Shiitake Mushroom Gift Log Kits for Mushroom-Loving Moms

April 30, 2015 - "Mother's Day is a celebration for the women who raised us and love us, our mothers, grandmothers, aunts, and friends," said The Mushroom Lady, Sandra Williams of Lost Creek Mushroom Farm. "Giving a log kit to a mushroom lover or a gardener shows thoughtfulness, that it was chosen especially for her, because mushrooms are what she enjoys."

Gardener, gourmet, or a woman who just loves her 'shrooms, a shiitake mushroom log kit from Lost Creek Mushroom Farm is a unique idea, a big surprise and a gift that brings in those favorite fungi treats for years.

Log kits from Lost Creek Mushroom Farm contain a section of a hardwood tree seeded with shiitakes and ready to grow. They can pop out fresh, organic gourmet mushrooms every two months for 3-4 years. The logs grow inside like plants or outside in shade. Soaking a log in ice water "shocks" it into producing mushrooms. (See how they do it here.)

"Spring and fall are their natural seasons and they'll be at their prime with temperatures in the 70s to 80s, and then they'll grow inside at room temperature," William explained. "At first there are just a few mushrooms. In the second and third years, the logs can be covered top to bottom, then harvests slowly taper down."

The logs require regular soaking in non-chlorinated, room-temperature water to keep the shiitake keep growing inside the log.

Priced from $18 to $90, kit options include the 6-inch 'Shroomie ($18), a 10" Single Log Kit ($30), a Ma & Pa Kit with two 10-inch logs ($50), and the Original Tray Kit, a 14" log with its own tray for soaking, growing and storing ($50, Best Buy 2 for $90 shipped to the same address). All kits include instructions and recipes. Logs over 9" are fully guaranteed to grow shiitakes. Prices include shipping.

"Two logs provide shiitakes every month by alternating the fruiting, or producing, log," Sandra said. "And every fruiting is fun."

Online orders are at www.shiitakemushroomlog.com, and at Amazon.com at slightly higher prices. Phone orders, brochures and more information are available at 1-800-792-0053.

Lost Creek Mushroom Farm donates a portion of sales to Mushrooms in Ghana Project, facilitating ways for mushroom farmers in that country to increase their production, profits, knowledge and skills.