The Pearl Oyster is our best selling strain for first mushroom cultivators. Another Fungaia strain, it grows luxuriantly and consistently produces large, graceful bouquets indoors on pasteurized straw. It is savory, dense and meaty, but not tough or fishy like some of its close relatives, and it has a substantially longer shelf life. It has consistently earned some of the highest marks from our customers, who find it approachable yet exotic, and always ask for more.

In addition to being a wonderful candidate for commercial indoor cultivation, this is one of the most imminently rewarding varieties to grow outside, producing massive mushrooms when given the chance to sprawl in the open air on logs, stumps and wood chip beds. Given its robust metabolic prowess and culinary desirability, the Pearl Oyster is also a prime choice for myco-remediation projects and for closing waste loops in permaculture systems in climates where the winters are not too harsh.

This strain grows rampantly in culture, and reacts quickly to neutralize pathogens, including nematodes. It would be a fun variety to experiment with adapting to novel food sources like pizza boxes, motor oil, and industrial wastewater.