Spawn may take two to three weeks to ship depending on availability. 

Chestnut Mushroom Cultivation

Pholiota adiposa: A popular cultivated mushroom in Japan, the Chestnut mushroom has small brown caps resembling the color of their namesake nut.

Chestnut spawn comes in three distinct styles:

Plug Spawn - Great for first time mushroom log growers. Used for small projects. 1-10 logs.

Sawdust Spawn - Used for larger mushroom log projects, or by those wanting to inoculate logs every year. Used for small to large enthusiast or commercial projects. Best for inoculating 10 or more logs. *You need an Inoculation Tool to use Sawdust Spawn! For larger projects you may want to purchase an Angle Grinder Adapter and specialized 12mm drill bit!

Grain Spawn - Indoor Commercial Production only. 

Inoculation:

On Logs - Chestnuts work well with the Stump and Log methods on maple and oak logs. After a 1-year colonization period above ground, Chestnut logs may be buried under 2 inches of top soil. Mushrooms fruit from logs and will emerge from the soil. *CHESTNUTS HAVE POISONOUS LOOK ALIKES, BE SURE TO PROPERLY IDENTIFY THEM! BE FAMILIAR WITH THE DEADLY Galerina autumnalis.

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

Indoor Commerical Production - Chestnut mushroom grain spawn can be mixed into sterilized hardwood sawdust to create Chestnut substrate blocks. This process requires a fair amount of infrastructure. We recommend purchasing a book on mushroom cultivation if you are interested in pursuing this style of mushroom production as a hobby or profession. We recommend 'Radical Mycology: A Treatise on Seeing and Working with Fungi' by Peter McCoy, 'Organic Mushroom Farming and Mycoremediation' by Tradd Cotter, or 'Growing Gourmet and Medicinal Mushrooms' by Paul Stamets. 

Difficulty: Intermediate

Chestnut mushrooms aren't too difficult to cultivate, but pose some minor challenges with identification. Not a great mushroom for first time cultivators or those unfamiliar with how to properly identify different mushrooms species. However, this species can be quite rewarding to grow and can be produced commercially.

Cooking: Once cultivated, the Chestnut mushroom has a full flavor that is evoked with thorough cooking. We recommend you use its rich, nutty flavor as a compliment to autumn soups. 

Properties: The Chestnut mushroom has medicinal qualities that inhibit tumor and microbial growth. In one study conducted on lab mice, polysaccharides taken from Chestnut mushroom mycelium reduced the growth of cancerous tumors by about 60% (Ohtsuka et al., 1973). Acting as an antimicrobial, an extract of Chestnut mushroom was shown to inhibit the growth of bacteria including E. coli and Staphylococcus aureus (Dulger et al., 2002).