Some mushrooms are highly sought-after for their use in cooking. Others get used for their medicinal benefits.
Turkey tail mushrooms fall into the second category. They contain a number of beneficial compounds that make them worth consuming.
The problem is that you can’t simply eat turkey tail mushrooms like portobellos or oyster mushrooms. Their thick and woody structure makes them basically inedible to humans.
These mushrooms need to get prepared in specific ways if you want to benefit from them.
The good news is that preparing turkey tail mushrooms as a tea or supplement isn’t difficult.
In this article we’ll explain how you can use turkey tails for medicinal use. We’ll also go over how to find and identify them, what their benefits are and more. Keep reading to see if turkey tail mushrooms are something you might want to add to your daily health regimen.
And if you’re in the UK I’d love you to have a look at our MycoTonics range of medicinal extracts which includes Turkey Tail.
Turkey tail mushrooms, known scientifically as Trametes versicolor, are a common sight on decaying logs and stumps in forests around the world. These colorful shelf mushrooms have long been valued in traditional Asian medicine for their health benefits. More recently, modern medical research has confirmed that turkey tail extracts boost the immune system and may help fight cancer.
The good news is that turkey tail mushrooms are among the easiest edible mushrooms to grow at home With just a few logs, some mushroom spawn, and basic supplies, you can grow your own beautiful turkey tail mushrooms for years to come This complete guide will walk you through each step of the process.
Why Grow Turkey Tail Mushrooms?
There are many great reasons to try your hand at growing turkey tail mushrooms:
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They are packed with nutrients and potential health benefits. Turkey tail mushrooms contain polysaccharides that strengthen immune function. Some studies suggest they may help fight cancer and even assist chemotherapy patients. The mushrooms are also a good source of antioxidants.
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They are low maintenance, Turkey tail mushrooms grow well on logs outdoors with minimal intervention once inoculated, The mushrooms are not particularly susceptible to contams or disease,
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They produce impressive displays. A log fully colonized with turkey tail mycelium will fruit with vibrant bands of blue, orange, green, brown, red, and purple shelf-like caps.
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You can harvest year-round. In warmer climates, turkey tails will fruit abundantly from spring through fall. In cold weather, they persist on logs but produce smaller crops.
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You’ll learn valuable skills. Growing oyster or shiitake mushrooms is next once you master turkey tails!
Choosing a Mushroom Strain
The first step is deciding which turkey tail strain to grow. Popular options include:
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Chestnut: Fast colonizer that fruits heavily. Produces clouds of brownish spores.
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Blue: Vivid blue and purple caps. Decent production.
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Yellow: Bright golden caps that stand out in the landscape.
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Red: Deep red caps with orange and brown bands underneath.
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Grey Oyster: A related gilled oyster mushroom sometimes called “Turkey Tail Oyster.”
Beginners may want to start with a fast and heavy yielding strain like Chestnut. Make sure to buy mushroom spawn from a reputable supplier to avoid contamination issues.
Preparing the Logs
Turkey tail mushrooms grow best on deciduous hardwood logs measuring 3-8 inches in diameter and around 3-4 feet long. Good wood choices include oak, maple, ironwood, poplar, beech, alder, apple, cherry, and elm.
The logs should be cut from live, healthy trees during the dormant season. Allow fresh cut logs to rest outdoors for at least 4-8 weeks before inoculating to allow natural antifungal compounds to dissipate. Stacking the logs with spacer sticks improves airflow. You want the moisture content to stabilize between 25-35% before inoculating.
Use a drill to bore 1/4-5/8 inch diameter holes 3-5 inches deep spaced every 4-6 inches across the log’s surface. Aim for about 75-150 holes per 50 inch log. Soak the logs in water for 24 hours prior to inoculating if rainfall has been scarce.
Inoculating the Logs
Next, fill each hole with mushroom grain spawn. For beginners, sawdust spawn is easiest to work with. Use a thumb to gently pack the sawdust into each hole. High quality spawn should feel firm and show white mycelium threads.
Seal the inoculated holes with hot wax to retain moisture and prevent other microbes from invading. Melt together 4 parts paraffin wax with 1 part beeswax then use a paint brush to coat each hole. Let the wax fully cool and harden before handling the logs further.
Label your inoculated logs with the mushroom strain and date. This helps you track the colonization process. Now the mycelium needs time and moisture to fully permeate the logs before fruiting can begin.
Incubating the Logs
In nature, logs decompose underground over years before producing turkey tail mushrooms. To speed things up, you’ll need to incubate your inoculated logs.
