Some Like it Hot!

Top 3 Mushrooms to Grow in the Summer

While most wild and cultivated mushrooms flourish in the cool rains of spring and fall, a few types fair well in the summer heat.

Our production manager Rheanna Garbe shares her pictures and tips for growing the three “heat-loving” mushrooms.

Pink Oyster

Imagine finding stunning pink edible mushrooms on logs in the forest?! Pink Oysters are a commonly harvested from the wild in Mexico and other tropical countries.

Lucky for us they are super easy to grow in hot Canadian summers. Simply cut open a Pink Oyster mushroom kit, keep humid by misting several times daily, and voila – hot pink mushrooms for dinner.

Summer heat can be drying, and hand misting with a spray bottle is sometimes not enough (or too much of a bother). A small humidifier blowing into your mushroom tent is a low-maintenance way to keep humidity high and ensure a good crop.

Beginner!
Pink Oyster Mushroom Grow Kit
$30.99 – $33.99 Select options

Pink Oyster mushrooms are best suited for sautéing, boiling, roasting, or frying. They can be sautéed or stir-fried with other vegetables, added to pasta dishes, sprinkled on top of pizza, added to grain bowls, sautéed with eggs, boiled in soups, chowders, or stews, or cooked into risotto. They can also be sautéed and mixed with cream-based white sauces for added flavor.

Due to their meaty texture, these mushrooms require thorough cooking, around twenty minutes, to develop their flavor and an edible consistency. It is also important to remember that the pink color will fade when cooked. Pink Oyster mushrooms pair well with coriander, parsley, mint, basil, garlic, ginger, onion, sesame oil, soy sauce, bell pepper, red cabbage, broccolini, baby corn, leeks, quinoa, noodles, rice, and potatoes.

Not only do they taste great, but they are good for you too! These mushrooms contain fiber, potassium, copper, riboflavin, vitamin B6, folate and ergothioneine, which is an antioxidant that may reduce instances of cardiovascular disease by helping to prevent plaque build-up in the arteries.

Learn more about growing Pink Oyster Mushrooms here.

Elm Oyster

Elm Oyster is one of the few varieties that will thrive in the summer heat, producing clusters of gorgeous fleshy white mushrooms.

You can fruit them directly from a Mist & Grow kit, or transplant the kit into buckets or garden beds of straw and hardwood chips. In fact, they have a voracious appetite and you can experiment with feeding them other agricultural waste products like leaves, shredded paper, or coffee grounds.

There are many creative ways to increase humidity for successful mushrooms crops. For instance, you can make a simple humidity tent by draping clear plastic over a tomato cage then periodically watering the inside walls. Make sure to leave some openings or poke holes to allow good air exchange.

Beginner!
Elm Oyster Mushroom Grow Kit
$30.99 – $33.99 Select options

Elm oysters are firm with a delicate aroma and mild nutty flavor. When cooked, they have a meaty texture making them a good meat substitute for vegetarian or vegan recipes.

Elm Oyster mushrooms are best suited to saute, grill, braise, roast and poach, and they’re delicious in stews, cream sauces and omelettes.

Our favourite way to prepare oyster mushrooms is to saute them in butter or olive oil.

Visit our Learn To Grow section to see how to expand our Elm Oyster Mist & Grow Kit into 5 gallon buckets.

Wine Cap

Wine caps are excellent companions in summer vegetable gardens. Planted into straw mulch among your perennials or fruit trees, they help your garden retain water and, over time, add nutrients to the soil. They can also be planted into containers and raised beds.

Humidity is essential for mushrooms to form, and Wine Caps flourish in a garden that is watered daily. The giant burgandy mushrooms will often pop up in the humid micro-climate right near the base of plants.

These beauties are perennial, so plant your beds now, add mulch every fall, and enjoy the fruits of your labour for years to come.

Beginner!
Wine Cap Outdoor Mushroom Kit
$36.99 Add to cart

When cooked, Wine Cap mushrooms are crisp with a mild, earthy, and nutty flavor with hints of potatoes and red wine. Wine Cap mushrooms are commonly consumed when the caps are young and display their deep, red wine hues. If left to mature, these mushrooms can grow rather large and weigh up to five pounds, earning it the nickname the Godzilla mushroom.

When young, Wine Cap mushrooms can be eaten with the stem and offer a tender yet crunchy texture when lightly cooked in oil. They can also be sliced and mixed into meat sauces or risotto, roasted or braised along with other fall vegetables and served with meat, fowl or fish, added to soups, or stuffed and baked.

For detailed instructions on how to grow Wine Cap Mushrooms click here. We also have a blog post dedicated to identifying Wine Caps here.

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Some Like it Hot!

Top 3 Mushrooms to Grow in the Summer

While most wild and cultivated mushrooms flourish in the cool rains of spring and fall, a few types fair well in the summer heat.

Our production manager Rheanna Garbe shares her pictures and tips for growing the three “heat-loving” mushrooms.

Pink Oyster

Elm Oyster

Wine Cap

Grow. Learn. Eat. Flourish.

Join Our Community

Join Our Community

Some Like it Hot!

Top 3 Mushrooms to Grow in the Summer

While most wild and cultivated mushrooms flourish in the cool rains of spring and fall, a few types fair well in the summer heat. Our production manager Rheanna Garbe shares her pictures and tips for growing the three “heat-loving” mushrooms.

Pink Oyster

Elm Oyster

Wine Cap

Grow. Learn. Eat. Flourish.

Join Our Community

Join Our Community

While most wild and cultivated mushrooms flourish in the cool rains of spring and fall, a few types fair well in the summer heat.

Our production manager Rheanna Garbe shares her pictures and tips for growing the three “heat-loving” mushrooms.