And... Done

First harvest started on Sunday and wrapped up today. Yup, three days for the first crop from start to finish. Here's how fast things moved:

Day 10

Day 10 - Veils are just starting to open

Day 11 - first ones ready to pick!

 Pick shiitakes soon after the veils have opened for the best flavor. The stems are tough and woody, so you need to snap them off at the level of the block. However, that can be a little tricky if there is a clump of mushrooms at different stages of development. You can see below the indentations where I just removed mature mushrooms, and the little bud as well as some younger mushrooms in the same vicinity.

Must pick very carefully to get the bottom ones without disturbing the others.

 Here's the very first harvest! I actually picked twice a day so that I could get them at the right time. Mushrooms need to be refrigerated after picking. There are several suggested methods ranging from paper bag to plastic veggie bags. I prefer a bowl loosely covered with plastic wrap. It leaves just enough air flow so things can breathe without drying out the mushrooms.

Up until now I've only been photographing one side of the block so that you can watch specific mushrooms as they develop. The backside of the block is also quite developed!

Day 11

Day 12 - "backside"

Day 12 - "front side"

Two days worth of mushrooms

 I took about half of this bowl and cooked it up for dinner that night. Clean the shiitakes, remove the stems, slice them up. Cook minced onion and garlic in olive oil and butter, add mushrooms and saute until browned, deglaze the pan with white wine. Add whipping cream and heat through. Toss with cooked fettuccine, top with grated Romano cheese and chopped thyme. Yum!!

Yes, I eat pasta on small dessert plates.

After two days, production has certainly slowed down. Well developed mushrooms continue to mature. I've been misting the block twice a day to help maintain moisture, but based on stem diameter and the lack of smaller mushrooms tells me the block is drying out.

Day 13

And that's it. On day 13 I picked the last of the mushrooms. Even the little ones (like on the upper right corner) have open veils. Now it's time to prep the block for the next soak so I can re-start the process.