Dalia Bubnelytė-Daktariūnienė, the founder of mushroom farm "Dzūkis", says in the LRT.lt show "Nepaprasti žanisų" that she can freely enjoy the natural resources of Dzūkija. The woman quit her government job and started growing edible gums. "When it gets really annoying, you pick it up and throw it away - it doesn't matter if you're 17 years old or I don't know how much you've worked," Dalia, who quit her job as a lawyer and immersed herself in the intricacies of growing up, opens up on the show.

"Unusual people" is a show about people without whom Lithuania would be different. Little-known, often marginalized people speak here, whose stories need to be heard because they care."

Dalia Bubnelytė-Daktariūnienė, a lawyer from Vilnius, worked in one state institution for 17 years, but she just got tired. As she says, she got fed up and went to... nowhere.

"I really like having my own land - it feels very good here."

Soon, Dalia discovered a new passion in life - in her homestead in the Lazdija district, she began to grow exclusive, expensive and highly valued Japanese mushrooms - edible gums or better known as shiitake. Not only that, the woman not only grows them, but also became a trader - she herself sells mushrooms in the market of Vilnius Hall. Dalia's life now stretches between the capital and a quiet homestead in Dzūkija.

Edible gums or shiitake/Shutterstock photo.

The woman is extremely happy with the peace and nature in the Lazdija district. Although Dalia's homestead located in this region is in ruins, the heroine of the show assures that it is here that she rests, recovers her strength and can do what she wants.

"And the parents' attitude, as usual for this generation, is that if you already have a good job, value it and don't quit!"

"I really like having my own land - it feels very good here," says the mushroom grower. "I try to do something that I enjoy."

Dalia Bubnelytė-Daktariūnienė / LRT stop shot

Dalia admits that she took up this kind of cultivation because, as she herself thought, it was a relatively easy activity. The interviewee says that she thought that growing edible gums in Dzūkija would be easy to combine with activities in the capital.

"I have great respect for the legal profession, it is wonderful, it gives a lot to a person. I learned a lot from it."

"They (Shitakis - LRT.lt) do not need land. I never wanted to be a traditional farmer who would plow the fields or raise animals. I gave up such thoughts immediately. We saw the cultivation of shiitake, we checked that they can grow on tree logs. We had our own little forest. We realized that we can grow them simply," says D. Bubnelytė-Daktariūnienė.

Edible gums or shiitake/Shutterstock photo.

However, these are not so easy to grow. The grower of edible gums says that the cultivation of these mushrooms is a slow process, it is not worth expecting a quick harvest. In order to have a successful and plentiful harvest of shiitake, it is necessary to maintain sufficient humidity in the growing area. According to Dalia, these mushrooms should not be allowed to dry out.

"And these, perhaps, are a stopover—my rest stop."

"Also, shiitake love shade - they can't grow in direct sunlight - they need space somewhere between the trees. Air circulation is necessary. It is true that strong winds are not good, but air circulation is very necessary," says the grower of extremely popular mushrooms in Japan.

Numerous scientific studies have already shown that edible gums have anti-cancer properties, help regulate bad cholesterol in the blood, help fight stress, and improve liver and kidney function. These mushrooms are also used in the pharmaceutical industry, mostly for the production of preparations to strengthen the immune system.

I lived a standard life: I started a family, a child was born, we took out a loan... A completely standard life.

Dalia assures that these mushrooms are called nutritional medicine after all. The shitaki breeder has no shortage of good words for this food product, which is still relatively new in Lithuania.

Dalia Bubnelytė-Daktariūnienė / LRT stop shot

"In other words, shiitake is called a medical food," she says. - These mushrooms surpass traditional mushrooms in terms of their nutritional and medicinal properties - for example, they greatly surpass meadow mushrooms. They are also used in the pharmaceutical industry, strengthen the immune system, fight viruses, are effective in the fight against cancer. In a word, these mushrooms are excellent antioxidants, vitamins, minerals - a very healthy food."

Edible gums or shiitake/Shutterstock photo.

At the moment, laughs Dalia, raising such things gives her more meaning in life than a career as a lawyer. However, the mushroom grower is convinced that her current activity is only a temporary stop.

I never wanted to be a traditional farmer who would plow the fields or raise animals.

"I have great respect for the legal profession, it is wonderful, it gives a lot to a person. I learned a lot from her. And shiitake, perhaps, is an intermediate stop - my rest stop, - thinks the interviewee, who worked as a lawyer in a state institution for 17 years. - I started working when I was young, still a student. I lived a standard life: I started a family, a child was born, we took out a loan... A completely standard life. And the parents' attitude, as usual for this generation, is that if you already have a good job, value it and don't quit! That's how I lived."

D. Bubnelytė-Daktariūnienė and presenter E. Kubilius / LRT stop shot

Finally, continues Dalia, a lot of time passes and she begins to ask herself the question: "Whose life is this?" The heroine of the show says that she realized that she lives like a locked robot.

When it gets really annoying, you pick it up and throw it away - it doesn't matter if you're 17 years old or I don't know how much you've worked.

"You live two days a week - the weekend. You work the next day... And I started to dislike the imperfections of the system - I couldn't live with them peacefully," remembers Dalia.

