North Spore

North Spore Mushroom Cultivation, Foraging, and Education What began as a love for mushroom foraging has developed into an obsession with all things fungi.

Our mission is to provide access to the mycological world through innovative mushroom cultivation, spawn production, and research. North Spore is the brainchild of three college friends with an admiration for all things related to the mycological world. That passion for foraging has evolved over time: these days any of us are likely to be found in our cultivation rooms growing oyster mushrooms, sh

iitakes, lion's mane, chestnut mushroom, king trumpets, and pioppinos, or tincturing the myriad medicinal polypores that grow in the Maine woods. Maybe we are at Fork Food Lab in Portland sautéing sh*takes with mirin and tamari; or perhaps it's the dried porcinis and chanterelles from our last mushroom walk that are taking the stage. North Spore produces 100% of the spawn used at its facility and also makes sawdust, plug, and grain spawn for other commercial and enthusiast growers. We take our commercial spawn customer's needs seriously and are fortunate to have both a mycologist with a Master's Degree in the field and a trained lab technician overseeing our in-house laboratory, culture bank, and spawn production. Regardless of whether we are sharing our favorite mushroom dishes, our knowledge of mushroom foraging and cultivation, or simply our overwhelming admiration for this often overlooked biological kingdom, we are striving to be a community hub for fungi enthusiasts; a place where people learn to love mushrooms as we do.

09/03/2026

Want to stretch a single spore syringe into dozens of usable cultures?

Our Syringe Multiplier Kit uses a jar of sterilized nutrient broth as a growth medium to help stretch your syringe. You inject a small amount from an existing spore or culture syringe into the jar, then give it time. Over roughly one to two weeks, the mycelium multiplies throughout the liquid, transforming a single 10 ml syringe into up to 300 ml of usable liquid culture.

Once ready, the culture can be drawn up and used to inoculate grain, sterile substrate bags, or more jars, and any unused portion can be refrigerated for months.

It's a good hack for anyone who has found a strain worth keeping around!

Learn more here: https://northspore.com/products/liquid-culture-kit-syringe-multiplier

Research is showing that certain mushrooms can actually help support healthier joints and create stronger bones over tim...
09/01/2026

Research is showing that certain mushrooms can actually help support healthier joints and create stronger bones over time!

Lion's mane has been shown in lab studies to protect cartilage, calming the inflammatory markers (IL-1β, TNF-α) and enzymes that drive joint breakdown in osteoarthritis.

Reishi works differently: its triterpenoids interrupt the signal that tells bone-dissolving cells to multiply, and in animal models it's helped both slow bone loss and support new bone growth.

These mushrooms look promising as a complementary approach, but they're not a replacement for proven treatments like calcium, vitamin D, weight-bearing exercise, or prescribed osteoporosis medication. Check with your doctor first, especially if you're on blood thinners!

Read the review here:https://www.researchgate.net/profile/David-Blow/publication/413600021_Medicinal_Mushrooms_in_Osteoarthritis_and_Osteoporosis/links/6a8d58ed0dd6e90404df2316/Medicinal-Mushrooms-in-Osteoarthritis-and-Osteoporosis.pdf

Check out our wellness line here: https://northspore.com/collections/wellness-culinary

08/31/2026

Pink oysters are one of the easiest and most beautiful mushrooms to grow in a garden bed! Their bright coral color is gorgeous against dark mulch or straw. As a Plant & Grow Mushroom Starter Block, they are very quick to fruit, and hard to miss once they show up. They love the heat so no need to worry if it is still hot where you are!

If you’re worried about the weather, you can check out our MycoSphere mushroom garden bed to help them flourish even more. It has an automated misting system and protects your grows from sun and pests. It is not required, just a nice option for anyone who wants to get more into the growing side of things.

Check out the link to learn more about pink oysters: https://northspore.com/products/pink-oyster-mushroom-plant-grow-fruiting-block

Video by James Jones

A new Journal of Food Science study pit β-glucans from lion's mane, oyster mushroom, and reishi against each other (with...
08/30/2026

A new Journal of Food Science study pit β-glucans from lion's mane, oyster mushroom, and reishi against each other (with oat β-glucan as the gold-standard benchmark) and lion's mane came out on top, slowing starch breakdown and improving blood sugar tolerance in mice by boosting a beneficial gut bacterium and triggering hormones that regulate insulin and fullness. Still early-stage mouse research, but well worth watching.

Read the research: https://ift.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/1750-3841.71341

Check out our lion's mane supplies: https://northspore.com/collections/lions-mane

08/28/2026

Shiitake log cultivation is one of the oldest methods of mushroom growing, and it's simpler than it looks.

Late summer to fall is actually a great time to inoculate—the weather's cooling down, which helps the spawn settle in before it has to deal with winter dormancy. Start with hardwood logs like oak or maple. Drill holes in a diamond pattern and fill them with our shiitake spawn or plugs, then seal each one with wax to protect against contamination.

