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Close| Skill level | Intermediate |
| 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 |
Lion’s Mane (Hericium erinaceus) is a nutritious medicinal mushroom that produces plump white clusters with icicle-like teeth. When cooked, it has a consistency and flavor similar to crab meat.
Though slightly harder to get flushes than oysters or shiitake, they are still a great outdoor mushroom for intermediate growers. They colonize slowly but are relatively reliable producers.
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.
Lion's Mane wood chart:
| BEST WOOD SPECIES* | Beech, Hornbeam, Hard Maple |
| OTHER SUITABLE SPECIES | Alder, Aspen, Birch, Black Walnut, Box Elder, Cherry, Chestnut, Cottonwood, Elm, Hackberry, Mulberry, Oak, Soft Maple, Sweetgum |
| AVOID | Hemlock, Pine |
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.
Ordering a log kit with a voucher allows you to redeem your plug spawn at a later date. Vouchers make a great gift and are good for projects beyond a 3 month start date.
Ordering a kit with live spawn is best for projects that will be done within 3 months of ordering.
Plug spawn is living and perishable. It can live unrefrigerated for up to three months, or refrigerated for up to 6 months.
Lion’s mane prefers the Totem Method, though it can work with Log or Stump methods. (Yields tend to be smaller with log or stump methods). Colonization is 12-24 months and fruits in the fall. Lion’s mane prefers maple but can grow on many hardwood species and on logs with large or small diameters.
For our complete plug spawn pamphlet, click here.
If you don't plan to use immediately, you can refrigerate your spawn for up to 6 months.
"5 of the Best Ways to Cook Lion's Mane Mushrooms"
Its unique flavor and consistency make it ideal as a seafood substitute in recipes. We like to slice it into rounds and pan-fry it in olive oil or butter. We also recommend ripping it up and making vegan or vegetarian crab cakes with it. You can find some amazing recipes online!
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.
