Hen of the Woods (HOTW) Liquid Culture (LC)

Description

Grifola frondosa

Hen of the Woods; HOTW. Also known as Maitake.

Grows slowly and best at 50-65°F but can survive in the 70’s. Intermediate difficulty. Indoor HOTW grows are rewarding because of the slight difficulty as well as the delicious mushrooms that are free from forest floor litter and bugs that are common in outdoor foraged specimens.

Start of pinning: side view and top view. Note “bubbling” and grayish growths

Grown by Nathan Murphy (Western PA) between 70-80°F and 85-95% humidity with temp/humidity spikes (air drawn from outside). NM says the strain is “merciful” to wide ranged conditions.

All gourmet liquid cultures (LCs) are provided with a 16g needle (in the manufacturer’s packaging) and come in 10 mL capped syringes. They will be labelled and are grown in a 2% malt extract solution. Shake well before use.