Grow Your Own Mushrooms Kit - Lion's Mane Mushroom - 5lb Indoor Grow Kit - Grow up to 4 Pounds

The media could not be loaded. Although I am experienced in growing food plants indoors both under lighting in soil and hydroponically, I have never attempted growing mushrooms before. So I wasn't sure what to expect from this kit. Lion's Mane mushrooms are supposed to help the brain, and supposedly have the taste and texture of lobster (which I love). Since my family loves mushrooms, and I decided to try this kit. When I got the kit, it looked like mushrooms developing in the growing bag. I had set up the growing bag per the instructions by cutting 2 two inch slits about 2 inches from the bottom on each side and placed it in the humidity bag. I placed the humidity bag with the growing bag in it on a plate placed on a chair in the dining room near an LED AeroGarden that is on for 16 hours a day. I faithfully misted the inside of the humidity bag 2-3 times day using softened well water. I was seeing changes in the growing medium as white mycelium cover the medium, but after 7 days, nothing was growing out of the slits I cut in the growing bag.On the 9th day, I noticed small white globs coming out of all 4 of the slits I had cut into the growing bag. Could these be the start of mushrooms that I had not so patiently been waiting for??? On the 10th day, they had grown larger. I smiled at them thinking "Maybe I'm not a mushroom grower failure after all". I have included pictures showing the growth of my lion's mane mushrooms on the 10th day, and will update this review as the mushrooms grow.For those of you who are new at growing mushrooms as I am, I can assure you that patience helps. Judging from answers I got from the Amazon community, the initial growth to see mushrooms can vary from 3 days to 2 weeks depending on lighting, humidity, and even the inoculation of spores in the medium you received.. As my mushrooms grow, assuming that they will, I will update this review to show progress.UPDATE 10/25/18:I have included pictures #3 and #4 of my mushrooms at 15 days - 5 days after the first to photos. In 5 days, the mushrooms have more than quadrupled in size, and more "globs" are growing out of the slits I cut in the bag. They are also starting to look more spongy, and the development of the "finger" characteristic of the Lion's Mane mushrooms are starting to develop.UPDATE 10/28/18:As a new grower of mushrooms, I did research to find out more about growing Lion's Mane mushrooms. I had been waiting for the long finger to form before I harvested them, but found out that they start to turn yellow or brownish when they are mature. With more research, I found that they don't always have the long fingers when mature, so I decided to harvest my mushrooms. The fifth picture shows my mushrooms after harvest, but the picture is missing one that I decided to saute before I took the picture. The video shows what the mushrooms looked like before the harvest and how I harvested them. I harvested almost a pound of the Lion's Mane mushrooms from this harvest. I chose the smallest one to slice and saute with butter and minced fresh garlic. I used about 2 tablespoons of butter and cooked the minced garlic for a couple of minutes before adding the sliced mushrooms. I sauteed them for 2-3 minutes on each side until they were lightly browned. They were wonderful!! To me and my husband, they tasted more like scallops that I make with garlic and butter than lobster. When they are sauteed in butter, you should be careful not to use too much butter as they absorb all of the butter used. Too much butter would make them taste too greasy. What I harvested tonight could easily be the main course for at least two meals for 3 of us. I also found out that these mushrooms can be stored for up to 7 days in the refrigerator in a brown paper bag. Storing them in a plastic bag could make them mushy because of the high water content in mushrooms. I have set my mushroom kit up for a second flush, and will update this review with the results.UPDATE 11/19/18:The second flush grew out of only one hole in the bag. This flush produced only 3.15 oz. of mushrooms. The 6th picture shows this harvest. I am going to try for a 3rd flush, but this time will keep the mushrooms in in the basement that is cooler than in the house. I am in Illinois and we have the heat on at this time of year. Although we keep the thermostat at 68 degrees, the house temperature is still at 72 degrees.. From my research, I have found that mushrooms do better in cooler temperatures and the basement maintains 64 degrees. I will update this review as I learn more.UPDATE 01/03/19:By the time I was ready to try my luck for a 3rd flush, winter weather was upon us and the heat went on. This dramatically dried the air in the house to 37%RH, and there was no way I could mist the inside of the bag enough to provide enough humidity for the mushrooms to grow. After a month of futile misting and watching the block shrink as it dried, I decided to buy a small greenhouse for the basement that would allow me to maintain high humidity and cooler temperatures that mushrooms thrive on. By the time I got the greenhouse set up and regulated, my Lion's Mane block had lost more than half its weight and was pretty well dried up. If the mycelium was all dead, I decided that I make it any deader by trying an experiment to revive it. I took the block out of the bag and submerged it in water for 5 days. After 5 days, I wrapped the block in multiple layers of paper towels for 4 days, and then put it lengthwise into a clean medium sized grow bag that I had. I folded the top of the bag so that it was under the block and cut a couple of 2-3 inch slits in each side of the bag that were about 2 1/2 to 3 inched up from the bottom of the block. I put the block into the greenhouse that maintains a humidity of 87% to 99% and a temperature of 68 to 70 degrees, and crossed my fingers. After about two weeks, I started seeing new spider-like growth inside the grow bag. Since then, I can see new growth daily. At this point, the mushrooms growth has not yet found its way to the slits in the bag, but it is getting closer by the day. I have been so excited that I was able to bring a supposedly dead block back to life. It's like a new take on the movie Field of Dreams - "Give them what they need and they will come!"UPDATE 01/15/19:The 7th picture shows my harvest of Lion's Mane mushrooms 12 days after I soaked what I thought was a dead log and put it in my small greenhouse. This was the 3rd flush from this log yielding almost 10 ounces of yummy mushroom. After cutting off this harvest, I put it back in the greenhouse to see if I can get a 4th flush. In the greenhouse I have the log under LED grow lights and it seems to be happier with more lighting. After a week or so, I wasn't seeing any more growth, so I decided to soak it as I had done before, and try again. I would also like to mention that I let the 3rd flush grow for a longer time and the little spiky finger were more grown out. It's possible that I didn't let the first two flushes grow for long enough. I have sliced and sauteed each of the harvests and have found that it better to lightly butter the pan to let the mushroom slices brown on each side and then add a little more butter for flavor. If too much butter is added initially, the mushrooms will absorb all of it and taste greasy.UPDATE 02/12/19:I was so happy with the mushrooms from the first block, I decided to buy a 2nd on in addition to one for Pink Oysters. It took almost 3 weeks for the blocks to get here, and they arrived during one of the worst cold spells in our history. Since I was concerned about the cold, I contacted the seller who assured me they would replace the blocks if they did not recover. I placed both in a warm area with subdued lighting, and both recovered and showed evidence of growth. I made the slit in the new Lion's Mane block, put it in my greenhouse, and within a week or so there was new growth out of the slit I cut. At this point, it looks like this may be the largest of the harvests I had with the first block. Although I am sure that reading so many updates can be boring or tedious, I am hoping that my experience will be helpful to other growing this wonderful mushroom. I was extremely impressed with the support offer by Detroit Mushrooms, and have been totally happy with the mushroom production of these kits. I would highly recommend these kits if you are interested in growing Lion's Mane mushrooms. I would also like to add that the slices of these mushrooms could easily be used as a substitute for portabella mushrooms if you make stuffed mushrooms. The slices can be as large as portabellas.Update 04/07/19:At this point, I have bought 4 of these kits from this seller, and every one of them has produced 2 or more large flushes of these wonderful mushrooms. I have found the best way to get multiple large flushes is to:1) Get as much air out of the bag as possible by folding the top of the bag to the back of the block and forcing the air out of the vent. When all of the air is out, fold the top of the bag a couple of times and tape it down to the back of the bag. This prevents mushroom growth at the top of the bag.2) Cut 3 2-3 inch slits in what is now the front of the bag. Two are about 2 inches from the bottom of the bag and about 2 inches from the sides and the third slit is a couple inches above these two and in the middle of them. The 8th picture is the first flush on a bag that I cut this way, and it's still growing. I harvested almost 20 ounces of Lion's Mane from this flush.3) Once you have harvested the first flush, tape over the slits you cut, and fold the top of the bag over this side.4) Cut 3 slits on the opposite side as you did for the first side. Your second flush should be as large as the first.After you harvest the second flush, repeat the process for steps 3 and 4, and you should get another flush. The only difference is that you would pull off the tape on the slits you made for the first flush and wouldn't have to cut them again.I believe knowing what to expect as a new grower would have been extremely helpful for me, So, I truly hope this review is helpful for you in growing these mushrooms..

