Hen of the woods plug spawn

Grow a gourmet and distinctive mushroom on your own logs!

With our Hen of the woods (Maitake) plug spawn (Grifola frondosa), you can inoculate hardwood logs or stumps and grow at home one of the most highly prized mushrooms in Asian cuisine. Also widely known as Hen of the Woods, Maitake is valued both for its outstanding culinary qualities and for the bioactive compounds that have attracted considerable scientific interest. Step-by-step growing instructions are included, guiding you through the entire process from inoculation to mushroom production.

Maitake forms spectacular clusters of overlapping, greyish to brown caps that develop into large, rosette-like fruiting bodies. In the wild, it is typically found growing at the base of mature hardwood trees.

Maitake is especially prized in the kitchen for its deep umami flavour, mildly earthy aroma and firm, meaty texture. It is also a widely studied species due to its content of polysaccharides and β-glucans, together with other naturally occurring bioactive compounds.

Why choose our plug spawn?

• Traditional log cultivation: plug spawn provides a straightforward way to inoculate hardwood logs or stumps and establish a perennial mushroom crop capable of producing for several years.
• An exceptional gourmet mushroom: rich umami flavour, pleasant aroma and a firm texture that holds up particularly well during cooking. Ideal for sautéing, roasting or adding to rice dishes, pasta, stews and vegetarian or vegan recipes.
• Rich in bioactive compounds: Maitake contains polysaccharides, including several types of β-glucans, which have been extensively investigated in scientific research.
• Studied immunomodulatory activity: experimental research and some human studies have investigated how Maitake polysaccharides interact with different components of the immune system.
• Antioxidant potential: several compounds found in Grifola frondosa, including polysaccharides and phenolic compounds, have demonstrated antioxidant activity in experimental studies.
• Gourmet food and biodiversity in your growing space: a distinctive and rewarding species to introduce into outdoor mushroom cultivation in your garden, vegetable plot or woodland setting.

Grow one of Japan’s most highly prized culinary mushrooms and discover Maitake fruiting directly from your own logs with our plug spawn!