HELP & ADVICE
Frequently Asked Questions
Everything you need to know about our fresh mushrooms, microgreens and mushroom-growing products.
Fresh Mushrooms & Microgreens
We grow a changing selection of gourmet mushrooms throughout the year, including oyster mushrooms and Lion’s Mane, with other varieties appearing as growing conditions and seasons allow.
We grow in small batches, choosing varieties for their flavour, texture and quality rather than simply producing at scale.
We grow a colourful range of microgreens, including sunflower shoots, radish, broccoli, kale, red cabbage and other seasonal varieties.
We also create our own house blends, including Firecracker, our punchier, peppery mix, and Smooth Shoots, a milder blend designed to be easy to use with everyday food.
Availability changes with each harvest, so the selection may vary from week to week.
ur fresh mushrooms and microgreens are produced primarily for customers and independent food businesses in and around Surrey.
You’ll find Twisted Stem produce through selected local stockists, and we’ll share current availability and places to buy through the website and our social channels.
Our online shop focuses primarily on our mushroom-growing range, so fresh microgreens are not currently available for nationwide delivery.
Yes. We work with independent food businesses looking for locally grown gourmet mushrooms and microgreens.
Because we grow in small batches, we can work closely with our trade customers around varieties, quantities and regular harvests.
If you’re a chef, café, deli, farm shop or other independent food business interested in Twisted Stem produce, get in touch and we’ll be happy to discuss samples, availability and supply.
Mushroom Grow Kits
Your first kit arrives prepared with colonised mushroom substrate and everything you need to grow your first crop. Follow the supplied instructions, fruit and harvest your mushrooms, then clean and reuse the bucket with one of our refills. It’s designed as a growing system you can use again and again, rather than a single-use grow kit.
Your kit includes a reusable growing bucket prepared with colonised mushroom substrate, along with everything you need to get started. You’ll also receive micropore tape, a spray mister and alcohol wipes, plus straightforward growing instructions. We include enough of these reusable-kit essentials to help you through your first grow and around 2–3 subsequent refills.
Absolutely — reusability is at the heart of the kit. Once you’ve finished your first grow, the bucket can be cleaned and prepared again using a Twisted Stem refill. Your original kit includes micropore tape, a spray mister and alcohol wipes to support around 2–3 further refills, so there’s no need to buy a whole new kit each time.
Varieties will change as we grow and test different mushrooms throughout the year. Each product listing will show the variety currently available along with its growing requirements, flavour and characteristics.
Grain Spawn & Liquid Culture
Grain spawn is sterilised grain that has been fully colonised by mushroom mycelium. It’s used to introduce the fungus into a bulk substrate, such as straw or hardwood-based mixes, so the mycelium can continue growing and eventually produce mushrooms.
Liquid culture is live mushroom mycelium suspended in a sterile nutrient solution. It’s commonly used to inoculate grain and is a useful way to start or expand your own mushroom-growing projects.
Liquid culture is usually used earlier in the growing process to inoculate sterilised grain. Grain spawn is the next stage: colonised grain that is ready to be mixed into a suitable bulk substrate. If you want the simplest route into growing, grain spawn is generally more straightforward. Liquid culture gives you more flexibility if you want to produce your own spawn.
Keep both products refrigerated when you’re not ready to use them. Store them cleanly, avoid repeated temperature changes, and follow the storage guidance supplied with the product. For best results, use them within the recommended timeframe shown on the product page or label.
Orders, Delivery & Collection
For mushroom-growing products ordered through our online shop, delivery options and charges will be shown at checkout.
Fresh mushrooms and microgreens are grown in small batches and supplied locally in and around Surrey rather than shipped nationwide. Availability and local delivery arrangements may vary, so please get in touch if you’re looking for fresh produce.
Collection may be available by prior arrangement only. Twisted Stem is a working growing facility and is not open to the public, so please don’t arrive without arranging collection with us first.
If collection is available for your order, we’ll provide the details you need when the collection is arranged.
I think this wording is important given what we decided earlier — it makes it completely clear that you don’t operate as a walk-in shop.
We prepare and dispatch orders as quickly as possible, but some of our growing products are living materials and availability can depend on where they are in the production cycle.
Estimated dispatch information will be shown on individual product pages where appropriate, and we’ll let you know if there’s likely to be an unexpected delay.
This gives you some flexibility with grain spawn and cultures rather than promising something like “same-day dispatch” that could become difficult to maintain.
Please get in touch as soon as possible and include your order number along with a brief description of the problem. Photographs are also helpful if an item has arrived damaged or you’re concerned about the condition of a growing product.
We’ll take a look and help you work out the best way forward.
Still have a question?
Can’t find what you’re looking for? Get in touch and we’ll be happy to help.