Spore Yourself Rotten With WIRED’s Mushroom Gifts

If your giftee is interested in growing their own mushrooms, they can grow just about anything they want in North Spore’s automated Boomr Bin monotub. The kit comprises a tub with a lid, filters, a hygrometer, a humidifier, and a fan to maintain airflow, though no instructions are provided. Because of this, it will take some extensive YouTube-ing to set up, as assembly isn’t exactly intuitive. Once the tub was going, however, I was able to grow nearly endless amounts of blue, pink, and yellow oyster mushrooms, as well as lion’s mane, and maintenance was a breeze. (Just refill the humidifier as needed and make sure its tube is free of water plugs; I highly recommend siting the humidifier below the tub to prevent this.)

You can use sterilized substrate and liquid mycelium culture to grow anything from reishi and turkey tail to morels, or opt for an easy-mode pre-inoculated fruiting block. (North Spore even offers a fruiting block subscription option.) If you opt for the blocks, though, make sure you choose a mushroom variety you really like, as they are quite fecund—my current blocks are on their fourth round of fruiting, with no signs of slowing down. —Kat Merck

If you want to grow mushrooms but aren’t ready to commit to a whole monotub system, North Spore’s organic spray-and-grow kits are an easy way to dip your toe in the fungiculture hobby. Unlike other brands’ versions of these, North Spore’s are shipped fresh with an enclosed spray bottle, so they’ll be good for multiple fruitings. Just cut an X in the block, spray it a couple of times a day (it's easy to remember if you place it on a kitchen windowsill or counter), and soon you’ll have up to a pound of fresh mushrooms you grew yourself. Oyster mushrooms are widely known to be the easiest for beginners, so I’d recommend starting with those, but there is an option for lion’s mane.—Kat Merck

For letters that look like they were written by a forest-dwelling academic, this stationery set is the one. Inside the box are eight flat cards, eight folded notes, and 16 envelopes. Plus four sheets of fungi stickers featuring everything from fly agaric and the sickener to the shaggy ink cap and the yellow morel. Once they've sent out all their correspondence, the box itself is covered in archival mushroom illustrations from Cavallini and makes for an adorable home for keepsakes.

These nesting measuring cups are like Russian dolls, but make them mushrooms. The set includes the standard: 1 cup, ¾ cup, ⅔ cup, ½ cup, ⅓ cup, and ¼ cup. But they're far cuter than the stainless steel ones rattling around your drawer, and can double as countertop decor. They're made of BPA-free, non-toxic plastic with zero phthalates. Even if the “cooking” in your giftee's kitchen mostly involves boiling pasta or pouring cereal, these cups are a fun gift for any fungi lover.

For your bestie who treats puzzle-making like an indoor sport. The design features vintage botanical illustrations pulled from the Cavallini archives, complete with proper Latin names like boletus edulis, craterellus lutescens, and tuber cibarium (aka black truffle). Once assembled, it looks like something you'd find hanging in a 19th-century science laboratory, or, if you're me, in the kitchen above the spice rack. It also comes with a drawstring bag for storage and a mini posture guide to help you piece together the fungal masterpiece.

For keys, rings, and little gems that need a home, this trinket tray is perfect for a shroom lover. Designed by Curious Prints in Austin, Texas, it features vintage-like scientific illustrations of fungi. Like something plucked from an old biology textbook. It’s made of metal, so it won’t bend, and it’s food-safe too. Use for jewelry, incense, or snacks. Just don’t microwave it. Also, hand wash only.

Crafted in collaboration with Eleven Madison Park and Chef Daniel Humm, this shiitake mushroom oil turns even your blandest leftovers into umami goodness. It's crafted with 100 percent high-oleic algae oil, meaning 25 percent more Omega-9s and 75 percent less saturated fat than olive or avocado oil. Layered with dried shiitake, red miso, black miso, kombu, urfa chili, wakame, and vitamin E, it's savory, smoky, and deeply earthy. Toss into fried rice, season broths, or drizzle onto grilled veggies or instant ramen for an umami kick.