Cordyceps Kit Instructions
Cordyceps is an unusual fungus that in nature parasitises a insect hosts. With our kits, you can grow them at home, no bugs needed!
Each species of mushroom is a different growing experience. Even if you have grown mushrooms before, please read the instructions carefully before proceeding. If you run into any problems please see our FAQ.
Looking for the instructions for starting your cordyceps in a jar? Go here: Cordyceps Jar Instructions
Step 1: Choose a Location
Choose a bright, cool location, such as a windowsill to set up your kit. Cordyceps require lots of light to trigger growth but should be kept at a temperature close to 17°C (and no higher than 20°C) so make sure it is not in strong direct sunlight which could overheat the jar. Keep an eye on the temperature-activated strip on the side of the jar to monitor the conditions. As long as the strip remains green, the temperature is suitable.
Important: we recommend starting your tray and starting your kit as soon as it arrives.
The temperature activated colour strip will indicate whether your kit is within the correct temperature range. The colours become visible as it detects warmth - from blue to light green, dark green, and finally to orange and red. Keep the jar in a location where the strip stays within the green range. The blue range is also acceptable, but your cordyceps will grow very slowly.
Step 2: Set Up Your Kit
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Pour a small amount of water into the bottom of your bag. You want to be sure it stays well below the top of your tray.
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Carefully take the top of try and place the tray in the bottom of the bag.
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Roll down the top and seal with cello tape.
The water at the bottom of the bag should be well below the top of the tray. This will help keep the humidity up.
Step 3: Observe Growth
Once placed in your chosen location, your Cordyceps kit doesn't need any special maintenance and will start to grow on its own. Initially, the mycelium will produce a fluffy layer on the surface. This will contract back to the substrate and take on an orange hue as it prepares to form fruiting bodies. The fruiting bodies will first appear as small orange bumps and will grow upwards as they develop.
Since light is a pinning trigger for Cordyceps, turning your kit regularly to expose different sides to the light source can help ensure a more even pinset across the surface of the substrate.
It can take 5-7 weeks for your kit to start pinning.
The mycelium has started to form pins. Some of these pins will grow to form fruit bodies.
Step 4: Harvest the Cordyceps
Once the fruiting bodies stop growing, they are ready to harvest! They will reach a height of 4–7 cm, with bright orange, spongy-textured tips when ready. To harvest, squeeze the container and remove the entire cake out of the tray.
Don't wait too long to harvest! Cordyceps militaris contains a mycoparasite (another fungus that parasitises the cordyceps) called Calcarisporium which will express itself at high temperatures or if mature fruiting bodies are not harvested promptly. It manifests as a whitish layer covering the Cordyceps mushrooms (pictured below).
These Cordyceps fruiting bodies are mature and ready to harvest. Note the spongy texture at the tips of the clubs. This is where the spores are created.
The entire substrate block with fruiting bodies attached removed from try and ready for dehydration.
Here you can see the mycoparasite Calcarisporium present on mature cordyceps fruiting bodies which were not harvested.
Step 6: How To Prepare Your Mushrooms
Cordyceps has long been used in Traditional Chinese Medicine and has been shown to have many potential medicinal properties. If you're interested in using Cordyceps for its health benefits, it must be processed into an extract. To do this, take a look at our blog post outlining how to make your own DIY dual-extract mushroom tincture.
It is also a delicious mushroom to cook with, with a sweet and umami flavour - we think it has some notes reminiscent of buttered popcorn! Simply sautée the cordyceps clubs in butter or oil with salt or add to stir fries, soups, pasta or any other dishes that call for mushrooms.
Once you've harvested the mushrooms, there are a few different things you can do with the spent substrate "cake" that is left. It is unlikely the fruit again, but it can be composted. Alternatively, it can be dried and used to make tinctures. If you'd like to make a tincture, you must prepare the Cordyceps cake for storage straight away. To do this, you can slice it and dehydrate it in in a food dehydrator or in the oven on its lowest setting until completely dry. Store in an airtight container, ideally with a silica gel packet, until it is to be used in our DIY tincture recipe.
Cordyceps "clubs" fried in butter. They turn an even more vivid shade of orange on cooking.
We hope you've enjoyed growing your Cordyceps mushrooms!
We're passionate about sharing the diversity of the fungi kingdom & making more of its edible & medicinal delights easy to grow. Want to try another strain or learn how to cultivate mushrooms? See our full range of mushroom growing kits and cultivation workshops!