So I just was finally able to secure a "wholesale distribution" spot where I used to work at sorting organic fruit. That was four years ago now! But some of the same workers were there and they remembered me - and one of them started new when I was there. We used to hang out working together - he calls me "Andrucho!" Hilarious. He helped me box up the new shrooms - along with my bad Spanish - to the surprise of the other workers.
It was an amazing quick collaboration between me and the Chinese warehouse owners and the latino workers... and I had a total of 4.5 pounds of VERY LARGE wild Shiitake shrooms!!
I was gonna send these to the nice owner of the warehouse - but it's a little too wild for her. haha. She orders from this place:
https://guansmushroom.com/our-products/
So they brag about being all natural and utilizing the natural California weather - but in reality they grow their Shiitake on "substrate" logs not REAL logs. And those "substrate" logs are almost certainly from China. http://www.fungifun.org/mushworld/Shiitake-Mushroom-Cultivation/mushroom-growers-handbook-2-mushworld-com-chapter04-04_p.121.pdf
That typical formulation is cottonseed hull 50%, sawdust28%, wheat bran 20%, gypsum 1%, and sugar 1%.
https://www.thepacker.com/article/us-shiitake-mushroom-growers-question-chinese-imports
So then the nice owner of the Chinese warehouse - she asked me about inspections - I said we don't have farm inspections here unless there is "processing" of the product. She said that the Chinese prefer to eat the Shiitake fresh and so no processing is needed.
So that works great for me!!
So then she said - about how I was going to make money since I only brought in 4.5 pounds and she sells at a really low price since it's wholesale. I said well I am doubling the production every year.
So that was very kind of her to be concerned about my time - and if I can actually make any money.
But whether she can actually sell the shrooms is another question.
I know for a fact that my log grown wild shrooms have better nutrition than the Chinese substrate import logs that are then sold as US shrooms....
But like I said - most people just can not handle "wild" nature with no "controlled" conditions. haha.Yet no one can deny that my shrooms were TWICE as big as the competitors!! And I had the favored "donko" or flower shrooms earlier in the season. Those sell for a higher price by the competitor.
So if the shrooms don't sell - then that's fine. I'll just build up a market of people who are interested in the real value increase from wild grown Shrooms on real logs - more medicine and stronger taste.
But if they DO sell - even if it is as such a low price - then I am happy to supply the Chinese community with their traditional Shiitake log shrooms as they were grown in China over 1000 years ago.
My DBA name is "EcoEcho" and I do get "donko" flower Shiitake in
the Spring also. I just had smaller batches - since it was my first
harvest. The wild log grown Shiitake has been shown to have twice the
"Lentinan"
polysaccharides as the indoor "substrate" grown shrooms:
A polysaccharide in shiitake receiving much research attention is lentinan, a beta-glucan. (31) The lentinan content of shiitake varies according to growing methods and conditions, and storage. Lentinan are:
- β-D-glucan
Lentinan, an immunostimulant derived from shiitakes, has been used to treat cancer, AIDS, diabetes, chronic fatigue syndrome, fibrocystic breast disease, and other conditions with impressive results.
Among β-glucans, lentinan is extracted from bodies of shiitake (Lentinus edodes) and is a high molecular weight polysaccharide2, 6. Lentinan, a well known biological response modifier, has a β-(1 → 3) linked backbone and two β-(1 → 6) side chains every five residues2. Lentinan enhances the cytotoxic activities of primary macrophages and RAW264.7 cell lines and was found to elevate cytotoxic activity and tumor necrosis factor (TNF) secretion in macrophages both in vitro and in vivo 2, 6. In addition, lentinan has been shown to increase peritoneal macrophage cytotoxicity against metastatic tumors3. Moreover, lentinan was shown to have a stimulatory effect on T cells, and lentinan-mediated T cells increase survival of cancer patients2. In addition, lentinan has been approved as an adjuvant for gastric cancer patients7.
In vivo fungal β-glucans mostly elicit anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant and anti-tumour effects [25]. Lentinan from shiitake can regulate MAP kinases JNK1/2 and ERK1/2 and enhance the nuclear translocation of NF-κB but without NO and TNF-α production in RAW 264.7 cells [26,27].β-glucans from shiitake can augment phagocytosis, ConA-induced splenocyte proliferation, DTH reactions, TNF-α and IFN-γ production and finally NO production in peritoneal macrophages, that might be underlying mechanisms explaining their anti-tumour effects [3]. These apparent controversial results can be better explained with data obtained in this study.
The main active compounds in mushrooms are polymers, beta glucans, which are [about 50%] part of the cell wall. We actually have ancient receptor sites for them in our gut. Believe it or not, 60% of our immune tissue is in our gut. When we ingest mushrooms, these compounds—these higher molecular weight compounds, again beta glucans—are complexed with proteins, chitin, and other molecules. Our bodies can recognize those. We have specific binding sites that can actually recognize these compounds and say, “Hey, there’s some fungi in our body and that could be a problem, and so, mount an immune response.” That is one of the main mechanisms by which they work. It is a very ancient pathway of recognition.
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