The Shiitake Mushroom kit consists of a plastic bag with a substrate of sawdust. Any white-brown bumpy growths indicate early mushroom growth.

Cultivation
1. Immerse the substrate in a bucket of cold tap water and leave for 24 hours. Place a heavy object on top to keep it under the water. Note - if mushrooms are already visible you can skip this immersion step.

2. Keep the kit in daylight for several weeks, ideally on a north facing window sill with temperatures in excess of 15°C. Wait until about half of the surface has turned brown and then cover with the transparent lid.

3. Spray the kit at least once a day with water to prevent drying out.

Harvesting
4. The harvest period is around one week. A fully grown mushroom has a cap diameter of 4-8cm.

5. After a harvest leave the kit to rest for at least 15 days in a cool, dark place such as a cellar, i.e. not too hot and not too dry.

6. After this rest period repeat the cycle starting at point 2 above. The second harvesting period will be after 5-10 days. During a 6-month period you may have 5 to 8 harvests.

Good luck and bon appetit.