Ep. 69: Mushroom Mountain - Change the World with Fungi, Think Like a Mushroom (feat. Tradd Cotter)

Today on Mushroom Hour we are graced by the presence of Tradd Cotter, coming to us from Mushroom Mountain. Tradd Cotter is a microbiologist, professional mycologist, and organic gardener, who has been tissue culturing, collecting native fungi in the Southeast, and cultivating both commercially and experimentally for more than twenty-five years. In 1996 he founded Mushroom Mountain, which he owns and operates with his wife, Olga, to explore applications for mushrooms in various industries and currently maintains over 200 species of fungi for food production, mycoremediation of environmental pollutants, and natural alternatives to chemical pesticides. His primary interest is in low-tech and no- tech cultivation strategies so that anyone can grow mushrooms on just about anything, anywhere in the world. Mushroom Mountain is currently expanding to 42,000 square feet of laboratory and research space near Greenville, South Carolina, to accommodate commercial production, as well as mycoremediation projects. His masterwork and must-own mycology reference - "Organic Mushroom Farming and Mycoremediation" had a huge impact on my own relationship with mycology.   

Topics Covered:   

• The Journey to Founding “Mushroom Mountain”  
• Applied Mycology as a Multi-Generational Project of Discovery  
• Pillars of Mushroom Mountain’s Business and Research  
• Mushroom-Based Solutions in the Developing World  
• Putting Myco-remediation Theory into Action  
• The Key Concepts of Mycofiltration  
• Future of Fungi in Medicine & Truly Personalized Treatments  
• Reducing Pesticide Use with Fungal Solutions  
• Patenting Ideas to Defend from the Dark Side  
• Educating the Next Generation  
• Disrupting the System, Waking People Up!  
• Power of Growing Your Own Mushrooms  
• “Blue Portal” Psilocybin Therapy in Jamaica  
• Future of Mushroom Mountain  

Episode Resources:   

• Mushroom Mountain website: https://mushroommountain.com/  
• Mushroom Mountain FB: https://www.facebook.com/MushroomMountainFarm  
• Mushroom Mountain IG: https://www.instagram.com/sporeprints/  
• "Organic Mushroom Farming & Mycoremediation": https://www.amazon.com/Organic-Mushroom-Farming-Mycoremediation-Experimental/dp/1603584552  
• Mauritius Islands: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mauritius  
• Cordyceps (Mushroom): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cordyceps