Frustrated at not being able to find good, fresh shiitake mushrooms at your local grocery or health food store?  Well, suffer no more because now you can grow your very own shiitake mushrooms in your own home with the Shiitake Mushroom Log!

Shiitake mushrooms are known the world over for possessing natural healing powers and are thought to be a very strong aphrodisiac!  While sawdust-grown shiitake mushrooms are sold for approximately $4 a pound at most gourmet food stores, log-grown shiitake mushrooms go for around $40 to $80 per pound!  Now you can grow your very own log-grown shiitake mushrooms in the privacy of your own home with very little effort.

Shiitake mushrooms are prized among gourmet chefs and health food nuts because they have about ten times the flavor of the common white mushroom with a robust, woodsy, meaty flavor.  They are high in protein, potassium, and calcium and are thought to boost the immunity system, lower cholesterol, and reduce blood pressure.  Shiitake mushrooms have also been used to treat cancer, diabetes, and chronic fatigue syndrome.  In other words, shiitake mushrooms are both great tasting and good for you!

You can order a shiitake mushroom log kit anywhere from $30 to $60 from a variety of different gourmet food and wine stores.  Your log, literally a real piece of hardwood, will come already inoculated with shiitake spawn that will fruit when placed in water.  Shiitake mushroom logs grow best in places that can provide it with normal room temperatures, normal to high humidity levels, and natural, indirect light that has both day and night cycles.  Basically, any room in the house that has a window!  If cared for properly, in about one to two weeks you will have a full crop of fresh, delicious shiitake mushrooms.

Kits usually come with everything you need to grown your own shiitake mushrooms and a recipe book that you can use to create some really great mushroom meals, such as sauces, salads, steaks, or risottos, just like the famous chefs you see on TV!

It's a wonderful, unique gift idea for the gourmet in your life!

Posted by Chysta.