The product arrived with simple instructions and a small spray bottle. The instructions mentioned that we need to keep the humidity high. I took the bag of growth medium put it on a plate in a large plastic storage bin with a lid and then placed a large bowl of water in the same bin next to it. I left the lid openonly one centimeters. I never missed of it but I could feel that the humidity in that storage bin was high. My first harvest was about 2 pounds. I had small pieces of the mushroom raw and it taste phenomenal. I dry roasted the remaining mushrooms on a frying pan to remove moisture until lightly browned. I added salt pepper onion garlic and vegetables. The whole family loved it. I’m going to order it again. There is no reason I shouldn’t keep some growing in the basement all the time.It is a very clean growing mushroom with very little odor. Tastes good even RAW. My basement temperature is 65°Update 3/9/2023. I thought for my second try I would upgrade to the larger bag. It arrived on time but one corner of the bag was not sealed. This made me nervous about contamination. I proceeded to grow exactly like I did the first time and I got growth, but it did not look like the Lion’s mane I grew the first time. I don’t want to eat some thing if I don’t know exactly what it is. I thought I would ask the experts. I attempted to contact customer support on numerous occasions. The phone number is always busy. I used Amazon messaging system with no success. I attempted to email the Michigan mushroom company with a photo of the growth I got above with no response. All of these communications occurred over the last two weeks. I’ve received no communication back from either Amazon or the Michigan Mushroom Company. Since I am not able to find out it what I grew is edible, I will most likely throw this into my composting pile.4/20/23 I received a new Lion’s Mane grow kit. This package seems properly sealed. I cleaned my plastic bin with Hydrogen Peroxide so that there would be no toxic residue. I prepared the bag by squeezing out the air and using package tape to hold the compression. I made three cuts in the bag. I placed a large bowl of water in the bin too. Wish me luck.

First let me say that this grow very fast and we have really enjoyed watching it grow over the last several weeks. We are actually in the season right now in North Georgia for wild Lion's Mane to grow so I put the whole kit outside and misted the inside of the bag according to the directions. It just keeps growing and growing and I am going to harvest it although I hate to see it go. I do anticipate and hope that it will continue to grow after harvesting.However, this mushroom is not like the wild mushrooms that we are accustomed to finding. It never developed the long teeth that you would expect to see and the pom pom like shape. The texture is more delicate and soft as well as less dense than the wild verson. As for taste ( we harvested a small bit a couple of weeks back to sample) it is much more mild than the wild version.In summary we enjoyed our mushroom project but the results were not what we expected.