Cold weather loving Golden Enoki are the wild version of the white enoki found at our grocers. Beautifully colorful these grow in the fall through early spring mushrooms whose qualities are most appreciated due to both their seasonal of harvest and their lovely crunchy texture when fresh Like Wood Ear, these mushrooms can freeze and thaw prior to harvest with little effect.
It is important to familiarize yourself with Galerina marginata, a highly poisonous mushroom that shares a similar cap color and fruits at the same time. Check our Youtube channel for the ID characteristics of Galerina or many other available resources.
Inoculation of Golden Enoki is simple and straightforward; plant as you would all other wood decay fungi such as shiitake.
Follow the six steps below for inoculating and managing your Enoki logs.
1. Cut the logs (3-8˝diameter x 36-40˝ length)
Healthy, living trees should be cut during the dormant season and rested a minimum of 2 weeks prior to inoculating. This allows time for the tree's defense system to die back. Protect the logs from drying out by storing them low to
the ground (but out of the soil and leaf layer), out of the sun and wind, and where they can receive natural rainfall. Logs can be rested until inoculation for longer than 2 weeks, however there is increased risk of contamination and
losing vital log moisture beyond 8 weeks.
NOTE: Logs can be cut to size for the Drill-and-Fill Inoculation Method using standard log sizes (3-8" diameter x 36"-40" length). A bottle will have enough spawn to inoculate 5 logs.
Drill-and-Fill Method
2. Drill the holes
Drill the holes to a 1˝ depth following the diamond pattern (figure on right) for roughly 50 holes per log. If your logs are larger than 6" in diameter you will need more than 50 holes per log. Sawdust spawn typically requires 12.5mm (7/16˝) drill bit.
3. Inoculate and seal with wax
Sawdust spawn: Break apart the spawn and inject it into each of the holes, typically with the use of an inoculation tool.
Pack spawn into the hole so it fills level to or just below the bark. Wax the filled holes as the logs are inoculated to protect the spawn from drying out and reduce the risk of contamination. Be sure the hole is completely sealed. Waxing the ends of the logs is not necessary. Hot wax is faster to apply and works better with sawdust spawn. Consider using wax daubers or the Okuda wax applicator. The flash point of cheese wax is 450°F. Do not overheat the wax! Turn down the heat if the wax begins to smoke.
4. Label the logs
Labeling logs with strain and date inoculated can be very helpful - especially as you continue to build up your log inventory. We use aluminum tags or other labels stapled into the ends of the logs.
Difficulty:
Easy to moderate to grow, must know ID characteristics to harvest.
Ideal time to plant:
Spring or Fall, when logs can be cut from dormant trees
Time to fruiting:
9 months to one year after inoculation
When they fruit:
Mid to late fall, winter warm ups, or early spring
Logs grown on:
Poplar species, Willow, Elm, Maple and Birch
Number of logs:
1 Bottle inoculates 5 logs
Appearance:
Long stem with dark plush coating at the base of the stem (2-11 cm long, 3-10 mm thick fading to cream near the top. Cap is gold/amber, smooth and gills are creamy white.
Flavor and texture:
Grape flavor turning to radish when older, texture crunchy!
5. Incubate logs and manage for moisture
Once inoculated, place your logs in a shaded area, protected from the sun and wind, low to the ground (we lay them on pallets or poles), and where they can receive natural rainfall. (Note: we recommend covering your logs with some permeable fabric, pine boughs, or netting if wood peckers are active in your area as they have been known to take spawn out of drill holes). Maintaining moisture during this phase is the most critical step to production success. We recommend your logs receive 1˝ of rain per week. If the weather is not cooperating, you may need to sprinkle your logs with a hose. Logs will begin producing mushrooms when spawn run is close to complete and the conditions for fruiting are ideal. This timing varies, so keep an eye on your logs. Once fruiting commences, they can be re-stacked into a different configuration to make harvest easier.
6. Harvest mushrooms
Golden Enoki usually grow in clusters, usually from the inoculation site for first fruiting. Harvest all at once, twisting from the base. Older mushrooms can be radish tasting and slightly tough, so try to pick the mushrooms when the caps are no more than dime size.
