LION'S MANE CULTIVATION

Hericium erinaceus: Lion's Mane produces a pure white cluster of icicle-like teeth and a consistency similar to crab meat.

Check out our Spawn FAQ to figure out what type of logs you can use!

Plug Spawn - Great for first time mushroom log growers. Your spawn pack can inoculate 1-2 4ft by 5 inch diameter logs.

Inoculation: Works well with both well-shaded logs and stumps. Colonization is 12-24 months and fruits in the fall. It prefers maple but can grow on many hardwood species and on logs with large or small diameters. 

Cooking: Due to its consistency and flavor, it can be used as a seafood substitute in recipes. We like to slice it into rounds and pan-fry it in olive oil or butter, or try ripping it up and making 'Lion's Mane Cakes' by following a crab cake recipe!

Difficulty: Intermediate

Lion's Mane mushrooms, though slightly harder to get flushes, are still a great mushroom for confident beginners or intermediates. They colonize quickly and are relatively reliable producers.

Properties: Lion's Mane is considered both an esteemed edible mushroom and a valuable medicinal and is currently being studied for its effects on neural health, Alzheimer's, and dementia. The mushroom contains a substance called erinacine, which has the ability to catalyze the production of nerve growth factor (NFG) and reduce the effects of Alzheimer's and other neurodegenerative disorders (Yamada et al., 1997). A study in Japan, on men aged 50-80 years old with mild cognitive impairment, suggests that Lion's Mane is effective at improving cognition. Subjects were split into two groups and half were given dry powdered Lion's Mane three times a day and observed over 16 weeks. At weeks 8, 12, and 16, the group taking Lion's Mane scored significantly better on a cognitive test than the other half in the placebo group (Mori et al., 2008). You can read more about this study here.