Shiitake mushrooms are prized for their high quality and velvety caps. They're dark brown, with an earthy flavour, velvety texture and a versatile ability in the kitchen. The most effective and natural way to grow these mushrooms is on hardwood logs using mushroom dowels. It can take up to a year to see your first harvest flourish. However, this low-intensity method of growing can see you harvesting shiitake mushrooms for up to eight years. Traditionally, logs would be inoculated by placing them adjacent to more logs already growing shitake mushrooms, and the spores would naturally infiltrate the new logs. Both the development of the mushroom industry and Urban Farm's knowledge, about growing food sources in ways that mimic effective natural processes, allow you to get a head start on growing by implanting the mycelium directly into the logs.