The shiitake are really liking this weather - cool overnight and warm during the day. They are also slowing down which means we've gotten to the place where we are still picking the mushrooms from last weekends force-fruiting (Sept 3-6) and the mushrooms from the recent force-fruiting (Sept 10-11) are starting to come on. We picked 160 pounds of shiitake just yesterday!
The cooler weather and slower growing may also be why we are getting some big, beautiful, monster shiitake. A week or so ago I posted in our Instagram about "pancake" shiitake - the ones that grow enormous and flatten out, looking a bit like pancakes. Those are a bit over-mature and not our favorite - though they are easier to spot in the shade structure when they get that big!
"Monster" shiitake are just these big, perfect shiitake that make us very happy.
This one looks a lot like our mushroom logo.
Perfection.