Lions Mane mushrooms are often compared to Lobster in flavor and have been receiving increased attention lately for their potential in brain health and wellness. They can be enjoyed in a variety of dishes, from stir-fries to soups. This mushroom growing kit is designed to make it easy for you to grow Lions Mane mushrooms at home, using either a bag of brown rice or a bucket of straw. No specialized equipment needed!
Hericium erinaceus (also called lion's mane mushroom, mountain-priest mushroom, bearded tooth fungus, and bearded hedgehog) is an edible mushroom belonging to the tooth fungus group. Native to North America, Europe, and Asia, it can be identified by its long spines (longer than 1 centimeter or 1⁄2 inch), occurrence on hardwoods, and tendency to grow a single clump of dangling spines. The fruit bodies can be harvested for culinary use.
H. erinaceus can be mistaken for other species of Hericium, which grow across the same range. In the wild, these mushrooms are common during late summer and fall on hardwoods, particularly American beech and maple. Usually, H. erinaceus is considered saprophytic, as it mostly feeds on dead trees. It can also be found on living trees, so may be a tree parasite.
This kit is designed to help you learn to grow mushrooms at home without any special gear. They are fairly easy to work with and include instructions for growing them on a bag of precooked rice at home.
Each set includes detailed instructions, your mushroom culture, and a fungi word search. It’s a great project to do as part of your nature or biology studies or as an independent experiment. And they’re great for cooking with/eating or just looking at if you’re the non-mushroom-eating type.
This is a pretty flexible project age-wise, with the only caveat being that you’ll want adult supervision for the inoculation process for young students so that no fingers get poked. It’s an indoor project. You’ll need a bag of pre-cooked rice, rubbing alcohol, and some paper bandage tape.