Harvesting

Mushrooms will begin to appear around the holes approximately 10-15 days after the onset of watering. The first harvest will be possible about 21-30 days after the first watering if the logs are kept moist at all times. Time from initial watering to first harvest is directly related to the diameter of the log. The larger the diameter of the log, the slower the emergence of the first mushrooms and longer the period of mushroom production.

Harvesting

To harvest, pull the mature mushrooms (those from 3-6 cm in diameter) from the log at their bases. Subsequent harvests will be possible every 6-8 days. Over time, mushrooms will begin to grow all over the logs, even on the ends, and will continue to grow until the log has completely rotted. A 20-30 cm diameter log will produce mushrooms for about 5-10 months, depending on diameter, growing conditions and the type of wood used. One 1520 cm diameter, 1 meter long log will yield about 1-2 kg of fresh wood ear mushrooms.

Figure 38: Harvesting Wood Ear Mushrooms

Figure 39: Drying Wood Ear Mushrooms