How to grow

The box is here. Start today.

Inside is a living bag, an empty spray bottle, and a card. The bag is already grown through, so you are not starting from spores. Every sealed bag looks about the same. Read the sticker, then match the drawing below.

Match the sticker

Where to open the bag

Use the drawing that matches the name on your sticker. Leave the flaps on an X. Do not peel the bag back.

X on the front

Cut here

Blue Oyster, Italian Oyster, Winter White, Golden Oyster, Tiger Sawgill, L. levis. Lion’s Mane: a smaller X, or one 3 inch slit.

Open the top

Fold here

Pioppino, King Trumpet, Black Pearl. Do not cut an X on the side. Keep king and black pearl cool, about 50 to 65 F.

Bag off

Shiitake only

Take the block out. One night in the fridge, not the freezer. Then mist the whole block on a plate.

Mostly closed

Tea blocks

Reishi: do not cut, do not spray. Turkey Tail: one small opening, then mist. Chaga: leave nearly closed and wait months.

When it arrives

Check the bag, then start.

A healthy bag is white, full, and clean. Green, black, slime, or a sour smell is the problem. Photograph the whole bag and email Team@harmonixhome.com within 30 days. Blue or gray bruises on white growth are normal.

If the block cracked in the mail, press it together, leave the bag sealed, and wait 2 to 3 days. Start within 7 to 10 days. If you will be away, keep the unopened bag in the refrigerator. Never the freezer.

The fuzzy white in the bag is the mushroom, not mold. Golden oyster looks thick and white. Lion’s mane looks light and wispy.

Daily care

Mist, air, and a little light.

Mist the opening twice a day until it looks damp and shiny, not dripping. In dry or air conditioned rooms, spray three or four times.

Fill the bottle with tap water. Set the bag on a kitchen counter near a sink, out of hot sun, heat vents, and closed cabinets. Mushrooms need fresh air as much as they need moisture.

Pins are baby mushrooms. Kitchen kinds often show tiny bumps in about 6 to 10 days, then they can be ready 4 to 5 days later. They grow fast once the bumps show, so look in before you make coffee.

If the house is dry, drape a grocery bag with plenty of half inch holes over the block and mist the inside. Take the tent off when pins show. Stringy mushrooms want more air. Dry mushrooms want more mist.

Pick and cook

Harvest, then start dinner.

Cook kitchen mushrooms all the way through in a hot pan. Do not eat them raw.

Twist oyster clusters at the base when the caps have flattened but the rims still curve in a little. Pick lion’s mane while it is still bright white, with spines about a quarter inch to a half inch long. A day early is better than yellow and dry.

After you pick, keep misting the same opening. Do not cut a new X. A second crop often takes 2 to 3 weeks. If the face looks dry, soak it in cool water for 20 minutes, or 5 to 10 minutes for lion’s mane. Drain well, then mist again.

If the sticker is a different name

Same check. Different wait.

Open the box and confirm the bag is white, full, and clean. Then follow only the name below.

Shiitake

Bag off. Fridge 12 to 24 hours, not the freezer. Plate on the counter. Mist the whole block twice a day. Brown caps in about 10 to 21 days. Roast or simmer. Cook fully.

King Trumpet or Black Pearl

Cool room, about 50 to 65 F. Open the top. Mist twice a day. Thick stems in 10 to 20 days. Slice into coins and sear both sides. Cook through.

Pioppino

About 60 to 70 F. Open the top. Mist twice a day. Clusters in 10 to 16 days. Cook stems and caps together, all the way through.

Reishi

Do not cut. Do not spray. Warm room, about 70 to 80 F. Antlers in 4 to 12 weeks. Slice, dry until they snap, simmer 45 to 90 minutes, strain. Do not eat the slices.

Turkey Tail

Small opening. Mist twice a day. Fans in 3 to 6 weeks. Dry until brittle. Simmer 1 tablespoon in 3 cups of water for 45 to 60 minutes. Strain. Do not fry. Do not eat the fans.

Chaga

Bag mostly closed. Cool room. Firm rust chunks over months. The 30 day promise means it arrived alive and clean. Simmer, strain. Do not eat the chunks.

In the kitchen

Cook it, or brew it.

Cook oyster, tiger sawgill, L. levis, pioppino, lion’s mane, shiitake, black pearl, and king trumpet all the way through. A hot pan, butter or oil, and salt is enough.

Reishi, turkey tail, and chaga are teas. Simmer, strain, and do not fry. Do not eat the woody pieces. If this is your first time eating this mushroom, start with a little.

Food and traditional tea, not a medicine. These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

Not sure which mushroom?

I want something for focus. Lion’s Mane → I want a night tea. Reishi → I want a daily tea. Turkey Tail → I want a slow tea I can wait on. Chaga → I want a thick mushroom I can cook like a meal. Black Pearl → I want mushrooms this week. Golden Oyster → I want a classic cooking mushroom. Shiitake → I want an everyday cooking mushroom. Winter White → I want a cool room oyster we have in stock. Blue Oyster → I want thick stems to sear. King Trumpet →