Shiitake Mushroom (Lentinula edodes) Grain Master For sale is a 1-quart jar of Shiitake Mushroom Spawn. This is a generation 1 grain master mushroom spawn jar used for expansion of isolate mycelium, optimized for spawn run times and bio efficiency. Out Grow has isolated this Shiitake culture as a block production strain, selected for even browning and a predictable first flush rather than for log inoculation. What a G1 Grain Master Is A grain master is a jar of fully colonized grain made to be transferred, not consumed. Generation 1 means the mycelium in this jar came directly from one of our agar plates rather than from another bag of grain, so it sits one step from the culture library instead of three or four. That matters because every transfer is another opportunity for contamination to ride along, and because a G1 jar still has the full expansion runway ahead of it. One quart can seed several more quarts of sterile grain, and those can seed your bulk substrate. How to Use This Jar Rest, break, recover, transfer. This is grain spawn for sterilized sawdust blocks. Do not use it to inoculate logs, which require plug or sawdust spawn and a completely different workflow. Expand into fresh grain or spawn to sterilized supplemented hardwood sawdust. Shiitake Growing Conditions Shiitake colonizes grain in 10 to 14 days, then the sterilized sawdust block goes through a browning phase over several weeks where the surface develops a dark leathery skin. That skin is the block maturing and is what precedes a strong first flush. Fruit at 50 to 70F, with the best quality in the middle of that band, and many growers cold shock the colonized block to bring pins on together. This strain is selected for block production on sterilized supplemented hardwood sawdust. For log cultivation use plug or sawdust spawn instead, which is a different product and a different workflow. Spawn run 70 to 75F Grain colonization 10 to 14 days Fruiting temperature 50 to 70F Substrates Sterilized supplemented hardwood sawdust, hardwood pellets Difficulty Intermediate Season Cool to moderate Note Do not use grain spawn for log inoculation Storage and Shelf Life Refrigerate at 35 to 40F. Warm to room temperature for a day before transferring. Do not freeze. In the Kitchen Dry sear, never boil. Shiitake releases water fast and turns rubbery if you steam it. The stems are tough but make excellent stock. Dried and rehydrated it is a different and arguably better ingredient than fresh. Guarantee and Live Shipping Every jar is inspected before it leaves our lab and guaranteed to arrive alive and contamination free. If it does not, photograph the jar sealed and unopened and contact us within 48 hours of delivery for a replacement or refund. Live spawn is temperature sensitive, so we hold shipments during extreme heat and cold rather than sending something that will not survive the trip. Browse the rest of the mushroom spawn collection. Related Resources Mushroom Spawn Collection Mushroom Species Library Shiitake (Lentinula edodes) Species Guide Shiitake (Lentinula edodes) Grow Guide Related Mushroom Spawn Morel Mushroom Spawn Beech Mushroom Spawn Maitake Mushroom Spawn Wine Cap Mushroom Spawn
