Shiitake 3790 Mushroom - 2.2KG Ready To Fruit Block

Up to twelve weeks on our racks before it reaches you — so all you have to do is soak it and wait for the caps. Shiitake (Lentinula edodes) is the most widely grown gourmet mushroom in the world, and the slowest block we produce. Before a shiitake block will fruit, the mycelium has to fully colonise the substrate, mature, and grow its own brown protective skin. That takes 10–12 weeks, compared with just a few weeks for an oyster. We do all of that waiting here on the farm. This is a 2.2 KG ready-to-fruit block: fully colonised, fully browned, and sealed in its bag. Grown, sterilised and matured right here on Tamborine Mountain on hardwood with organic certified wheat bran — not imported, not repackaged, not resold. Take the bag off, soak the block in cold water, and the flush begins. Why growers and chefs wait for this one Fully browned before dispatch The long wait is done for you. A shiitake block that is triggered before it has browned produces little or nothing. This is the most common reason home-grown shiitake fails. Every block we send has already finished its 10–12 week incubation and browning phase, so it arrives ready to fruit rather than weeks away from it. Note, some patches of white may be present, this will not affect fruiting. Fruits from the whole block Bag off. No cutting. Unlike our oyster blocks, shiitake fruits with the bag removed completely. The brown skin holds moisture in, so the block stands naked in the fruiting space, and caps can emerge from the top and every side at once. A cold-weather strain Made for the cool months. Our preferred strain fruits at 10–18°C. Cool temperatures give thick-fleshed, dense caps that develop slowly. In cold, drier air, the cap surface can crack into the pale, patterned "flower" look that chefs pay a premium for. Re-flushes on a simple cycle Harvest, rest, soak, repeat. After each harvest the block rests and dries for a couple of weeks. Then another cold soak sets off the next flush. The routine is easy to fit around a working week, and a well-kept block gives several flushes before it's spent. What you’ll notice Thick, chestnut-brown caps with a firm, meaty bite and deep savoury flavour A bumpy, brown, slightly leathery block. That's the protective skin doing its job, not a problem Pins appearing across the whole surface within about a week of the first cold soak Mushrooms that keep well in the fridge and dry beautifully, with flavour that gets stronger when dried Several flushes from one block, each started by a fresh soak Why shiitake takes so long: Shiitake is a hardwood decomposer. In the wild it grows on fallen oak and chinquapin logs, and its Japanese name comes from the shii tree it grows on. Before it will fruit, it has to colonise the block and then mature. First the block turns lumpy as the mycelium "popcorns". Then the surface slowly turns brown and forms a tough, bark-like skin. That skin holds moisture in, keeps competing moulds out, and tells you the block is ready to fruit. Trigger a block before the skin has formed and you'll get little or nothing, which is why we don't ship them until they're fully browned. Why a cold soak starts the flush: Wild shiitake fruits after heavy autumn rain and a drop in temperature. A short, cold soak recreates both. The water rehydrates the surface of a block that has slowly dried over months of incubation, and the chill signals the mycelium to switch from growing to fruiting. Keep it brief: 5–10 minutes is plenty, and a longer soak can waterlog the block. Between flushes the block needs to rest and partly dry out, so the next soak works as a fresh signal. Why this substrate: Hardwood supplies the lignin and cellulose shiitake is built to break down. Organic certified wheat bran at 20% adds the nitrogen, minerals and B-vitamins that feed a long incubation and dense caps. That's toward the upper end for shiitake, so the block has fuel for more than one flush. A small addition of gypsum and chalk (3%) supplies calcium and helps keep the block's pH steady over the months it spends maturing. How to fruit your block Site it cool → remove the bag → cold soak → keep it humid → harvest as the caps open → rest and dry → soak again Fruiting conditions at a glance Fruiting temperature 10–18°C. This is a cold-weather strain, best in autumn, winter and early spring. It will not fruit reliably in warm weather Fruiting trigger Soak the unbagged block in cold water for 5–10 minutes maximum. The colder the water, the stronger the signal Humidity 90–95% while pins form, then 80–90% as the caps develop Fresh air Moderate. Shiitake is more tolerant of still air than oysters, but give it a daily air change Light Bright but indirect, roughly 12 hours a day. Never direct sun. Light deepens cap colour Time to first pins 5–10 days after the soak Pin to harvest ~7–12 days. Slower in cooler conditions First-flush yield 350–500 g under good conditions Total flushes 2–4, with a rest-and-soak cycle between each. Roughly 500–800 g over the life of the block Step by step 1. Find a cool, bright spot. 10–18°C with bright indirect light, out of direct sun and drying draughts. A cool spare room, garage, shaded verandah or laundry all work well through the cooler months. Above this range the block will simply wait. 2. Remove the bag completely. Cut the bag away and lift the block out. Don't worry about brown liquid in the bag, or a bumpy, leathery, patchy-brown surface. Both are normal signs of a mature block. Pour the liquid away. If pins have already formed during transit, skip the soak and go straight to step 4. 3. Cold soak for 5–10 minutes, no longer. Submerge the whole block in a bucket or tub of cold water. Weigh it down with a plate or a jug of water, because it will float. Use water as cold as you can get it. In winter, tap water is usually enough; in milder weather, add ice. Drain well afterwards. 