Growing Procedure

Agrocybe aegerita can be easily grown by complete beginners as long as you work hygienically and cleanly. Grows with slight losses in quality and yield even on simple substrates with 50% straw content. Best growing results with sterile substrate based on hardwood. Also well suited is my standard substrate recipe for wood decomposers. Tolerates drier climates (80-85%) and slightly higher temperatures than most cultivated mushrooms when grown indoors. Precise cultivation parameters can be found at the bottom.

A good fruiting strategy is to allow the mushroom only a few fruiting windows to stimulate clump formation. Taping the pouch often proves to be a good method to avoid air cavities into which the fungus would otherwise grow.

Pioppino is considered a notorious fast fruiter, forming fruiting bodies already on the Petri dish or only partially colonized substrates. The ripening phase, carried out by professionals, is the guarantee of maximum yield, but it must be carried out appropriately cool and in complete darkness. Pioppini are sensitive to fruiting stimuli such as light and fresh air, and do not tolerate well being moved too much during the incubation and ripening phases.

Give the culture air and light as soon as the first brown spots appear on the surface.

Unfortunately, the species is prone to mutation if the culture is improperly managed or the incubation period is too long. And also a favorite victim of fungus flies and slugs. It does not come close to oyster mushrooms in terms of yields, but is a fine delicacy if you harvest the mushroom before it screens.

Growing

Agar Culture Media: MYPA, PDYA, OMYA, and DFA
Cropping: two flushes, 10-14 days apart
Containers for fruiting: Polypropylene bags and trays. This fungus grows better on horizontal surfaces than on vertical ones.
Biological efficience: Up to 1 pound of fresh mushrooms per 5-6 pound block of sterilized sawdust/chips/bran. Large-diameter willow, aspen, and cottonwood stumps could sustain massive fruiting for many years.
Substrates: Supplemented oak and alder sawdust/shavings. Willow, cottonwood, cottonwood, maple

Natural Habitat

Agrocybe aegerita occurs in Europe only in the Mediterranean region. It attacks deadwood of various deciduous trees, preferably poplars. However, it is also thought to be a parasitic, as it is repeatedly found on living trees.

On stumps in southeastern United States and southern Europe. Prefers hardwoods, especially poplar, willow, poplar, maple, elder and in China tea and olive trees. Loves heat, prefers wine-growing areas, bushy, spring to late autumn.

Growing Characteristics

-on deciduous wood, mainly poplar stumps or trunks,
growing saprophytically, often in clusters
-later decomposers,
-also parasites, affects tree

Gourmet

The flavor of Agrocybe aegerita is distinctly sweet and aromatic, with a hint of sweet chestnut. Pleasantly soft, slightly floral aroma. The texture is nicely fleshy and firm. The uniquely crunchy texture of unscreened fruit bodies allows for a variety of preparation methods. To me, the mushroom tastes best when fried very hot and only briefly. It also goes well with fish and light roasts, but also with stews and curries.

In East Asia, it is used fresh and rehydrated in various dishes, including stir-fry, soup, stew, and hot pot. It has a soft cap and a harder stem.

Flesh

white, darker than foot, brownish

Taste

mild

Smell

mealy, but not pleasant

Nutritional content per 100g

other names

other names

Cyclocybe Cylindracea (Syn. Agrocybe Cylindracea, Agaricus Cylindraceus, Agrocybe Aegerita, Togaria Cylindracea, The Black Poplar Mushroom, The Swordbelt Agrocybe, Pioppino, Yanagi-Matsutake, South Poplar Mushroom Or Zhuzhuang-Tiantougu, Südlicher Ackerling, Südlicher Schüppling, Samthaube, Pioppino

Kingdom	Fungi