Dalia Bubnelytė-Daktariūnienė / LRT stop shot

Still, the interviewer admits that making such a decision - to quit a well-paid job and go into the unknown - cost a lot of determination and risk. However, the woman assures that she does not regret such a decision, on the contrary, she enjoys new activities and the nature of Dzūkija.

From "hipsters" who promote a healthy lifestyle, to doctors, diplomats or people with some oncological problems.

"When it gets really annoying, you pick it up and throw it away - it doesn't matter if you're 17 years old or I don't know how much you've worked. It's true, I thought for a long time, I was afraid for a long time, my hands were shaking, because I gave up everything, above all a decent, guaranteed and stable salary, - says the lawyer, a breeder of these. "That step was certainly not easy, but once you make up your mind, you close the door and never look back."

Edible gum or shiitake / LRT stop shot.

The farmer is happy that shitaks are bought by educated, self-aware young people who value their health. And not only him.

You live two days a week - the weekend. The next days you work...

"From "hipsters" who promote a healthy lifestyle, to doctors, diplomats or people with some kind of oncological problems. They are very happy to find this one," assures D. Bubnelytė-Daktariūnienė, who grows edible gums at her homestead in the Lazdija district.

The full conversation with Dalia - in the recording of the show "Extraordinary People".

Prepared by Vismantas Žuklevičius

Cultivation of edible gum mushrooms, better known as shiitake mushrooms, is becoming popular in Lithuania. It is true that the harvest, which is harvested twice a year - at the beginning of summer and at the approach of autumn - will have to wait a week this year, because there is a lack of moisture, and the frosts appeared almost every night. The Japanese call these mushrooms the royal mushrooms of the sleeping Buddha, reporter Rūta Ribačiauskienė tells on the LRT TELEVISION program "Laba diena, Lietuva".

Dalia Bubnelytė-Daktariūnienė, a grower of edible gums, says that growing these mushrooms is a slow process, and you shouldn't expect a quick harvest. Dalia grows shiitake on tree logs.

Dalia Bubnelytė-Daktariūnienė / LRT stop shot.

The mycelium placed in the wood is waxed with liquid wax. According to the grower of these mushrooms, the rastas prepared in this way are stacked on top of each other, forming well-like structures. Then such "wells" are left and the mycelium is allowed to do its work - to colonize the logs and start sprouting the mushrooms themselves.

"It depends on the thickness of the log and the wood itself, but on average you have to wait about 17 months for mushrooms," says the edible gum grower. "If it's a thinner log, maybe a year would be enough."

Edible gum or shiitake / LRT stop shot.

In order to have a successful and plentiful harvest of shitaki, it is necessary to maintain sufficient humidity in the growing area. According to Dalia, these mushrooms should not be allowed to dry out.

"Also, shiitake love the shade - they can't grow in direct sunlight - they need a place somewhere between the trees. Air circulation is necessary. It is true that strong winds are not good, but air circulation is very necessary," says the grower of extremely popular mushrooms in Japan.

LRT.lt reminds that as a traditional ingredient of dishes, this mushroom is particularly popular not only in Japan, but also in Korea, Thailand, and Taiwan. Here their name is translated as "fragrant mushroom". However, regardless of the excellent aromatic and nutritional properties, shiitake also has biologically active components.

Edible gums or shiitake / Shutterstock photo.

Numerous scientific studies have already shown that edible gums have anti-cancer properties, help regulate bad cholesterol in the blood, help fight stress and improve liver and kidney function. These mushrooms are also used in the pharmaceutical industry, mostly for the production of preparations to strengthen the immune system.

Dalia assures that these mushrooms are called nutritional medicine after all. The shitaki breeder has no shortage of good words for this food product, which is still relatively new in Lithuania.

"In other words, shiitake is called a medical food," she says, citing research findings. - These mushrooms surpass traditional mushrooms in terms of their nutritional and medicinal properties - for example, they greatly surpass meadow mushrooms. They are also used in the pharmaceutical industry, strengthen the immune system, fight viruses, and are effective in the fight against cancer. In a word, these mushrooms are excellent antioxidants, vitamins, minerals - a very healthy food."

Edible gums or shiitake / Shutterstock photo.

The taste was another reason that encouraged D. Bubnelytė-Daktariūniėna to grow these mushrooms. The woman says that both the taste and the smell of shiitake exceeded expectations.

"Preparing these mushrooms for food is very versatile. You could even damage these with difficulty. Of course, they are perfect in Asian dishes, but they can also be perfectly combined in our traditional cuisine. I really like to simply fry them in butter with pepper and salt. Garlic is also very suitable for these mushrooms. It is delicious to sprinkle them with soy sauce. Edible gums can be both as a main dish and as a side dish. They are really very nutritious and filling," says the edible gum grower.

Shiitakes are widely used in Asian cuisine. / Shutterstock photo

Growing these mushrooms is a luxury, because the investments are huge, D. Bubnelytė-Daktariūnienė draws attention. The grower emphasizes the fact that everything in this branch of the economy is done by hand.

"This is a handmade farm. And where else is the purchase of wood, such as oaks. This is a really big investment. As a result, shiitake mushrooms are much more expensive than champignons or our traditional forest mushrooms. But it certainly doesn't cost a lot of money, Dalia smiles. "A kilogram of these mushrooms costs about 20 euros."

The full report on shitaki cultivation - In the recording of the LRT TELEVISION program "Good day, Lithuania".

Prepared by Vismantas Žuklevičius.