"Back in 2010, we considered launching new mushrooms and went to South Korea to learn from their working system (cultivation in bottles) and bring it to La Rioja," explains César Fernández Guridi, of Hongos Fernández Guridi. After the project's launch, the SAT Agruset carried out tests for three years, until 2013. In that year, Vallondo and Fernández Guridi started cultivating King Oyster mushrooms using the Asian method.
This production system starts with the introduction of the substrate in bottles, where it is sterilised and inoculated with liquid seed that germinates in approximately thirty days. Afterwards, the bottles are placed in cultivation rooms for three weeks, where the most interesting process takes place. At first, with many hours of light, carbon dioxide levels are lowered, and the process is reversed as soon as the mushroom starts growing on the substrate. The room is then left in total darkness and carbon dioxide levels increase.
By doing this, the mushroom becomes longer without the head growing anymore, which results in the King Oyster mushroom acquiring its characteristic shape, with a long and thick stalk and a small head. "We aim for that because the mushroom is consumed laminated and the stalk is of high quality," explains César Fernández Guridi. During the process, the small mushrooms, marketed as minieryngii, are removed and only two are left per bottle, so that they grow without much competition.
César Fernández Guridi explains the reason why they dared to introduce a crop that was still unknown in Europe so far. "The fact is that mushroom cultivation has been growing gradually, although the number of varieties has remained small. In Asia, the consumption per person is twenty times greater and they consume many more varieties, and it is something that we wanted to bring to Spain." Luisa Bastida, of Vallondo, speaks in similar terms: "It is a commitment to doing something that nobody had tried before and consequently becoming able to supply a wider range of mushrooms."
Another Asian mushroom that was still unknown in our kitchens until recently is the Shiitake, and its production in La Rioja is now remarkable. "We want the King Oyster mushroom grown with the Asian method to follow the same path as the Shiitake," says César Fernández Guridi. There is still a lot of work ahead, as this mushroom has already settled in Spain and accounts for almost twenty percent of the production.
The King Oyster mushroom has gone through some difficult but satisfactory beginnings. As Luis Bastida points out, "it has been accepted by consumers and there are people demanding it, but there is still a lot for us to learn." For his part, César Fernández Guridi also points out that "there is good demand and the objective is to continue to grow."
Source: larioja.com