Chicken of the Woods is a wild edible mushroom that grows primarily on oak. Bright orange and yellow bands catch the eye when young and the mushroom itself is tender- soft with an "al dente" bite. Older specimens fade to apricot yellow and have a chicken breast taste and texture.
Success in growing this mushroom has been limited to "pre-treating" the logs just as we recommend for Maitake, by pressure cooking, steaming, or boiling the logs, and then inoculating and incubating them at room temperature for several months, and finally, partially burying them outdoors. Fruiting occurs the first or second summer after planting, and for several seasons thereafter. Clusters are smaller than what are typically found in the wild.
Inoculation time is best done in March-April, and moved outdoors in June, though fall inoculation can be done with outdoor burial commencing as soon as the ground thaws in the spring. Fruiting may first occur as early as August of the planting year or as late as several years post inoculation.
The large kit includes a large bag of Chicken of the Woods sawdust spawn (5 lbs.) and a set of 12 autoclaveable bags, collars and foam plugs. Perfect for inoculating 12 log sections using the pressure cooker method. Instructions included.
The small kit includes a small bag of Chicken of the Woods sawdust spawn (2.5 lbs.) and a set of 6 autoclaveable bags, collars and foam plugs. Perfect for inoculating 6 log sections using the pressure cooker method. Instructions included.
