Force-Fruiting Mushroom Logs

The nights are getting cooler here in West Virginia.  To get one last flush of mushrooms before it gets too cold, we are force-fruiting the mushroom logs.  This is a process where the logs get fully saturated with water so the mushroom spores fruit.

We have tried soaking down the logs using our well water and a garden hose, but the logs just barely fruit.  The best solution is to toss them in the creek and let them sit for 24 hours before returning them to the log pile.

The log with all the shitake mushrooms was the only log submerged in the creek at the time this picture was taken.  It takes about three days after soaking until the little mushroom caps emerge.

The mushrooms we don't consume right away are dehydrated.  It takes about 8 hours in an electric dehydrator.  One log fills a quart jar.