How to Grow Lion's Mane Mushrooms in 3 Weeks

The popularity of mushrooms continues to… well, mushroom! But there’s one grabbing more attention than any other: the lion’s mane mushroom.

Lion’s mane (Hericium erinaceus) looks like its namesake, and many are adamant that it makes them feel lion-like too! So I’m going to look at a few of its many claimed benefits, how to grow it and, finally, put it to the taste test.

Lion’s mane is scientifically proven to boost your brain. Fact! Research shows that this shaggy-looking mushroom supports brain health by encouraging new growth in your noggin. More on all that shortly, but first, let’s get growing!

How to Grow Lion’s Mane Mushrooms

In nature lion’s mane mushrooms grow on dead or dying hardwood, but the simplest way to grow it at home is to use a ready-to-go kit. The one I use has a mixture of hardwood sawdust with a little added bran for extra oomph to power up the growth of the ‘shrooms.

The first job is to snip off the top corners of the bag, then tightly roll the top down and secure it firmly in place with tape. Squeeze out as much air as possible, which will escape through the cuts you’ve made. Keep it really tight so there’s no room for the mushrooms to start forming within the bag itself.

Instead, we want the mushrooms to grow out from the face of the bag, so we’ll need to make some more cuts – first a four-inch (10cm) cut along the top, and then an X-shaped slit in the middle.

Most mushrooms like humid conditions, but maintaining high enough humidity (between 70-90%) indoors can be tricky, especially if you’re in a drier climate or have the heating blaring. You can buy special mushroom humidifiers, but you can use something a little more low-tech: a plastic bag!

To ensure enough air circulation – because mushrooms still need to breathe – cut holes into the bag by folding it in half and cutting two circles of a couple of inches (5cm) in diameter.

We don’t want the bag resting on the mushrooms themselves as they grow, and the easiest way to avoid that is to suspend the bag out from the block by slipping a couple of skewers into the block through the first holes you made. Then slip the plastic bag loosely over – no need to tuck it in tight.

Encouraging Your Lion’s Mane Mushrooms to Fruit

Grow your lion’s mane mushrooms somewhere out of direct sunshine but where it will still get plenty of natural, indirect light. Aim for a consistent temperature between 60-70ºF(16-21ºC), and well away from any heat sources that could cause the block to get too warm or dry out. Put it on a plate or something to catch the moisture.

Mist your mushroom kit at least twice a day using a fine mist sprayer to keep humidity high. Just lightly spray the inside of the outer bag, the face of the fruiting bag, and the container it’s sitting on. Do this regularly to encourage ‘pinning’, which the first inkling that the fruiting bodies are on their way!

Once they start to form, try not to spray the mushrooms themselves, just the surfaces of the bag.

How to Harvest Lion’s Mane Mushrooms

Like any mushroom, lion’s mane grows fast once it’s ready to fruit, going from pinning to fully developed fruiting bodies in a little over a week. To know when it’s time to harvest, look for its distinctive hanging spines or tendrils. Growth will slow down at this point and the trick is to harvest while it’s still fresh-looking and before it starts to release its spores. You certainly don’t want to let the fruits dry out and start to go brown.

To harvest, reach behind the mushroom and give it a gentle twist to release it from the block.

The great news is that this fruiting block isn’t done yet – with a little care it will produce another flush of mushrooms. The first step is to remove any traces of the mushrooms just harvested to pare things back to the original substrate. Then gauge the weight of the fruiting block – if it’s light, it has dried out a bit and needs to be rehydrated. To do this, submerge it in cool water for a few hours, then remove it and let the water drain away.

You can speed along your next crop of mushrooms by then placing the block in the fridge overnight. This simulates nighttime conditions, giving it a cold shock to wake it back up into life.

With that done, pop the bag back over and do exactly as before – misting regularly and keeping everything at a consistent, comfortable temperature in indirect natural light. The next harvest will take a bit longer to come around – up to about four weeks. That’s still pretty quick though!

The Brain Mushroom

Now what about all those incredible brain-boosting claims? One study in 2019 gave lion’s mane mushroom extract over 12 weeks to one group and found measurable improvements in memory, concentration and overall mental function when compared to the control group. Lion’s mane mushroom extract helps the brain by actively repairing nerve tissue, especially in the hippocampus, which is the part responsible for learning, memory and emotions.

For this reason, lion’s mane mushroom extract is showing real promise for progressive brain disorders like Parkinson’s disease, dementia and Alzheimer’s because of its ability to restimulate the production of adult brain stem cells. It could also help with conditions like ADHD by reducing feelings of agitation, and research shows it can also lower anxiety and even depression. Lion’s mane can promote better sleep and may also support general immune system function, helping boost heart health and reducing the risk of some cancers – is there anything it can’t do?!

I take lion’s mane mushroom extract to help with mental clarity, focus, and to get me into that ‘flow state’ for work. It stops me procrastinating and, hand on heart, I really notice the difference it makes. It’s no wonder lion’s mane is also known as the brain boosting mushroom! This is just my experience and I’m not a doctor – so seek medical advice before using it.

Drying and Cooking Lion’s Mane Mushrooms

To harness the full cognitive power of the brain mushroom you’d need to make an extract of it to increase its potency and make the substances responsible for its brain-boosting powers more available. But dehydrating the mushrooms is quicker and easier, and will still give plenty of its famous health-supporting benefits.

Slice your mushrooms as thinly as possible then lay them out onto trays to dry in a dehydrator on a low heat to preserve all that goodness. If you don’t have a dehydrator you could dry the slices out on an oven on a very low heat – just check regularly so they don’t burn.

Decant your dried mushrooms into a grinder and whizz it all down into a fine powder. Pop the powder into an airtight container with a few packets of food grade silica crystals to keep moisture at bay, and store it in a dark, dry place. You can add the mushroom powder to pretty much any recipe, or even use it to make a lion’s mane mushroom tea or coffee.

Cooked lion’s mane mushroom has a texture a bit like crab meat or lobster, and some claim it has a slight crab-like taste. Fry slices over a medium heat, without any oil to drive off some of the moisture in the mushroom, until they’re just starting to brown on the edges.

Fish them out of the pan and add some butter before returning your slices back to the pan to get them fully cooked. And to finish, sprinkle on a little salt and pepper. Simple yet delicious!