Shimeji mushrooms develop their nutty flavor best when cooked. Thanks to their umami taste, they are a popular mushroom in Japan and internationally.

The use of plastic bags in mycology is pretty common and, understandably, commercial operations want to ensure they are using the best methods to maximize growing yields as this will maximize profits, as a result, single-use plastic bag use is rife within the mushroom farming industry.

Organic and conventionally grown shimeji mushrooms are available commercially. Because mushroom growing is largely done without added fertilizers or pesticides, the primary determining factor for organic status is the origin and makeup of the substrate used to grow the mushrooms.
Shimeji mushroom — n. Japanese cultivated fleshy mushroom. Shimeji — (, 占地) is a group of edible mushrooms native to East Asia.
Shimejis are little characters (desktop buddies or mascots) who play around in your windows of Google Chrome (web browser) or Chrome OS, while you are browsing the internet. Pick up a shimeji with the mouse pointer, drag them around, and drop them where you want. They walk, crawl, and climb all over your screen and interact with elements on web.
Growing mushrooms without plastic bags can be accomplished using a few different techniques, many common gourmet species can be grown inside jars, buckets and other reusable containers. The famous Monotub setup is a popular example which is regularly used by hobbyists.

Plastic is a pretty versatile product, cheap, flexible and it can withstand a pressure cooker without breaking down.

However, these benefits also make plastic very bad for the environment and with the large drive-in environmental friendliness across the world this is one area where commercial mycology is falling short.

If like me you are just a home hobbyist OR just beginning your journey into mycology the use of plastic bags can probably be avoided.

This will benefit the environment and your wallet! Just like everything in mycology, all it takes is a little bit of trial and error, imagination, and persistence.

So…

Growing mushrooms without plastic bags can be accomplished using a few different techniques, many common gourmet species can be grown inside jars, buckets and other reusable containers. The famous Monotub setup is a popular example which is regularly used by hobbyists. In parts of Asia Jars are used as one of the primary methods for growing gourmet mushrooms; however, this is often species-dependent.

To add to this I have done a bit of research on the topic and created a simple table outlining ideas for the cultivation of different popular gourmet species which do not require plastic bags.

Species	Growing Ideas
Reishi	Monotub, Jars, reusable containers
Lions Mane	Jars, reusable containers
Oysters	Jars, Buckets, Monotub (King oyster)
Shitake	Jars, Buckets, reusable containers
Enoki	Jars, reusable containers
Maitake	Jars, reusable containers
Cordyceps	Jars, reusable containers

Each species will likely need a different technique based on their requirements.

Sometimes I will grow inside self-contained jars, sometimes I will inoculate grain spawn and expand into bulk substrates, really, it all depends on; the species, my free time and my goals.

Once you understand the general growing technique you can experiment on how to produce fruits from different species based on their growing requirements.

Always take into consideration how you are going to inoculate your substrates. Try to keep it simple if you are just starting out.

The larger the better, fill a jar with an appropriate substrate and inoculate with your chosen liquid culture or grain spawn.

The whole process can be self-sustaining and is probably the best for beginners as its easier to avoid contamination.

This method is common in parts of asia with the following species commercially grown: shiitake, maitake, nameko,shimeji, enoki and king oyster, however some of these strains are hard to come in the west.

For ideas fruiting the mushrooms in jars you can:

Allow the mushroom to fruit out the top jar when 100% colonization is achieved by removing the lid. This technique is popular for Oysters, Reishi, Enoki, Maitake.
Allowing the mushroom to fruit inside the jar as described here with the Lion’s Mane strain. This is also popular with Cordyceps.
Remove the fully colonized cake from the jar and allow it to fruit in the open air (this technique is popular with shiitake) or a shotgun fruiting chamber (SGFC).

Pros	Cons
Reusable.	Glass Jars can break.
Easy to clean.	The substrate can shrink causing some fruiting down the edges of the jar.
Easy to fill.	Not pliable (substrate cake make get stuck).
Easy to sterilize in PC.	Smaller Yields.
Set and forget.
Easy to innoculate

How To Wash Shimeji Mushroom

Growing in buckets is a common method used to grow various oyster mushrooms. Substrate (normally straw) is pasteurized and placed into buckets containing several holes in the perimeter.

The mycelium will colonize the substrate and fruit out of the holes after several weeks. Yields have been shown to only reduce by 1/10th whilst reducing polyethene bag use exponentially.

Pros	Cons
Stackable	Risk of contamination with some species.
Reusable.	Can take up a lot of space depending on size.
Commercial Yields Possible	Requires more growing steps.

A Monotub is basically a storage tub which has been modified to produce proper fresh air exchange (FAE). It is filled with an appropriate bulk substrate and then inoculated with grain spawn. There is plenty of information online on how to set up and use a Monotub.

Reishi and King Oyster mushrooms are popular species which can be grown using a Monotub.

Shimeji Mushroom Substrate

Reishi in particular will fruit inside the Monotub in an antler-like fashion and grow upwards from the base substrate like a forest.

Monotubs which are set up correctly can be relatively hassle-free and produce decent yields.

Pro	Cons
Reusable	Can take up a lot of space depending on size.
Tons of instructions online for setups and use.	Not suitable for all species.
Set and forget if you get the airflow dialled in.	Requires more growing steps.
Stackable.
High yields.

It is possible to use reusable plastic containers of all shapes and sizes (which can fit in your pressure cooker). I will often find myself recycling takeout containers specifically because I like the shape and believe it could be a vessel for cultivation!

Look out for the 5PP symbol on the bottom which usually means the item can be used inside the pressure cooker.

I have used is this cylindrical soup container which I kept from my Korean t