Blue Oyster Agar Plate$29.99
Availability: Only 5 left in stock
Blue Oyster Agar Plate
$29.99
Looking for the best Blue Oyster Agar Plate around? Our Agar Plates are made-to-order, providing you with the absolute cleanest, aggressive mycelium on arrival.
| Species | Pleurotus ostreatus var. columbinus |
| Difficulty ℹ️ | ? |
| Spore Coloration | White |
| Ecology | Saprotrophic |
| Edibility | Choice |
Blue Oyster mushrooms, botanically classified as Pleurotus ostreatus var. columbinus, are a type of shelf fungus belonging to the Pleurotaceae family. Experts believe over two hundred different subspecies of oyster mushrooms exist, and the flat-capped fungi are considered one of the most cultivated mushrooms in the world. Blue Oyster mushrooms are primarily found in the northern hemisphere, growing in large, overlapping clusters on logs, stumps, and decaying trees.
The mushrooms have an aggressive nature, are fast-growing, and distinct from other oyster mushrooms as they are able to withstand colder cultivation temperatures. Commercially, Blue Oyster mushrooms are favored by mushroom growers for their unusual coloring, easy-to-grow nature, and fast colonization. The subspecies is also frequently sold through online retailers for home cultivation for novice growers.
Blue Oyster mushrooms have a mild, savory flavor well suited for cooked preparations, including braising, sautéing, roasting, frying, grilling, and sir-frying.
The mushrooms can be consumed raw, but the flavor may contain a slightly more metallic taste. Blue Oyster mushrooms are most commonly combined with other mushrooms and sauteed to create an earthy and textural side dish, or they are tossed into soups to contribute umami flavors into the broth. The mushrooms are also roasted and stirred into pasta, cooked into omelets, breaded and fried, prepared as a vegetarian substitute for seafood, used as a topping over pizza, grilled and layered onto burgers, or served as a simple side dish. In addition to fresh preparations,
Blue Oyster mushrooms can also be dried for extended use and do not have to be rehydrated before using. Blue Oyster mushrooms pair well with herbs such as parsley, thyme, and sage, potatoes, aromatics including garlic, green onion, shallots, ginger, and lemongrass, leeks, asparagus, bok choy, bell pepper, miso, heavy cream, fish, and meats such a beef, poultry, and turkey.
The mushrooms will keep up to three days when stored loosely in a brown paper bag in the refrigerator. It is advisable to keep the mushrooms in larger clumps for better storage to keep them from drying out. Once cooked, Blue Oyster mushrooms will keep for 2 to 3 days in the refrigerator, or they can be frozen for up to three months. Blue Oyster mushrooms can also be dried and kept in a sealed container away from direct sunlight for extended use.
Some photos of this product in its wild-foraged form are sourced from iNaturalist or Wikipedia, taken by xulescu_g, . Licensed by CC-BY-SA.
Frequently Asked Questions
An agar plate is a petri dish with solidified nutrient solution (I make mine with light malt extract, generally). The dish is sealed with parafilm to keep it sterile while the transfer colonizes the plate. The mycelial bodies grow on our agar plates in sterile incubators before being shipped to you!
Keep your agar plates ideally in the fridge, within a ziplock bag. Let them come to room temperature before opening them – it’ll prevent condensation!
Grab your scalpel and get to work! Need a scalpel? Check my gear page!
Slides from agar plates can be propagated onto other mediums very easily. The beauty of agar plates is the ability to be absolutely certain that your sample is healthy and clean!
Some photos on this page have been sourced from iNaturalist or Wikipedia, taken mark-groeneveld, Alan Rockefeller, Matthew Borella, Denis Zabin, kaju, Andrey Loria, Juan Carlos Pérez Magaña or others not yet added to this list. See a photo your recognize that isn’t properly credited? Get a giftcard for letting us know!
Sometimes, contam happens! All of our samples come with a 30 day replacement policy. Please head to our Help Center to get the process started.
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All of my agar plates are made-to-order. This ensures that you have nothing but the freshest, most voracious mycelium when it gets to your doorstep.
Please check for your individual species on this page to see colonization times.
If you’re interested in ordering agar plates and other items like liquid culture, or mushroom spores, you can have your order shipped in two by adding this item!
Please note that once started, Agar Plates are non-refundable or returnable.
For each agar plate in your order, you’ll receive a healthy, colonized agar plate, and an additional piece of parafilm in case you need to reseal it.
Can’t wait to get your hands on your spore syringes or liquid cultures? Head over to our help center to get the most up to date information on your order.