Mushroom-Loving Men and Shiitake Mushroom Gift Logs – A Good Match for Father's Day

June 3, 2015 - Shiitake farmer Doug Williams of Lost Creek Mushroom Farm has been watching those deep-brown shiitake mushrooms bloom on hardwood logs since 1988. He never tires of watching them, harvesting them, cooking and eating them. "For dads who love to grow things or love mushrooms, our shiitake mushroom log kits are a great idea for Father's Day."

The logs grow indoors like plants or outside in shade and will grow mushrooms for every two months for years, with larger yields as the logs mature. With two logs, shiitake kit growers can harvest every month by alternating the fruiting log.

According to Doug, "In the second and third years the logs can be covered with mushrooms." To fruit the log, "Soak it log in ice water and in 6-10 days pick your gourmet mushrooms." Logs require regular soaking every two weeks in non-chlorinated water.

Doug's wife Sandra, The Mushroom Lady, added, "We feel like we're the Mushroom Lover's supply house for Father's Day: fathers, grandfathers, sons, brothers, nephews, friends – the gardeners, and the ones who love mushrooms. With prices from $18 to $90, there's a kit to fit every budget."

The 'Shroomie is a 6-inch log for $18. The Single 10" log is $30; the Single 12" log is $37. The Ma & Pa Kit, with two 10" logs is $50.

"The Cadillac of our kits," Sandra said, "is the Original Tray Kit at $50. It's a 14-inch log with its own tray for soaking, fruiting, and resting the log between fruitings. The Best Buy is two Tray Kits sent to the same address for $90 – get mushrooms every month. I like to say, give one as a gift and keep one for yourself!"

Lost Creek Mushroom Farm Shiitake Log Kits come with a ready-to-fruit, all-natural hardwood log cut from oaks and similar woods, and include instructions and recipes. All kits over 9 inches long are fully guaranteed to fruit.

Shiitake mushroom kits are available online at www.shiitakemushroomlog.com and at Amazon.com at slightly higher prices. Order or request a free brochure from Lost Creek Mushroom Farm, PO Box 520, Perkins, OK 74059, or by calling 1-800-792-0053. Phone orders are the easiest for people who want to send log kits to several people.

A portion of sales go to Sandra and Doug's Mushrooms in Ghana Project, a program of their Mushrooms for Well Being Foundation, promoting small-farm mushroom production in Ghana, West Africa.