[slp]

I posted this in the "Help ID these backyard 'shrooms" thread. As I thought some who might try growing Shiitake could use this information, I posted it separate here so you would not miss it.

"I would never "pasteurize the logs". This will surely reduce the log's natural resistance to other growths. This is the real charm with growing shiitake on logs. Hardly anything else can grow in the log but shiitake. That's why so many people have success with it.
You pasteurize your logs, you will invite a whole new world of contaminants,
ones that would not be there in the first place to bother you.

Colored growths on the bark are common. They are not inside the log and
will cause no problems.

I have never had much luck with Maple. To me, the best is Oak, the ones
that shed their leaves in the winter (deciduous), cut in the winter when the sap content is right just like sap in Maple trees, plugged with spawn right after cutting.
It takes about 2 years before they start producing good. I have tried all the
other ways. For me, this method works the best." slp/fmrc