What should be noted when picking shiitake mushrooms?
What should be noted when picking shiitake mushrooms? Please guide. When harvesting shiitake mushrooms, note the following: 1. Master the best harvest time. Harvest when they are 70 to 80 percent mature. The signs of maturity are: the partial veil has broken, the cap has not yet fully opened, it is still slightly curled inward, forming a "gong edge", and the gills have fully extended. Shiitake mushrooms harvested at the right time have bright color, ...
What should be noted when picking shiitake mushrooms? Please guide
When harvesting shiitake mushrooms, note the following:
1. Master the best harvest time. Harvest when they are 70 to 80 percent mature. The signs of maturity are: the partial veil has broken, the cap has not yet fully opened, it is still slightly curled inward, forming a "gong edge", and the gills have fully extended. Shiitake mushrooms harvested at the right time have bright color, strong aroma, thick caps, and soft yet chewy flesh, giving them high commercial value. If harvested too late, the cap opens fully, the flesh is thin, the stipe is long, and the gills change color; at this point its weight decreases and its commercial value is low.
2. Pay attention to picking technique. When picking mushrooms, hold the mushroom stick with your left hand, and with your right hand pinch the base of the stipe tightly with your thumb and index finger, first twist left and right, then twist it off. Do not let the mushroom base remain on the mushroom log and rot, which would affect later mushroom production. If the grown mushrooms are densely clustered and the base is deep, use a small pointed knife to dig it out from the base of the mushroom stipe, taking care to keep the mushroom shape intact.
3. Weather influence. When harvesting shiitake mushrooms, different measures should also be taken according to changes in temperature and climate, and harvesting should be done in stages and batches. When the temperature is low, shiitake mushrooms grow slowly, so the harvest period can be appropriately extended; if there is cloudy and rainy weather, it is better to harvest slightly tender mushrooms early than to harvest overmature ones.
4. Use suitable containers. Fresh mushrooms after picking should be placed in small bamboo baskets or small baskets, and handled carefully and gently to keep the fruiting bodies intact, prevent them from being crushed or damaged by pressing against each other, and avoid affecting quality. Freshly picked mushrooms should be sorted according to mushroom size and shape quality, and must not be mixed together, then placed separately in other containers for grading and processing.
5. Stop spraying water before harvest. Some mushroom growers spray water before harvest to increase weight, which seriously affects quality. If water is sprayed before harvest, the mushroom bodies have high water content; when processing fresh mushrooms, the gills turn brown, and when dehydrating and drying, the gills turn black; too high a water content in the mushroom bodies also makes them prone to mold. Therefore, water must not be sprayed before harvest, so that the mushroom bodies maintain their original moisture.
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