Blue King Oyster
(Pleurotus Ostreatus)

Blue King Oyster originating from Asia as a hybrid between European and Asian Oyster Mushrooms. It’s found natively in the Mediterranean, Middle East, Northern Africa, and Asia. This genus of Oyster Mushroom displays beautiful Blueish-Grey caps, flavors or aromatic woody smells and meaty texture. The Blue hue is most noticeable and vibrant when fresh Fruiting Mushroom Caps take shape. The “Blue” hue can be attributed to colder climates and less sunshine.

Patience & Waiting Stage - Spawn Run/Colonization

1. Spawn Run (Colonization) – allow inoculated mushroom grow kit to incubate at room temperature. This will take 2 to 3 weeks. Move onto next stage once grow kit is dense and uniformly covered with white mycelium.

Observation Stage - Primordial/Pinhead Formation

2. Pinning (Initiate Mushroom Formation) – Drop Temperature, increase Relative Humidity. Watch for mycelium to form Pin like growths and small mushrooms. Move onto the next stage once mushrooms are visible.

Action Stage - Fruiting

3. Cut small x or poke 1/8” holes in the side of the bag for mushrooms to grow through. Alternatively with the gusseted plastic bags simply cut off the top of the bag and gentle roll/fold the bag down to the top of the mushroom block.

 4. Fruiting (Mushroom Formation) – Adjust Temperature and Relative Humidity. Provide plenty of Fresh Air (Oxygen). First harvest of Mushrooms will occur within 1 week.

Yummy Stage - Harvest

5. The perfect time to harvest your Blue King Oysters is when the mushroom cap is flat to slightly concaved, as shown by the red arrows. Make sure to grab any little mushrooms that may have grown together along the stem.

Renew/Flushing Stage - Crop Cycle

6. With clean water submerge the wooden block for 3 to 5 hours, weight it down if necessary. This will re-hydrate the wooden substrate material and provide the mycelium with much needed moisture. Place the mycelium block back into a clean bag and close off to simulate underground conditions, this will allow the mycelium time to regenerate. Watch for pin formation and carefully monitor for signs of contamination.

Refer to Grow Guide for more details.

Health Benefits:

Black Pearl King Oyster Mushrooms have shown to provide anti-inflammatory and cholesterol lowering properties.

Summary:

Texture/Flavor: Meaty, Sweet, Woody, and Aromatic
Difficulty: Easy
Growing Conditions: 12-21°C, 70-90% humidity Nutrients: Anti-Oxidants, β-glucan/Fiber, Vitamin B, Copper, Potassium.
Common Uses: Pastas, Stir Fries, or Sautéed