Keep the logs moist but not soaked during incubation. Lean them upright against a shady backdrop out of direct sun. Mist the logs daily or soak them for 30-60 minutes twice a week if rainfall is insufficient.
At warm temperatures from 75-85°F, chestnut strain mycelium can fully colonize logs in just 6-10 weeks. Colder weather slows the process down. Resist the urge to disturb the logs during this period.
When mycelium has threaded fully through each log, you’re ready to initiate fruiting. Give the logs a good soak then move to a shady spot with indirect light to encourage pinning and growth. Continuing to mist regularly as pins develop.
Harvesting the Mushrooms
Once turkey tail caps reach 2-4 inches across, use a sharp knife to gently cut them off at the base. Harvest frequently to encourage new flushes. Pick mushrooms before the underside begins to lose color.
Cleaned and dried turkey tail mushrooms can be stored in glass jars for years without losing potency or flavor. Place them in a food dehydrator or low oven until cracker dry. Some growers even turn turkey tails into powder or tinctures.
Each flush produces fewer mushrooms than the last as the log’s nutrients deplete over time. But diligent growers can get 5-7 years of harvests from a well-colonized log. Supplement logs between flushes by soaking them in water or burying them in compost.
Troubleshooting Problems
Turkey tail mushrooms are not prone to major pest or disease issues. But occasionally problems do pop up:
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Contamination: Discard logs showing green, black, or other odd colored mold. Prevent issues by starting with sterile spawn and sealing holes.
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Fruiting too early: Ensure logs are fully colonized before exposing to light and moisture to initiate fruiting.
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No fruiting: Soak logs well and move to a brighter location to encourage pinning after mycelium is established.
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Slow colonization: Make sure logs stay evenly moist. Consider a faster colonizing strain like Chestnut.
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Log dried out: Discard desiccated logs. Keep rest of batch well watered.
With some patience and TLC, the intricate beauty of turkey tail mushrooms will grace your logs. Then you can reap the benefits by brewing tea, making tinctures, or adding the flavorful mushrooms to soups and stir fries. Growing these medicinal mushrooms is deeply rewarding.
How Do You Take Turkey Tail Mushroom For Medicinal Use?
If you’re buying a commercial turkey tail supplement, it’s most likely to come in a dried powder form.
For those harvesting wild turkey tail mushrooms, you will need to dry them out and grind them into a powder yourself before you can use it. Dry them as soon as possible to prevent mold from developing.
You can use a food dehydrator set to around 115 degrees F (46 C.) It takes about 24 hours to fully dehydrate an average-sized turkey tail mushroom. Then crush the dried mushrooms into a powder using a food processor or mortar and pestle.
You can then put this powder into capsules and take them as a supplement. Some people also make tea directly from the powder.
The taste of turkey tail mushrooms isn’t particularly palatable or something that you want to ingest for the flavor. So people also add the dried mushroom powder to smoothies, oatmeal, soups or salad dressings to help mask the flavor.
You can extract most of the beneficial compounds in turkey tails with just water. Unlike some other kinds of medicinal mushrooms that need to go through an alcohol extraction process. So it’s easier to get the benefits of turkey tail compared to other mushrooms.
Reishi mushrooms are another popular type of medicinal mushroom. Read our article A Complete Guide to Reishi Mushrooms to learn all about them.
What Is Turkey Tail Mushroom Good For?
Turkey tail mushroom benefits cover a wide range of ailments. Ranging from minor complaints, all the way up to serious conditions like cancer.
These mushrooms contain a wide range of antioxidants called flavonoids and phenols that can help to boost your immune system. They accomplish this by reducing inflammation in the body as well as helping to stimulate your body’s natural production of its own protective compounds.
Turkey tail mushrooms can also improve the health of your gut. Turkey tail mushrooms contain helpful prebiotics that can help to suppress bad bacteria like E. Coli. Not only that, but it also helps increase the amount of beneficial bacteria in the gut as well.
Having a healthy gut microbiome has many benefits. It can help with indigestion, reduce cholesterol levels and more.
Like most mushrooms, turkey tails also contain a fair amount of fiber. That can help to promote healthy digestion as well.
One study even suggests that turkey tail mushrooms may improve athletic performance. Mice who consumed turkey tail extract were less fatigued and performed better in the study than those who didn’t.
These are just a few of the beneficial claims that get made about turkey tails. Now let’s talk about some of the really impressive health benefits that are associated with taking turkey tails as well.