From there, it's a waiting game. Mycelium colonizes the log over several months, usually about a year, so keep it shaded and humid during this time. Once colonized, soaking the log in cool water "shocks" it into fruiting, mimicking natural rainfall. Mushrooms typically appear within one to two weeks.

The payoff is worth the wait! A single log can produce mushrooms for years, making this a great method for long-term, sustainable growing.

Video by

Psychedelics are known to scramble the brain's usual organization, but a five-year Monash University study just revealed...
08/27/2026

Psychedelics are known to scramble the brain's usual organization, but a five-year Monash University study just revealed there's structure hidden inside that disruption.

Sixty-two healthy adults were given psilocybin and brain-scanned while resting, meditating, listening to music, and watching a movie, making this the largest single-site brain-imaging study of the compound’s acute effects ever conducted. Using AI-assisted analysis, researchers found that brain networks reorganized differently depending on what a person was doing at the time, and that people who showed the strongest reorganization reported the most positive psychological effects the next day.

It’s fascinating that a person's environment and focus during a psilocybin session may shape their brain's response as much as the compound itself. It's a striking reminder of how much context matters in psychedelic science, not just the dose.

Check out the research: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-026-10910-z

Join our Facebook community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/4289850731233580

Join our Reddit community: https://www.reddit.com/r/northspore/

This post is for educational purposes only.

To our friends across the European Union:We're stoked to be launching our automated BoomRoom and Boomr Bin grow chambers...
08/26/2026

To our friends across the European Union:

We're stoked to be launching our automated BoomRoom and Boomr Bin grow chambers in the EU on September 1st so you can consistently and reliably grow your own gourmet and functional mushrooms at home all year round.

We’re also partnering with our friends over at La Mycosphère in Belgium to bring you organic mushroom fruiting blocks.

There's something special about growing your own mushrooms - knowing exactly where your food comes from, watching something living thrive under your care.

Join the waitlist here: https://northspore.com/pages/coming-soon

Check out Lion's Mane supplies here: https://northspore.com/pages/limited-time-offers

Don't forget to tag your EU friends!

Photo of a Lion’s Mane fruiting block in the BoomRoom by our customer Megan.

Lion's mane mushrooms (Hericium erinaceus) are known for more than just their unique look; they're closely tied to brain...
08/25/2026

Lion's mane mushrooms (Hericium erinaceus) are known for more than just their unique look; they're closely tied to brain health. Compounds like hericenones and erinacines have been studied for supporting nerve growth factor, a protein linked to healthy brain cells. They also offer antioxidant and anti-inflammatory benefits.

The easiest way to grow your own at home is with a Spray & Grow Kit like in this photo - simply cut open the kit, spray with water daily, and within 2 weeks your mushrooms should start growing.

Fresh, homegrown lion's mane means better flavor and a front-row seat to mycology in action.

Learn more about lion’s mane here: https://northspore.com/pages/limited-time-offers

Photo by With Carrington

No, this is not something growing under the sea. Nope, it is not a plant brought back from Mars either.This wild-looking...
08/25/2026

No, this is not something growing under the sea. Nope, it is not a plant brought back from Mars either.

This wild-looking thing is Reishi, one of the most famous medicinal mushrooms in the world, and I grew these from fruiting blocks from .

In Chinese culture, Reishi has been valued for more than 2,000 years. It became associated with health, longevity and spiritual power, eventually earning one of the greatest nicknames I have ever heard: the “Mushroom of Immortality.” I don't think you can get much more powerful than that.

Reishi is one of the top dogs in the medicinal mushroom world. Mature Reishi becomes tough, woody and very bitter. Traditionally it has been dried and simmered into teas or made into extracts. I most often use mine in tea or add some to coffee.

Reishi contains beta-glucans and triterpenes, compounds being studied for their effects on immune function, inflammation and other areas of health. It has a long history of medicinal use.

Growing it may be even more fascinating than using it.

Mine started as colonized sawdust fruiting blocks. Reishi likes warm conditions, generally around 65 to 80°F, high humidity and plenty of moisture. I originally started these inside my Boomr Bin where I could better control the environment, but Reishi is slow. We are talking months instead of days. Eventually those strange finger-like growths, called antlers, got so tall they outgrew the bin.

Here is another amazing part. Fresh air and CO2 levels can actually affect how Reishi grows. Higher CO2 encourages those long antlers. Give it more fresh air and those antlers can begin forming the broad shelf-shaped conks with that beautiful lacquered look.

Reishi is not just something you grow. It is something you watch happen.

And if you never make a single cup of tea from it, grow it just to see your friends' faces when they walk by and ask:

“What in the world is THAT?” That alone may be worth it.

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921 Riverside Street
Portland, ME
04103

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+12073520264

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