Cultivate from mushroom beds

We cultivate our mushrooms using a substrate made from sawdust and other organic materials. Inside the Kikurage House at Kasugai Farm, we can accommodate up to 6,000 substrate blocks at a time. The mushrooms are grown solely with sawdust from domestically sourced hardwood, nutrients primarily from grains, water, and kikurage mushroom spores—nothing else. No harmful chemicals are used at any stage of the process. Mushrooms are highly sensitive to changes in temperature and humidity. At Kasugai Farm, we grow them inside a vinyl greenhouse where both temperature and humidity are controlled 24 hours a day. Cultivation methods vary by farm, but at Kasugai Farm, our kikurage mushrooms are grown without any exposure to sunlight. Inside the greenhouse, the temperature is maintained between 25°C and 30°C, and humidity is kept remarkably high—between 70% and 90%. We regularly fill the air with mist using sprayers to maintain this high-humidity environment. We also take pride in cultivating our mushrooms without the use of any pesticides, so you can enjoy them with peace of mind. Once a cut is made in the substrate block, kikurage mushrooms begin to grow from that opening. They can reach harvest size in as little as two weeks and grow quickly enough that you can see noticeable changes from day to day. Because of this rapid growth, we carefully select and harvest mushrooms daily, ensuring they are picked at just the right size—before they become too large. After harvesting, any sawdust or debris attached to the kikurage from the substrate is carefully removed, and the tougher stem bases are trimmed one by one with care. Because washing mushrooms with water can reduce their freshness, we intentionally do not wash the fresh kikurage. Instead, we ship them in their most natural and freshest state. The white powder sometimes seen on the kikurage is actually their spores—a sign of freshness! For kikurage that will be dried, we first wash them with water and then sun-dry them naturally. Exposure to sunlight increases their vitamin D content, making them even more nutritious. After sun-drying, they are thoroughly dried again using a specialized drying machine. Dried kikurage has a long shelf life, making it a popular choice for home use. Fresh kikurage is known for its soft and springy texture, while dried kikurage offers a firm, crunchy bite.