How to grow your own Yellow Oyster Mushrooms
Yellow oyster mushrooms, known scientifically as Pleurotus citrinopileatus, are a striking variety that brightens up dishes with their vibrant hue and unique flavour. They have a delicate texture, which crisps up well in the pan, which is why we love them as a topping for pastas and the like for that extra bite.
Yellow Oyster Mushrooms are a great choice to begin your mushroom growing journey with, it is a sustainable method of food production making use of waste products to produce delicious, gourmet mushrooms. Beginner friendly and raring to go, our Yellow Oyster Mushroom Growing Kits are unique compared to others on the market, they are supplied "ready growing" this means we've done the hard part, ensuring you are guaranteed to grow tasty mushrooms, with just the need to spray twice daily with water.
How to setup your Oyster Mushroom Growing Kit
Growing Oyster mushrooms has never been easier! With the use of our fantastic range of mushroom growing kits the process is very easy and beginner friendly. Easy instructions will guide you through the process, any issues and we're here to help with personalized product support and FAQ's.
Typically Yellow / Golden Oyster are found in nature outdoors growing on logs, however our kits replicate this process using straw based compost which allows us to grow these within the home, plus being much quicker to yield.
Each kit is 7x7x7" in size containing enough nutrition to allow for for 2/3 Harvests
Step One - Setup
Firstly take your box and ensure all three holes are cut in an "X"
Locate your kit anywhere indoors, out of direct sunlight in an area which is between 14-21°C
Your compost may be either resembling brown straw or white mycelium, depending on how mature your kit is, both are perfectly normal.
You will want to begin spraying these holes twice daily with water, you are not adding water but rather keeping the area moist, any pooling water should be dabbed away in between spraying.
Your Oyster Mushroom Kit has enough nutrition for 2/3 harvests over 3/4 weeks. Please see article for our grow kit crop rates.
Different Stages of Compost Growth
As your mushroom compost matures, growing from the spawn inside, it will go from brown straw, to a thick white mycelium from which the mushroom fruit bodies will develop.
Growing Yellow Oyster Mushrooms
Growing Tips
Keep the environment humid by spraying twice daily, maintain consistent temperatures, and ensure adequate air circulation for optimal growth.
Step Two - Pinning
Each species of mushroom growing kit we produce will grow at different speeds, this kit in particular is quite quick to crop upon arrival as it is part of our ready growing range, typically providing its first crop within 7-10 days upon starting the kit.
With the Yellow Oyster Grow Kits, the mycelium is the thickest of any mushrooms, so do not be alarmed when the holes begin to look covered in white "fur" or "mould" this is merely the mycelium forming towards to the holes to begin its fruiting process.
Handy growing guide
Fruiting and Harvesting Information
Yellow Oyster mushrooms grow in beautiful clusters. The key to success is maintaining proper humidity while ensuring good air exchange. If you notice elongated stems with small caps, this indicates insufficient fresh air exchange.
Step Three - Fruiting and Harvesting
Now you've had your kit around a week your kit will be fruiting out of the growing holes on the kit.
Please see the picture for reference, this is a typical crop from one of our kits, it is quite normal for the mushrooms to grow in "clusters" you should harvest these as a whole cluster by slicing this off, tight to the box.
The entire fruit body is edible, aside from the very base, closest to the root. We have a range of recipes on our blog.
These Mushrooms are best picked before they release their spores and just before the edges begin to upturn and flatten.
If you see white dust / spores on the box, it is time to pick.
To leave them on past this will not make the mushrooms grow any bigger or heavier but will make them more brittle and lower their shelf life. These mushrooms will keep well in the fridge for up to a week, best stored in a paper bag once harvested.
How and when to harvest Yellow Oyster Mushrooms
To harvest you should take a knife and slice the entire cluster of mushrooms in such a way that you leave a clean, flat surface for the next mushrooms to grow from. To pick your mushrooms correctly it is best to use a sharp knife. Then simply slice and discard the root and enjoy the mushroom you have just grown.
Yellow Oyster Mushroom benefits
Yellow Oyster Mushrooms culinary uses
Yellow Oyster mushrooms add a mild, slightly nutty flavour and a light, crispy texture to a range of dishes. Their subtle flavour makes them very adaptable. Perfect for stir-fries, pasta or as a topping, they are best enjoyed pan-fried with garlic and butter to bring out their savoury notes. Their crispy texture also works well in wraps and burritos, adding a satisfying crunch.
Check out our recipe section here for yellow oyster mushroom recipes
