Where Can I Find Lion’s Mane Mushrooms?

PNW Spore Co. recommends Lion’s Mane liquid culture: try your luck with an easy-growing culinary mushroom that offers a range of wellness benefits. Great for vegan and vegetarian diets.

Culinary mushrooms like Lion’s Mane (which also happens to be a nootropic) are an incredible source of nutrients and vitamins that have gained in popularity in recent years throughout kitchens all around the world.

Apart from being rich in umami flavor and having an almost meaty texture despite being completely plant-based, mushrooms are also generally suitable for individuals with various dietary restrictions — including those on gluten-free and vegan diets. 

If you’re interested in incorporating mushrooms into your day-to-day diet but don’t know where to start, you’ve come to the right place! In this post, we’ll discover more about Lion’s Mane mushrooms, one of the most popular mushrooms for cooking. We’ll be looking at where you can find Lion’s Mane, their benefits and how you can cook with them.

What Are Lion’s Mane Mushrooms?

Lion’s Mane (hericium erinaceus) is a type of edible mushroom with a distinct visual appearance.

Unlike typical mushrooms, Lion’s Mane mushrooms are composed of multiple white strands or threads that are packed together, usually in the shape of a ball. This structure gives the mushroom a visual appearance similar to that of a lion’s mane, which is where the mushroom gets its iconic name from. 

Reported Benefits

There are many well-studied reported wellness benefits to consuming Lion’s Mane mushrooms, some of which include:

Improved Brain Health

Studies have shown that consuming Lion’s Mane mushrooms can be beneficial for brain health¹. In particular, the mushroom is shown as possibly helping to stimulate the growth and regeneration of brain cells for improved memory and cognitive function, as well as potentially delaying or slowing the onset of diseases² such as Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease.

Improved Digestive Health

Consuming Lion’s Mane regularly is also reported in studies to help to reduce inflammation of the digestive tract and promote the growth of good bacteria³ in your gut. This can be especially helpful for people who suffer from conditions such as inflammatory bowel disease and frequent stomach ulcers.

Cooking with Lion’s Mane Mushrooms

Apart from their numerous medicinal and health benefits, it is without a doubt that Lion’s Mane mushrooms are also delicious and can be used in many different recipes. They can be sliced into steaks and cooked simply on their own or used as a replacement for meat in many popular recipes. This is because they have a very meaty texture that is almost similar to crab meat and a mild, umami flavor profile.

How to Prepare Lion’s Mane Mushrooms

Preparing Lion’s Mane is relatively straightforward and not too different from any other type of mushroom.

Start off by washing the mushrooms and getting rid of any dirt or debris that might be stuck on the surface. Then, simply shred them into chunks with your hands or slice them into smaller pieces, depending on how you’d like to cook them. 

How to Cook Lion’s Mane Mushrooms

There are countless different preparations for Lion’s Mane mushrooms, and you can experiment with various mushroom recipes to find those that you enjoy the most. Some of the more popular ways to cook lion’s mane mushrooms include:

• Sauteing: Sauteeing lion’s mane mushrooms simply with some herbs and butter can be a great way to bring out their full natural flavors. The sauteed mushrooms can also be added to a salad to make a quick and easy meal.
• Grilling or Roasting: For greater depth of flavor, consider grilling or roasting your lion’s mane mushrooms. Roasting or grilling them until they turn golden brown and slightly charred on the edges can impart a great smoky flavor that is reminiscent of grilled meat. 
• Breading and Frying: Although this may be a slightly more unhealthy preparation, breading and frying lion’s mane mushrooms can turn them into delicious nuggets that can be a great appetizer.

Where to Buy Lion’s Mane Mushrooms?

While they have gained in popularity in recent years, Lion’s Mane mushrooms are still far from becoming a mainstream food, and this means that you may not be able to find them in every grocery store. Nonetheless, many well-stocked grocery stores will typically carry them, along with speciality food stores and online retailers. 

If you’re unable to get Lion’s Mane in your area or if you want to have greater control over the food you consume, then perhaps growing your own lion’s mane mushrooms might be a better option. By doing so, you get complete control over every stage of the cultivation process and can be sure that you aren’t consuming any harmful chemicals from commercially grown mushrooms.

How to Grow Lion’s Mane Mushrooms

Growing Lion’s Mane mushrooms is an incredibly simple process that anyone can undertake from home. There are five main steps that you can follow to get started on your mushroom growing journey:

1. Sterilization: By sterilizing your growing area as well as any growing materials such as liquid culture syringes and starter grain bags with isopropyl alcohol, you ensure that the only things growing are the mushrooms.
2. Inoculation: This step involves introducing the liquid mushroom culture into the growing medium so that it can start to grow.
3. Colonization: After the growing medium has been inoculated, you can then redistribute it throughout the growing bag or jar to speed up the colonization process.
4. Fruiting: Once the colonization process is completed, the next step is to create holes in the growing bag or jar for the mushrooms to fruit. The fruit of the mushroom is the part that is edible.
5. Harvest: Finally, once the Lion’s Mane has reached your desired size (typically the size of a grapefruit), you can harvest them by simply twisting the fruit from the substrate. Once harvested, you can prepare and enjoy them in any way you like.

For more detailed instructions, check out this comprehensive guide to growing Lion’s Mane mushrooms. 

References:

1. https://www.uq.edu.au/news/article/2023/02/mushrooms-magnify-memory-boosting-nerve-growth-0
2. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26364939
3. https://www.mayoclinichealthsystem.org/hometown-health/speaking-of-health/mushrooms-make-healthy-meal-magic#:~:text=Early%20research%20shows%20the%20lion’s,multiple%20sclerosis%20and%20Parkinson’s%20disease.