Description

Yellow Oyster Agar Plate

Pleurotus citrinopileatus

Yellow Oyster Information

Yellow Oysters are a beautiful mushroom native to eastern Russia, northern China, and Japan. Like most other species in the Pleurotus genus, Yellow Oysters prefer to grow on dead or decaying hardwood trees such as Cherry, Oak, Beech, Maple, Ash, and especially Elms. They’re very closely related to Pleurotus cornucopiae (common name: Branched Oyster), which hails from Europe. In fact, some consider Yellow Oysters to be a subspecies of the Branched Oyster.

In nature, it’s common to find these mushrooms growing in patches of extremely large quantities, covering the area in bright yellow. They also form very tight rosettes when fruiting. These mushrooms prefer to fruit in warmer weather, so the best time to forage for this species is at the height of summer.

These golden mushrooms are a very fragile species, so it’s important to remember to be delicate with them when handling and harvesting them. They also have an extremely short shelf life (only 2-3 days) which means you’ll almost never find them available at the grocery store. 

As mentioned previously, this fungus originated in Russia and Asia, however you can find them growing in North America. It’s theorized that spores from human cultivated Yellow Oysters made it into nature via wind and water and now grow wildly across the US. In fact, they have created a strong population in the Midwestern US. 

Another little known fact about Yellow Oysters is that some mushroom hunters consider them to be an invasive species in the US that specifically affects Morels. Both Yellow Oysters and Morels prefer to fruit off of elm trees, however the Yellow Oysters are the more vigorous growing species of the two. Foragers have observed morels in the midwest US begin to transition to Green Ash Trees rather than Elms due to the direct competition.

Why Grow Your Own Yellow Oyster Mushrooms?

Health Benefits

• Used in traditional medicine to combat high cholesterol, diabetes, and infections
• Nurtures a healthy gut microbiome
• High in antioxidants, Vitamin D, phosphorus, zinc, and more

Flavor Profile

• Sweet and mildly nutty, similar to cashews
• Some say it has a slight hint of citrus
• They’re light and very refreshing- great for summer meals
• When being cooked, they release a fruity aroma that is compared to aged wine

Popular Uses in Cooking

• Sliced, seasoned, and sauteed or grilled to make oyster mushroom steaks
• Their unique flavor makes them wonderful sauteed in oil or butter and served on their own
• Makes an amazing and unique pizza topper
• Give them a nice crunch by throwing them in the air fryer

Growing Conditions

• Colonization time: 10-14 days
• Fruiting time: 5-10 days
• Humidity: 70-90%. Beneficial to create a humidity dome for this species
• Temperature: 65-85°F (warmer the better)

Why Buy Our Yellow Oyster Agar Plates?

We strive to provide you with the cleanest possible products. We inoculate all of the Yellow Oyster plates in front of Laminar Flow Hoods with HEPA filters. These HEPA filters have an efficiency rating of 99.97%. Meaning that the filter removes 99.97% of particles in the air.  

• Colonized agar plates allow you to cultivate your own medicinal mushrooms at home!
• Discreet packaging
• Store at room temperature
• Remains viable for ~6 months
• DO NOT FREEZE

Yellow Oyster Agar Plate Contents

Each plate will come with:

• 1 plate of healthy, uncontaminated Yellow Oyster mycelium
• 1 alcohol prep pad
• 1 sticker (1 per order)