This mushroom is the second most widely cultivated mushroom in the world. It has been a popular food source in the cuisine of Asia for hundreds of years. Shitake are about where they grow, the climate and technique to propagate them. Success with shiitakes begins with good logs, free of disease and damage, with bark intact. The mushroom is  available in three strains: cold weather, warm weather, and wide range. The differences are in their fruiting habits and when they are most likely to bear. Either way this mushroom is so popular that each grower has his or her own spawns and habitat that make them signature.