak, Bur Oak |
| OTHER SUITABLE SPECIES | None recommended |
| AVOID | All other woods |
That's not mold, it's mycelium!
Your kit includes plug spawn colonized with mushroom mycelium. It may appear covered with a soft, white, mold-like substance - that's the mushroom mycelium! It is completely normal. The mycelium of some species is more prominent than others.
Chicken of the woods does best in oak logs. However, it should be noted that chicken of the woods is prone to being out-competed by other fungi. For this reason, we recommend the following:
To limit competition and increase the chances of success, we strongly recommend sterilizing 8" by 8" segments of oak log in a pressure cooker or steam sterilizer before inoculation. Incubate your sterilized log segments for a few months in XL sealed filter patch bags until they are completely colonized. After colonization period, logs should be removed from bags and partially buried under 2 inches of top soil. The mushrooms will fruit from logs and emerge out of the soil.
(You can sterilize your log segments in a 22 qt or larger pressure cooker such as an All-American.)
If you don't plan to use immediately, you can refrigerate your spawn for up to 6 months.
Be sure to harvest chicken of the woods mushrooms when young to avoid a brittle texture. When cooked, they have a meaty, slightly lemony, flavor with a texture similar to chicken. The tougher outer pieces are best dried and used in soups or risottos or ground down to make rubs. The more tender, center pieces are delicious when sauteed with garlic, onions, salt, and olive oil. (A splash of white wine is nice, too!)
If you’re going to consume home-grown mushrooms, make sure to cook your fresh mushrooms thoroughly with heat. If it is your first time eating this species, it is best to start with a small amount to check for allergies, even if cooked.
