Flammulina velutipes

“Flammulina” means flame colored (yellow-orange, or red). “Velutinus” means covered with fine hairs, and “Pes” means foot. Althoughyou will find that Enoki are a creamy, almost white color!

Enokis are usually cultivated on an aged hardwood sawdust medium that has been packed into small glass or plastic bottles (about 8" tall). The medium is pasteurized to kill harmful pathogens and then inoculated with the enoki spawn.

The spawn-run takes from 12-30 days. This is the time it takes for the mycelium to grow from the spawn and spread throughout the growing medium. The spawn-run environment is high in humidity (90-100%) and an increased amount of CO2. The temperature is about 72-77° F.

When the mycelium has permeated the growing medium, pinning is induced by lowering the temperature to 50-55° F, and decreasing the amount of CO2 by 80-90%. This rapid change in environment shocks the mycelium into forming tiny fruiting bodies that will eventually grow into the mature mushroom. Enokis do not need to be exposed to light to pin.

The Enoki is then ready to harvest. One bottle can have multiple crops over a period of 2-3 weeks before the spent growing medium is recycled.