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When harvesting mushrooms, the key is to balance letting your mushrooms grow in size so that you can get the biggest possible yield without them becoming too mature.
The most important thing to keep in mind is that bigger doesn’t always mean better!
As every mushroom species is different, the ideal point of the harvest will be different as well.
Signs that the mushrooms are mature are generally when the caps flatten or become convex with gills enlarging and starting to drop spores. However, sometimes you will have to learn through growing and experimenting, usually by harvesting too late a few times.
Harvesting Mushrooms: Extraction
When mushroom harvesting there are 2 techniques, cutting and pulling. Growers often debate this point, some claim that cutting is better while others prefer pulling. Let’s break down each of these techniques so that you can decide which one will suit your style the best.
Note: Read more about fruiting mushrooms here.
Pulling Mushrooms from the Substrate
For the majority of the mushrooms growing from the ground, the best practice would be to pull them. After they are removed from the ground just trim off and discard the butt end that is covered with dirt, and your mushrooms are ready to go.
Studies have shown that there is very little difference between plucking and cutting mushrooms. However, it is believed that when the mushroom is pulled out from the substrate it will signal the organism sooner that the fruit body is gone so that it can divert energy into fruiting other mushrooms.
The advantage of using the pulling technique is that it will most likely prevent infections. When cutting, an exposed piece of the stem is left behind that can be a potential infection site for bacteria or other fungi.
Twisting and pulling mushrooms by hand is the easiest way to harvest some varieties such as button, oyster, cremini, chestnut, lion’s mane, and pioppino mushrooms.
Note: We have a full guide on growing mushrooms here.
Cutting Mushrooms
The best practice for harvesting mushrooms that grow on trees like shiitake and reishi is to cut them with a sharp knife or scissors. Pulling them off could damage the tree, which may shorten the span of that mushroom’s life either killing the tree earlier or making the defense system weak, which will leave an open sport for various infections that can ultimately out-compete the mushrooms for resources. Thus if you want your tree to continue producing mushrooms, use this harvesting technique.
Mycologists recommend cutting the stem as close to the base as possible when harvesting mushrooms with a knife or scissors. Although, this depends on the type of mushroom you are harvesting. For example, if you are harvesting mushrooms that grow in small clumps with stems joined at the base, like chanterelles or oysters you can cut them off individually.
However, when harvesting some species like chestnut, pioppino, or oyster mushrooms where the individual mushrooms are tightly packed in the cluster it is best to cut the entire cluster off at the base. It is often impossible to harvest individual mushrooms from tight clusters without bruising or breaking other mushrooms.
How To Properly Store after Harvesting Mushrooms
Storing your mushrooms correctly will significantly extend their shelf life. When properly stored in the fridge they’ll stay good for up to a week.
It’s pretty simple just place a whole, unwashed mushroom in a paper bag and fold the top, enclosing the bag. Place the mushroom bag in the main compartment of your refrigerator, don’t store them in the crisper drawer. The environment of a crisper drawer is moist and it will make your mushrooms go bad quicker.
There are also some other things to consider when putting your mushrooms in the fridge. Avoid placing them near foods that have strong odors or flavors because the mushrooms will absorb everything like a sponge. Don’t stack other foods on top of them. In addition to looking unappetizing, bruised mushrooms won’t keep for very long. Some mushroom varieties hold up better in the refrigerator than others, if you need to store them for more than a week consider dying or freezing them.
Freezing Mushrooms
When harvesting mushrooms, you can opt for freezing them.
Mushrooms freeze well and can last up to 12 months in the freezer, although it’s best to get them in the freezer as soon as possible. Don’t wait for your mushrooms to deteriorate in the fridge before deciding to freeze them. You can freeze raw mushrooms. However, it’s not recommended as they won’t keep their texture and often end up soggy when thawed.
The best practice is to cook or saute the mushrooms first, let them cool, and then pack them into airtight containers or ziplock bags and freeze them.
Dehydrate Mushrooms
In addition to freezing mushrooms, you can also dehydrate them. You can rehydrate dried mushrooms whenever you need them, and they take up little space in the pantry. In order to dry your mushrooms correctly, use a food dehydrator or a low-temp oven. Once dried keep them in an airtight container until it’s their time to be consumed.
How To Dry Your Mushrooms for Harvest
The versatility of dehydrated mushrooms when harvesting mushrooms cannot be overstated! Let’s learn how you can easily dehydrate your own mushrooms so that you always have some on hand!
Harvesting Mushrooms – Preparation
To prevent contamination, make sure you sanitize your hands, counters, and equipment before you start preparing your mushrooms. The next step is to clean the mushrooms using a damp kitchen towel to remove any dirt or grit from your mushrooms. Avoid washing them, as it can cause your mushrooms to darken during the dehydrating process. Next, remove any stems that seems tough, and slice the mushrooms using a sharp knife into 1/4 slices, or dice them into small pieces.
Let’s Dehydrate
This is a fairly simple and straightforward process. Arrange the mushrooms on the dehydrator trays. Remember to leave some space between the pieces to allow the air to circulate. Dehydrate at 125F° for approximately 4-8 hours or until the mushrooms are brittle.
If you are using an oven, place the mushroom slices on top of a baking sheet and set up the oven at its lowest temperature. If possible keep the oven door slightly opened to allow steam to escape. Flip the pieces every hour and remove them as soon as they are dry.
Crushing Mushrooms into Powder – Harvesting Mushrooms
Some people like to crush their dried mushrooms into a powder and use it as a supplement. This practice is most common with medicinal mushrooms such as lion’s mane, chaga, reishi, cordyceps, and turkey tail.
Mushroom powders can be put into capsules and swallowed, or mixed with hot drinks such as your morning coffee. Some people sprinkle this healthy powder on top of their salads or use them as a seasoning while cooking.
The Bottom Line
After you adequately harvested your mushrooms it’s important to store them properly. Fresh mushrooms don’t last very long and are best enjoyed right away.
Learn more about harvesting mushrooms from GroCycle here.
Unwashed, whole mushrooms can be stored in the fridge for up to 10 days. If you want to store them any longer than this, you will have to use other preservation methods.
Mushrooms could be frozen or dried in order to increase their shelf life. This way they could be stored for up to 12 months!
Mushrooms can be used in so many ways that having a surplus should never be a problem.
