Growing Mushrooms on Wood: Thick, Delicious, and Fragrant Throughout the Garden

Li Zhaoxue introduces basswood shiitake mushrooms.

Poverty Alleviation Profile

Overview: Shannan Village in Lengshuiguan Township, Nanchuan District has a total population of more than 1,430, of whom more than 800 work elsewhere. Because it is relatively remote, with many slopes and little farmland, villagers who farm at home earn an annual net income of only about 1,000 yuan, and it is also very difficult to attract investors to come and invest.

Breakthrough: Shannan Village is especially rich in forest resources, with a forest coverage rate of more than 50%, making it suitable for developing "basswood shiitake mushrooms."

Path: After investigating this technique in Sui County, Hubei Province, the Nanchuan District People's Congress, the village's paired poverty alleviation unit, promoted it in the village.

Effect: Basswood shiitake mushrooms sell for 8 yuan per jin, considerably higher than ordinary varieties. The village established a shiitake mushroom professional cooperative, which has driven more than 10 households of villagers to grow them together.

Can clusters of shiitake mushrooms really grow on wood too?

Recently, at the home of Li Zhaoxue, a villager in the Third Group of Shannan Village, Lengshuiguan Township, Nanchuan District, this writer witnessed something unusual.

In the courtyard, pieces of wood about 1 m long were neatly stacked in a tic-tac-toe pattern, and on top of the wood, brown mushrooms were eagerly poking their heads out one after another. "This kind of mushroom is called basswood shiitake. It grows very fast. Don't look at how small it is now; by tomorrow morning it will grow to the size of a palm and can be picked," Li Zhaoxue said.

Using Local Materials

Before December 2012, like other villagers in Shannan Village, Li Zhaoxue had never even thought about growing mushrooms. "Our village has 1,435 people, of whom more than 800 work elsewhere. Those who farm at home earn an annual net income of only about 1,000 yuan," he said. Some people also wanted to engage in farming and breeding, but first, they had no capital, and second, they had no labor. "Our Shannan Village is quite far from Nanchuan, and no one is willing to come to the village to invest."

In December of that year, the Nanchuan District People's Congress, the paired poverty alleviation unit of Lengshuiguan Township, came here. They found that although Shannan Village had many slopes and little farmland, it was especially rich in forest resources, with a village forest coverage rate of more than 50%. "Sui County in Hubei Province developed basswood shiitake mushrooms. I heard it uses local wood and does not need fungus bags, so it is very suitable for development in mountainous areas." Therefore, after going to Sui County for an investigation, the district People's Congress invited technicians from Sui County to guide villagers on site as they tried growing them.

"Actually, in recent years, the shiitake mushroom industry in Shuijiang Town has developed quite well, and we also thought about learning from it, but one shiitake fungus bag costs four or five yuan. Besides, the people at home are all elderly and do not have the energy to manage it, so we had to give up," said Chen Tianyou, a villager from the Third Group. At the time, everyone was somewhat hesitant about developing basswood shiitake mushrooms.

Trial Planting Succeeds

"The so-called basswood shiitake mushroom uses wood as the raw material for shiitake fermentation and does not require manual management. Except for the first time, when fungus bags are needed, no fungus bags are needed afterward. It is very convenient and suitable for mountainous areas with little capital and labor." Hearing the technician's explanation, Li Zhaoxue resolved to give it a try.

After the beginning of spring in 2013, he went to his family's woodland and cut more than 60 oak and sweetgum trees with a diameter at breast height of more than 10 cm. "These are the best woods for growing basswood shiitake mushrooms, as introduced by the technician, and it happens that these trees are everywhere in our village."

Following the technician's instructions, he first cut the wood into 1 m sections, then drilled small holes 3 to 5 cm deep every 10 cm or so, and placed the basswood shiitake fungus bags gifted by the district People's Congress into the holes. Finally, he neatly stacked the 1,200 pieces of wood in the courtyard and then left them alone.

After the first rain following Cold Dew, Li Zhaoxue stacked the pieces of wood in a tic-tac-toe pattern. "The technician said this makes it easier to pick the mushrooms."

After 7 to 10 days, the first batch of basswood shiitake mushrooms grew. "When they grow fast, you pick them in the morning and can pick again in the afternoon; if you pick in the afternoon, you can pick again the next morning." Li Zhaoxue went into the house and brought out two freshly picked basswood shiitake mushrooms to show this writer. After examining them, this writer found that this kind of shiitake looked 1/3 larger than ordinary shiitake, with thick flesh, and the stem was shorter and cleaner than that of ordinary shiitake.

"This kind of basswood shiitake has a richer flavor than ordinary shiitake. After cooking, its aroma is overpowering, and it tastes tender and delicate. Anyone who has eaten it knows," Li Zhaoxue told this writer. The market price of basswood shiitake is around 8 yuan, and it is very popular in the market.

Prospects Are Quite Good

From Cold Dew to around Qingming the following year is the season when basswood shiitake mushrooms fruit. Li Zhaoxue calculated that last year he picked more than 600 jin of shiitake mushrooms in total, and at a price of 8 yuan per jin, his income was around 5,000 yuan.

More importantly, basswood shiitake mushrooms are a one-time investment with long-term benefits. He said that one piece of wood can be used for 5 to 8 years. Apart from needing fungus bags placed in it the first year, no investment is needed afterward. Except for turning the wood over by hand after Cold Dew each year, no management is needed the rest of the time.

In June 2013, Li Zhaoxue established the Xiangde Shiitake Mushroom Professional Cooperative in the village, which has now admitted 11 basswood shiitake growers as members. "Maybe our Shannan Village will also become a major mushroom-growing village in Nanchuan," he said happily.