Chestnut mushrooms are a handsome, hardwood-loving fungi that make a delicious addition to soups and salads. Also known as the cinnamon cap or fat pholiota, growing this shaggy clustering variety can be a tricky but rewarding experience. We’ll get to know this relatively unknown mushroom and see if we can’t convince you to grow some yourself!
Description
The chestnut mushroom (Pholiota adiposa) highlighted here has a number of look-alike species in addition to numerous similarly-named species. It is not to be confused with the widely available cremini mushroom (Agaricus bisporus), known by many common names including chestnut mushroom in Europe, or Hypholoma lateritium, the edible brick cap or chestnut mushroom of Eastern North America. It is absolutely not Galerina marginata, formerly G. autumnalis, the autumn skullcap, a deadly poisonous look-alike with a smooth brown cap. The key to distinguishing our chestnut’s identification lies in its scientific name: pholiota, Latin for “scaly,” referring to the shaggy scales seen atop mature fruit bodies, and adiposa refers to the fatty, or greasy appearance of the mushroom when wet. It grows in short (less than 4-inch-tall), dense clusters, with several mushrooms radiating outward from a single point, progressing in color from dull yellow to their namesake chestnut brown with age. Caps remain relatively small, or about 5 inches in diameter when mature. Spore print is reddish brown.
Galerina marginata DEADLY POISONOUS
Hypholoma lateritium
Ecology
Chestnut mushrooms are found throughout the Northern Hemisphere from North America to Europe and northern Asia and have been foraged as food in Japan for centuries. They are both parasitic and saprophytic, feeding on partially dead and decaying hardwood trees with European beech trees (Fagus sylvatica) a favored food in Europe. Look for them most often on stumps, fallen logs, or at the base of living trees such as beech, aspen and maple.
Difficulty for Outdoor Cultivation: Intermediate
Our cultures: We offer a number of chestnut spawn and culture products including top-fruiting grow kits, outdoor log kits, grain, plug, and sawdust spawn, liquid culture, and culture plates.
Preferred Growing Methods
Chestnut Mushrooms can be cultivated using a variety of methods. Combine our grain spawn with a Wood Lovr Monotub Kit or use a grow kit in a BoomRoom indoors or drill and fill logs using our plug spawn outside. If you want to try growing chestnuts in the out-of-doors, we recommend trenching or burying your logs to replicate the natural environment these decomposers love. As a reminder from our species spotlight on reishi, trenching is relatively simple and involves digging out an area in a shaded location at a depth of half the width of your logs but wide and long enough for them to fit comfortably when they are next to each other (see image). Once finished, the logs should look like a raft. Once the logs are in place, pack the dug soil between and around the logs until only the top surface is exposed. Water the area so the material around the logs compacts and add more if necessary. We recommend waiting until the logs are well colonized before burying them, which you can check by looking at their cut ends to see if they are covered in dull yellowish-white chestnut mushroom mycelium. Colonization is a lengthy process and depending on the size of your cut logs, it may take 6 months to a year for full colonization to take place prior to log burial. As always with log inoculation, use freshly cut wood and avoid felling trees after spring bud break through full leaf out. Click here for more information on timing wood harvest and inoculation, and here for more information on which logs to use for chestnut plug spawn outdoors.
Trenching mimics the natural growing conditions of saprophytic fungi like chestnut mushrooms.
Fruiting & Harvesting
If cultivating chestnut mushroom indoors on a grow kit or in a monotub, keep in mind that this species is adapted to cooler temperatures and will colonize, pin, and produce mushrooms between 60 and 70 degrees F. If using a fruiting block kit, wait until the block begins to turn orange within its bag before initiating fruiting, which may take between 2 and 3 weeks. Tightly fold excess plastic back and place the block face up. Slice diagonally or cut X across the entire top or if you prefer, you can side-fruit the block by turning the block on its side. Chestnuts can be slow to grow a second flush. To prolong shelf life, harvest before the veil breaks while the mushrooms are still cup-shaped, that is, prior to them flattening out. Harvest the cap and stem clusters close to their base.
Medicinal Qualities
Generally, mushrooms are a rich, low-calorie source of fiber, protein, and antioxidants. They may mitigate the risk of developing serious health conditions, such as Alzheimer's, heart disease, cancer, and diabetes and can serve as an ethical and sustainable meat replacement. Research suggests that chestnut mushrooms may possess immune-boosting and antibacterial properties, and one study isolated an antioxidant compound from P. adiposa that may inhibit HIV replication.
Cooking
The chestnut mushroom is a versatile ingredient with a unique flavor and texture profile. It is both nutty and sweet with a peppery finish, and the stems retain a crisp, crunchy texture similar to asperagus after cooking. These qualities make it an excellent addition to risottos, meat or tofu dishes, and in stews, soups and fried dishes, and even in pastries. In a recent article, we highlighted 5 different recipes that call for chestnut mushrooms including a soup, roast, cheese topper, salad, and in pickling. The possibilities are truly endless! If it is your first time eating this species, it is best to start with a small amount as some folks experience gastrointestinal upset. Be sure to wash your hands after handling and preparing chestnut mushrooms as they can stain orange.
Do you have a favorite chestnut mushroom recipe? Add it in the comments below!
Grow your own chestnut mushrooms at home!
References
Brennan, Dan. “Health Benefits of Mushrooms” WebMD 9/17/2020. https://www.webmd.com/diet/health-benefits-mushrooms#:~:text=Mushrooms%20are%20a%20rich%2C%20low,Selenium
Shimizu, K. et al. (2003) “Morphological features and dietary functional components in fruit bodies of two strains of pholiota adiposa grown on artificial beds,” Journal of Wood Science, 49(2), pp. 193–196. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1007/s100860300031.
Wang, C.R. et al. (2014) “First report on isolation of methyl gallate with antioxidant, anti-HIV-1 and HIV-1 enzyme inhibitory activities from a mushroom (pholiota adiposa),” Environmental Toxicology and Pharmacology, 37(2), pp. 626–637. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.etap.2014.01.023.