Blue Oysters (Pleurotus ostreatus) are a fast colonizer with a strong bluish-gray hue. They produce richly umami-flavored mushrooms with a soft, meaty texture that pairs well with most dishes.

As our most productive oyster strain, they are reliable, cold-tolerant, and fruit prolifically in early spring or late fall. Blue oyster mushrooms also work well with the log, stump, and totem methods. 

Note: Aside from being kiln dried, our wooden dowels are not treated in any other way. 

Ideal project size: Plug spawn is ideal for smaller projects of 1-10 logs, though some log cultivators will use them for larger projects. 

Inoculation:  On Logs - Blue Oyster works well with the Log, Stump, or Totem method. Colonization is fast and may start producing in 4-12 months, though fruitation is dependent on environmental triggers. They fruit best in the spring and fall and prefer softer hardwoods such as poplar and aspen, though they will also work on maple.

Difficulty: Beginner

Oyster mushrooms are a great mushroom for beginners. They colonize quickly and are reliable producers. Great for commercial cultivation, especially grown on straw. 

Cooking: Blue Oysters can easily replace button mushrooms in most recipes and pair well with many cuisines and flavors. Like all Oyster mushrooms, they retain water and may develop a viscous texture when undercooked. If you prefer a firm or dryer texture, continue to cook Oysters until their liquid has reduced and cooked off and they begin to brown.

Properties: The Blue Oyster mushroom has a high protein content, several B vitamins, and all the essential amino acids (Marley, 2009). Its medicinal benefits include promoting anti-tumor activity and lowering high cholesterol. Oyster mushroom fruiting bodies and distillations have been shown to reduce tumor size in several studies on mice, rats, and hamsters (Hobbs, 1995). Additionally, Oyster mushrooms have been used in the Czech Republic as the main ingredient in a dietary supplement used to treat high cholesterol (Hobbs, 1995). Studies in animals have shown that a diet of Oyster mushrooms reduced the development of plaque in major arteries (Bobek et al., 1995).