• Home ♡
  • Contact
  • Blog
  • More
    • Home ♡
    • Contact
    • Blog
  • Home ♡
  • Contact
  • Blog
Heart of the Forest Farm

Pearl Oyster aka Pleurotus ostreatus - NH Strains

Our New Hampshire Oyster Strains


Our first NH strain "Mill Brook Beauty" from our own neighborhood in Grafton is a delicately flavored oyster with a flower-like growth pattern that fruits during the first weeks of cool fall weather. 



"Queen of the Hill" from Hill, NH is a prolific wide temperature range oyster mushroom capable of fruiting in 3 seasons, including the dog days of summer. 



"Grafton Giant" - Still in testing - We captured some tissue from hands down the craziest oyster tree we have ever seen, right on Grafton's own Tunnel Road! We observed this tree fruiting in spring and multiple flushes in fall during cool weather. Stay tuned!


Why did we give up most commercial strains? Many non-native oyster strains can hybridize and compete with NH wildlife. We strongly encourage avoiding cultivation or purchase of the golden oyster, Pleurotus citrinopileatus.

Oyster mushroom shelf life and storage:

  • Store in fridge 3 to 7 days - oysters taste best when used as soon as possible - always refrigerate and thoroughly cook all varieties of fresh mushrooms
  •  Can be frozen after par cooking
  •  Can be sliced thinly and dehydrated until cracker crisp, then stored up to 1 year in an airtight container - always review food safety guidelines when preparing food for long term storage!
  • Wipe debris from outdoor grown mushrooms with a damp cloth - rinse and pat or spin dry only if necessary

Flavors and Uses:

  • Mild seafood flavor and delicate anise aroma
  • Meaty texture, good choice for a mushroom main dish
  • Versatile - Replace button mushrooms or seafood in many recipes
  • Larger caps make great sandwiches or parmigiana

Cultivation:

  • Cultivation difficulty - easy to intermediate
  • Grown indoors on supplemented sawdust or straw and outdoors on logs, wood chips, or straw
  • Requires full shade and high humidity
  • Season: Outdoors - early spring through late fall,  Indoors - year round
  • Can colonize a wide variety of substrates 

Return to the Stack MethodBack to the Top

Copyright © 2025 Heart of the Forest Farm - All Rights Reserved 


All photos and graphics on this website are the original work of and copyrighted by Tracey Morton. Images may not be used without permission. For inquiries, contact us.


Powered by

This website uses cookies.

We use cookies to analyze website traffic and optimize your website experience. By accepting our use of cookies, your data will be aggregated with all other user data.

Accept