4. Keep it humid. Stand the block upright on a tray, and tent it loosely with a clear bag or place it in a tub with a loose lid. Mist the inside of the tent, not the block itself, 2–3 times a day, and open it daily for fresh air. Aim for 90–95% while pins form, then ease back once the caps are growing. 5. Harvest as the caps open. Pick each mushroom when the cap is mostly open but the edge is still curled slightly under. Twist and pull from the base, or cut close to the block. Shiitake don't all mature on the same day, so pick them one at a time as each is ready. 6. Rest, then soak again. Once the flush is finished, clean off any stubs and leave the block uncovered, with no misting, for about 2 weeks so it can recover and partly dry out. Then repeat the 5–10 minute cold soak and go back to step 4. When a soak no longer produces pins, or the block turns soft and crumbly, it's spent. Break it up into your compost or garden beds. What to expect from each flush Flush Timing What to expect 1st Pins 5–10 days after the first soak · harvest ~day 12–22 350–500 g. The largest flush, with the thickest caps 2nd ~2 week rest, then soak again Usually a little smaller, with fewer but still solid caps 3rd–4th ~2 week rest and soak before each Lighter again. Keep going for as long as the block keeps pinning Yields vary with temperature, humidity and how well the block is rested between flushes. The figures above are typical for a block fruited in good conditions. 🍳 In the kitchen Rich, savoury and unmistakably umami, with a dense, meaty texture that holds up to long cooking. Trim off the stems, which are too fibrous to eat, and save them for stock, where they add a lot of flavour. Slice the caps thickly and sear them hard, or leave them whole for grilling, braises, ramen and stir-fries. Shiitake is one of the few mushrooms that is arguably better dried. Drying concentrates the flavour and develops its characteristic aroma. Try laying fresh caps gills-up in the sun for an hour or two before cooking or drying. Mushrooms exposed to UV light can build up vitamin D. Storage & handling If you can’t fruit straight away, store the sealed block somewhere cool and dark below 18°C for up to 2 weeks. Handle it gently, because the mycelium inside is alive and ready to go. Leave the bag on until you're ready to soak. Once the bag comes off, the block wants water, humidity and air. A cool trip in the post can occasionally trigger a few pins inside the bag. If you see them, open the block and start fruiting straight away. 📦 Shipping in warm weather: We strongly recommend using Express Post during the warmer months to minimise heat stress in transit. Select at checkout. Ordering for a farm or a kitchen? Shiitake is one of the most recognised and consistently demanded gourmet mushrooms, and it sells well both fresh and dried. Bulk pricing is available from 10 blocks. Each block takes 10–12 weeks to colonise and brown, so larger orders need to be planned ahead. Orders of 4 or more Shiitake blocks are made to order, and we'll confirm your dispatch date once the order is placed. Get in touch for commercial pricing and standing orders. Perfect for Home growers who want shiitake without the months-long wait · restaurants and chefs after a reliable local supply · market gardeners adding a high-demand cool-season crop · small commercial farms diversifying beyond oysters · anyone who dries or preserves their own mushrooms. What’s inside the block Australian hardwood pellets (Tasmanian Oak sawdust) Organic certified wheat bran (20%) Gypsum and chalk (3%) Filtered rain water Shiitake organic certified grain spawn (Lentinula edodes) ~2.2 KG block, sterilised, fully colonised and browned with Shiitake mycelium before dispatch. No fillers, no additives, just substrate and mycelium. More ready-to-fruit blocks Variety Character Chestnut Golden-brown clusters with a nutty, crisp bite. Another premium hardwood-lover View Black Pearl King Oyster Thick king-style stems and near-black caps. A cool-weather partner for shiitake View Pioppino Crunchy stems and nutty caps, the Italian kitchen's mushroom of choice View Italian Oyster Heat-tolerant, and the summer counterpart when shiitake won't fruit View New to growing? Shiitake is straightforward once it arrives browned, but it rewards patience and a cool space. If this is your first block, start with the Pearl Oyster Mushroom Kit, a faster, more forgiving variety in a beginner-friendly boxed format. The Kai Kai Farm story Kai Kai Farm is a family operation on Tamborine Mountain in Queensland’s Scenic Rim. We grow gourmet mushrooms commercially, including oysters, lion’s mane, pioppino, chestnut and shiitake, and we sell blocks cut from the same production we fruit ourselves. We’re growers, not resellers. Every block is mixed, sterilised and colonised here on the mountain, using methods refined over years of commercial gourmet and medicinal mushroom production. What arrives at your door is genuinely fresh: inoculated, colonised and packed to order, with verified contamination-free cultures and full transparency from substrate to shelf. Shiitake asks more of us than anything else we grow. It needs months on the racks, careful handling through the browning phase, and a lot of patience. We do that part so you don't have to. Whether you're fruiting a single block in a cool spare room or supplying a restaurant through winter, this is the block we grow ourselves. ⛺ No humid room? No problem. Ready-to-fruit blocks need high humidity and steady fresh air to produce full, well-formed flushes — and dry indoor air is the most common reason a block underperforms. Our Mini Pop-Up Mushroom Grow Tent creates that environment anywhere in the house: the clear cover holds humidity around your block, the zip front lets you dial in airflow, and there’s room to fruit several blocks at once. Pops up in seconds, folds flat between grows.