an seanduine wrote:
Nano, I hope you know you are in an area with many people growing shii-take in the traditional Asian log-culture method.
It's news to me, TBH. But I guess I'm not surprised, either. I don't know if there's such a thing as an ideal climate for shiitake production, but when I was in Akita, which has a climate somewhat analogous to Minnesota's (putting aside the rainy season, the typhoon season, and some
really big bugs), it wasn't unusual to come across shiitake log sites during hikes through the satoyama, an economic zone of managed mountain woodland marked by little hamlets. If large-scale shiitake farming exists, these setups would be called modest at best; they suggested cottage industry. The first time I saw a shiitake nursery (don't know what else to call 'em) I was fascinated because each log sported a lot of impressive-looking mushrooms, it was clearly someone's doing, and the setups were just sitting out all alone in the forest shade, no fences or signs or anything. You could have walked right up and picked some, but I had no wish to play the Ugly American. There's a good amount of wooded area in MN as well, so if you can easily cultivate a choice and sought-after mushroom here and profit from it, why not? Plus with log cultivation, not to mention it being out in the open, the overhead is as minimal as you could ask for. Being eco-friendly seals it.
I wasn't really aware of the concept of mycoecology prior to the article above, but I'm on board now.
