Chestnut Mushroom – (Pholiota adiposa)

We offer fresh-made Agar plates, Slants, Liquid Cultures, and Spore Syringes, all prepared to order in a sterile environment. Please allow 3–5 business days for processing before shipment.

Chestnut Mushroom: A Cultivator’s Favorite Gourmet

The Chestnut Mushroom (Pholiota adiposa) is a stunning wood-loving gourmet prized for its amber-brown caps with shaggy scales and its clustered growth habit. Unlike many commercial exotics, Chestnuts are both beautiful and practical—they fruit in dense bouquets, have a firm texture, and develop a nutty, earthy flavor that holds up to almost any cooking method.

In the kitchen, Chestnuts offer something different than oysters or shiitake: their caps stay firm and slightly crunchy, even after sautéing, making them an excellent addition to stir-fries, risottos, pasta dishes, and roasts. Growers value them because they flush reliably, have a unique market appeal, and store well compared to more delicate mushrooms.

As always, produced with love and a touch of southern hospitality. 😉
We start with organically grown, pesticide-free milo grain and expand into hardwood sawdust supplemented with soy hulls for reliable colonization and heavy flushes.

🍄 Chestnut Mushroom: Comprehensive Profile

Overview

• Common Name: Chestnut Mushroom

• Scientific Name: Pholiota adiposa

• Family: Strophariaceae

• Ecological Role: Saprotroph (wood-decaying)

• Habitat: Dead or dying hardwoods (beech, oak, maple)

• Distribution: Widely cultivated; native to Europe and Asia, introduced to North America through cultivation

🔬 Taxonomy

RankClassificationDomainEukaryotaKingdomFungiPhylumBasidiomycotaClassAgaricomycetesOrderAgaricalesFamilyStrophariaceaeGenusPholiotaSpeciesPholiota adiposa

🧬 Morphological Characteristics

Fruiting Body:

• Cap: Orange-brown to chestnut-colored, covered with fine shaggy scales; 2–6 cm

• Stem: Pale yellow to brown, often with fibrils or scales

• Gills: Yellowish, turning rusty-brown with age

• Spore Print: Rust-brown

• Growth Habit: Dense clusters, often dozens of mushrooms per flush

Texture/Flavor:

• Firm, slightly crunchy caps

• Nutty, earthy flavor—stronger than oysters but milder than shiitake

🌍 Ecology & Distribution

• Naturally occurs on hardwood logs, stumps, and fallen branches

• Cultivated worldwide on supplemented hardwood sawdust substrates

• Popular in Asian and European markets; gaining traction in North America farmers’ markets

🌿 Distinguishing Features

• vs Nameko (Pholiota microspora): Chestnut lacks the gelatinous coating common to Nameko caps

• vs Shiitake: Chestnut grows in clustered bouquets rather than singular caps

• vs Oysters: More firm, less delicate, and with a stronger, nutty flavor

⚕️ Culinary & Nutritional Potential

Culinary:

• Excellent sautéed, roasted, or grilled

• Retains firmness in soups and sauces

• Eye-catching when served as whole clusters

Nutritional:

• Rich in protein and dietary fiber

• Contains polysaccharides with potential immune-modulating effects

• Good source of B-vitamins, potassium, and trace minerals

⚠️ Toxicity / Edibility

• Edible and highly regarded

• Some confusion exists with other Pholiota species (some inedible) in the wild → cultivate only from verified stock

📸 Cultivation Notes

• Substrate: Hardwood sawdust with soy hull supplementation

• Spawn Run: 2–3 weeks on grain, 2–4 weeks on bulk block

• Fruiting Conditions:

  • Temp: 55–65°F (ideal), tolerates 50–70°F

  • Humidity: 85–95%

  • Fresh Air: Needs higher FAE than oysters to avoid leggy stems

• Yield: Moderate to high; multiple flushes possible; clusters can weigh several pounds

📚 Historical & Cultural Notes

• Long cultivated in Asia and Eastern Europe as a gourmet mushroom

• Sometimes sold under the common name “Chestnut Cap” or “Cinnamon Cap”

• Increasingly featured in fine dining for its striking presentation and crunchy texture

✅ Summary: Key Points on Chestnut Mushroom

• Striking clusters with amber-brown scaly caps

• Distinct nutty, earthy flavor with crunchy texture

• Vigorous grower on hardwood sawdust + soy hull substrates

• Highly marketable for farmers’ markets and gourmet chefs

• Multiple flushes with good storage life