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Clearspring Shiitake [1] are grown using traditional methods on logs in the humid forests of southern Japan, then hand-harvested and sun dried at their peak of vitality.
The process begins with the cutting of fresh logs in early autumn, when the carbohydrate level in the wood is ideal for shiitake growth. In each metre long log about twenty, evenly spaced holes are drilled, filled with wood chips and shiitake spores, and then sealed with hot wax.
The logs are carefully positioned under trees in the forest and over the time the shiitake mycelium penetrates each log with the first crop of shiitake begin to push through the bark by the following autumn. From just one inoculation, each log can be expected to produce a crop of shiitake each spring and autumn for three to five years until it has completely decayed.
When the mushrooms appear, the precise harvesting time is critical. If they are left on the log too long, they will completely open and shed their spores, producing shiitake that are flat, dark and lacking in vitality.
After harvesting, Clearspring Shiitake are sun-dried to concentrate and preserve their delicate, woody flavour and goodness for year-round use.
In contrast to this traditional log method, most shiitake today are grown on nutrient-enriched sawdust blocks in a temperature-controlled environment, never seeing the light of day. Whilst this rapid-cycle system produces high yields, traditional growers claim that shiitake exposed to the rigours of the natural environment will have a more concentrated goodness and flavour.
The process begins with the cutting of fresh logs in early autumn, when the carbohydrate level in the wood is ideal for shiitake growth. In each metre long log about twenty, evenly spaced holes are drilled, filled with wood chips and shiitake spores, and then sealed with hot wax.
The logs are carefully positioned under trees in the forest and over the time the shiitake mycelium penetrates each log with the first crop of shiitake begin to push through the bark by the following autumn. From just one inoculation, each log can be expected to produce a crop of shiitake each spring and autumn for three to five years until it has completely decayed.
When the mushrooms appear, the precise harvesting time is critical. If they are left on the log too long, they will completely open and shed their spores, producing shiitake that are flat, dark and lacking in vitality.
After harvesting, Clearspring Shiitake are sun-dried to concentrate and preserve their delicate, woody flavour and goodness for year-round use.
In contrast to this traditional log method, most shiitake today are grown on nutrient-enriched sawdust blocks in a temperature-controlled environment, never seeing the light of day. Whilst this rapid-cycle system produces high yields, traditional growers claim that shiitake exposed to the rigours of the natural environment will have a more concentrated goodness and flavour.