Chestnut (Pholiota adiposa) is a popular cultivated mushroom in Japan. It produces velvety, small-to-medium, delightfully speckled caps resembling the color of their namesake nut. When cooked, they have a woodsy aroma, a meaty heaviness, and a rich, nutty, mildly-sweet flavor.

Chestnut mushrooms aren't too difficult to cultivate, but can pose some minor challenges with identification. They are not ideal for first time cultivators or those unfamiliar with how to properly identify different mushrooms species. However, this species can be quite rewarding to grow.

Note: Aside from being kiln dried, our wooden dowels are not treated in any other way. 

Ideal project size: Plug spawn is ideal for smaller projects of 1-10 logs, though some log cultivators will use them for larger projects.

Difficulty: Intermediate

Chestnut mushrooms aren't too difficult to cultivate, but pose some minor challenges with identification. Not a great mushroom for first time cultivators or those unfamiliar with how to properly identify different mushrooms species. However, this species can be quite rewarding to grow and can be produced commercially.

Cooking: Once cultivated, the Chestnut mushroom has a full flavor that is evoked with thorough cooking. We recommend you use its rich, nutty flavor as a compliment to autumn soups. 

Properties: The Chestnut mushroom has medicinal qualities that inhibit tumor and microbial growth. In one study conducted on lab mice, polysaccharides taken from Chestnut mushroom mycelium reduced the growth of cancerous tumors by about 60% (Ohtsuka et al., 1973). Acting as an antimicrobial, an extract of Chestnut mushroom was shown to inhibit the growth of bacteria including E. coli and Staphylococcus aureus (Dulger et al., 2002).