There isn't much going on in most kitchen gardens at this time of year, but there's one item you can produce all winter long. Satisfy your cravings for homegrown produce with an indoor mushroom kit. As one of nature's most versatile foods, mushrooms go with just about any dish and can be used in a multitude of ways. Just imagine what the smoky flavor of shiitakes can do in soups and stews, the delicate texture of oyster mushrooms in a frittata, or the richness of baby portobellos in stir-fry. And, depending on the type of mushroom kit you choose, you can be sautéing a few in just a matter of weeks.

Unlike regular garden vegetables that are produced by seeds, these fleshy fungi are produced from spores underneath the cap. The microscopic bodies are smaller than the tiniest seeds. Mushrooms are also produced from germinated spawn, which are the threadlike mycelia grown in a specially prepared medium. If it helps, think of spores as seeds and spawn as seedlings.

Getting started

The most reliable and convenient way to start growing your own edible fungi is with an easy-to-use mushroom kit. The kits -- which generally consist of a cardboard box or perforated bag containing pre-inoculated media for growing mushrooms -- have all the ingredients you need to get started. Depending on the type of mushroom, most kits will produce several crops over a period of eight to 15 weeks. Many kits to get you started are available for around $20.

Go for cool and damp

Prime indoor mushroom-growing locations include any cool, damp place in the bathroom, kitchen, basement or garage, such as an unused cabinet, closet, shower, or underneath the kitchen sink.

The space needn't be large, but it does need to be an area where you can create near-darkness, maintain a consistently humid environment (70 to 80 percent humidity is ideal) and, depending on the kit, keep the temperature between 55 and 70 degrees.

Control the light

The area should be sheltered from direct light. Some filtered or indirect light is needed for oyster mushrooms and some other varieties to produce. Portobellos and their relatives the white and cremini mushrooms, however, need complete darkness as any amount of light causes them to develop dark brown caps.

What to grow indoors

While commercial growers sell a wide range of mushroom spawn, the easiest culinary varieties to grow indoors and the most readily available from a kit are oysters (

Pleurotus species

), wine caps (

Stropharia rugosoannulata

), and various button-type mushrooms (

Agaricus bisporus

), which include the cremini and portobellos.

You can purchase a shiitake (

Lentinula edodes

) mushroom kit for growing indoors, which also comes as a cardboard box containing pre-inoculated media. However a more common method for growing these mushrooms is with "shiitake logs," which are usually 40-inch-long, 4- to 6-inch-diameter logs of oak or other dense hardwood inoculated with plugs of spawn encased in wood dowels. The inoculated logs, which can produce for years, are usually stacked in a shady place outdoors. They can be kept fruiting through winter, however, in a greenhouse sheltered by the shade of taller plants.

Growing tips

Moisture is key to getting the most production from your mushroom kit as constant humidity is crucial for mushrooms to develop and grow. Air that's too dry can quickly lead to the downfall of any mushroom-growing endeavors. The medium should be kept moist but not so much that it becomes soggy or wet. A daily misting from a water-filled spray bottle will provide needed moisture and help maintain a humid environment.

The area also needs to be well-ventilated to prevent a buildup of carbon dioxide -- an excess can drastically slow or even close down your mushroom production. Using an electric fan will help increase air circulation with a constant flow of air.

So put a damper on winter's chill by growing your own gourmet mushrooms indoors. It's a fun project that takes little time or effort -- and the rewards will be some of the freshest and most flavorful mushrooms you may ever eat.

-- Freelance garden writer

KEEP ON GROWING OUTDOORS

After your mushroom kit has completed fruiting indoors, you can use the remains to start a more permanent outdoor colony. Once established, they will continue to pop up, fruiting in flushes for years. Think of the remains as you would sourdough culture. Given the right conditions, the culture can be kept viable for years. The key is to use the remains before all of the spawn has expired.

Mushrooms grow in organic material such as sawdust, manure or compost. However the type of preferred growing medium varies depending on the type of mushroom. For example, shiitake mushrooms are typically grown on hardwoods or hardwood sawdust, while oyster mushrooms prefer clean wheat or oat straw. Button mushrooms and their relatives are grown on rich compost or composted manure. Wine caps flourish on decaying matter ranging from shady garden soil to piles of wood chips or compost heaps. With a little patience and luck, they may even naturalize on their own.

SOURCES FOR MUSHROOM KITS/SPORES

Rain Forest Mushroom Co.

Eddyville

541-875-2026

Offers indoor mushroom kits for shiitake, maitake, lion's mane, oyster, yellow oyster and pink oyster: $10-$25

Fungi Farm

Sandy

503-637-3886

Offers high-quality organic shiitake mushroom logs: $20-$25; large garden logs $125-$300

Mushroom Adventures

Marysville, Calif.

530-741-2437

Offers indoor mushroom kits for white button, portobello, cremini and blue oyster: $36-$40

Gourmet Mushrooms

Graton, Calif.

800-789-9121

Offers indoor mushroom kits for blue oyster, morel, shiitake and lion's mane: $16.95-$79.95