Another Use for Lion's Mane

Today I had a lion's mane "lobster" roll for lunch! I cooked it the same as before, but placed it in a toasted hot dog bun. Not the most fancy recipe, but delicious nonetheless.

On Lion's Mane, the Deliciousness Thereof

I have a new favorite food! Today we picked up some lion's mane mushrooms at the farmers' market in the center of town. After soaking it in salt and water, rinsing it, and then wringing the water out of it (yes, apparently that's OK), I sautéed it with butter and peanut oil over medium heat, as instructed by this website. Delicious! The flesh is soft and thread-like, similar to crab meat, and the taste is a bit like lobster, only less fishy. Now I'm even more excited about my mushroom-growing experiment.

YUM!

This Is No Ordinary Log...

I didn't go for a hike today--I did something even better. Ben and I went to a class on growing your own mushrooms at The Thyme Garden Herb Company in Alsea. After a brief discussion of mushroom identification and cultivation, our instructors armed us with logs, drills, hammers, and inoculated dowels. Turns out growing your own mushrooms is pretty easy.
1) Drill two-inch deep holes into a log, about half a foot apart lengthwise and a few inches apart in height.
2) Pound dowels inoculated with your choice of mushroom into the holes. Make sure that you use the correct type of wood for your variety of mushroom (I chose lion's mane on aspen; Ben chose shiitake on oak).
3) Seal the cut ends of each log and the top of each dowel with beeswax.
4) (This is the hardest step) Wait until fall.

Future site of lion's mane (fingers crossed)

White Oyster Mushroom Growing Plugs ~ Grow your own mushrooms for years!