Sorry, I can't give you feedback on them, but I can say that the shiitake "plug spawn" from The Mushroom People or Fungi Perfecti is alive, if you wanted to inoculate some hardwood logs yourself. We used Sweetgum (very common around here, but supposedly Oak or Maple is better) and we have lots this spring, but it took two years. The biggest thing to watch out for I think (being a novice) is to seal the plugs well with very warm paraffin wax and even wax the ends of the logs, then stack them off the ground in the shade and maybe in the hot and dry season, soak them for 24 hours in a trough or big trash can a couple of times. They will slowly infiltrate the wood and "flush" when ready. They know! :-)

Well, I took a leap of faith and ordered two innoculated sweet gum logs from the Earth Friendly Farms folks who advertised on Craigs list. They seem legit. If anyone wants to know how it turns out, check in around October :) I tried several times to order from the Mushroom People, but I couldn't get them to return phone calls or emails. If these work out and I get hooked, I might order some spawn from them and DIY it.

I'd be very interested to hear how this turns out!

I got three logs dropped off on Wednesday. They seem properly drilled and very conscientiously sealed with wax. I'm no expert, but they seem moist and the right weight for how freshly cut they're supposed to be. The folks were really nice. They mistakenly packed one different variety than I had ordered, so they gave me a third log free. I'm not desperate to have any one variety, so it was a nice gesture. All in all, so far so good. Nice to have a good local source who will deliver right to my house (for a few extra bucks).