Pioppino:

AA-CNS

AA-CNS is our go-to Pioppino strain with its superb quality and taste. Most pioppino strains are as brittle as can be and don’t hold up to cold storage beyond a day or two, but this phenotype has never done us wrong. What seems like 6-8 years ago this phenotype came to us via Branden at Mighty Cap Mushroom before the soy-hull revelation. Using our ComboPellets hydrated to 62%, incubation is unusually 14-18 days. Primordia fill the top of the block as soon as colonization is complete and within a warmer fruiting room range (65-70F) it’s about 24-48hrs before harvest. This strain will grow in cooler temps, just slower generating a variation of cap tones and textures.

AA-CNS-Sidecut

While it’s not the traditional way of top fruiting the infamous Pioppino mushroom (in this case our AA-CNS strain), side cutting as if fruiting an Oyster or Lion's Mane block works rather well. Just like fruiting Chestnuts, be sure to cut into the substrate a little bit to prevent side pinning. This technique helps focus the mycelial mass to regenerate and fruit near the incision/point of massive air exchange. The one downside to this method is it takes an extra couple days or so for fruits to form where you want them to. Give it a try and let us know how it goes!