The Mushroom Hour Podcast

Today we have the honor of speaking with journalist and author Doug Bierend. His new book “In Search of Mycotopia” dives into the neglected mega-science of mycology and introduces readers to the weird and wonderful communities of citizen scientists and microbe devotees who are leading the modern mycological movement. Doug uncovers a diverse cadre of growers, independent researchers, ecologists, entrepreneurs, and amateur enthusiasts, exploring and advocating for fungi’s capacity to improve and heal contaminated landscapes, provide food and medicine, and demonstrate how humans might live better with nature—and one another. The book is told through Doug’s first-hand encounters from the perspective of an embedded reporter drawn to this wonderfully enticing myco-culture This is an exploration of the wild new frontiers of all things mushroom and an inspiring look at the people who are paying attention to what fungi can teach us about the potential for our future. “Mycotopia is already all around us - All we have to do is embrace it.”   Topics Covered:   Journalist Doug's Journey into Mycology    Role of Fungi in Planetary and Human Development  Overlap of Academia and Citizen Science  Community Mycology Labs  Connection Between Mycology & a Culture of Aspirational Change   How Does Mycology Culture Mirror Other Counter-Culture Movements?  Influence of Psychedelic Culture  Promise and Realities of Mycoremediation  Resilient Future of Mushroom Cultivation  Decentralize Everything  Maintaining the Integrity of the Mycelium Underground  Interspecies Allyship  Medicinal Potentials of Fungi  How Writing the Book Changed Doug  Episode Resources:    "In Search of Mycotopia": https://www.chelseagreen.com/product/in-search-of-mycotopia/  Doug Bierend IG: https://www.instagram.com/dougbierend/  "Fungal Biology in the Origin & Emergence of Life": https://www.amazon.com/Fungal-Biology-Origin-Emergence-Life/dp/1107652774  Fungal Diversity Survey: https://fundis.org/  Craig Trester: https://www.instagram.com/nyc.myc/  Christian Schwarz: https://www.instagram.com/biodiversiphile/  Bryn Dentinger: https://www.instagram.com/nhmumycology/  Radical Mycology: https://www.radicalmycology.com/  POC Fungi Community: https://www.instagram.com/pocfungicommunity/  New Moon Mycology Summit: https://www.facebook.com/newmoonmycologysummit/  Smugtown Mushrooms: https://www.instagram.com/smugtownmushrooms/  William Padilla-Brown: https://www.instagram.com/mycosymbiote/

Today on Mushroom Hour we are joined by the distinguished Bryn Dentinger, Curator of Mycology at the Natural History Museum of Utah and Associate Professor in the Biology Department at the University of Utah. Bryn hails from Minnesota and attended the University of Minnesota for his PhD, where he studied the molecular systematics of clavarioid and porcini mushrooms. He has carried out fieldwork all over the world, including exciting collecting trips to Vietnam, Brazil, and Cameroon. He spent years in the UK as the Head of Mycology at the world-renowned Kew Gardens and since 2003 has published dozens of research papers in respected scientific journals around the world. Now running the Dentinger lab in Utah, he continues to pursue molecular systematics research on mushrooms and other fungi around the world, combining fieldwork, collections, and modern genomic tools, while maintaining a keen interest in home-brewing and whisky. Bryn’s work has overlapped with many other guests on the Mushroom Hour and has been one of the most recommended guests.   Topics Covered:Early Inspirations to Study Fungi  Introduction to Porcini  Definition of Porcini (Species), Boletus (Genus), Boletaceae (Family)  Family Boletaceae Phylogeny & Radiative Evolutionary Event   Evolutionary Biology Behind Physical Characteristics of Fungi  World’s Most Comprehensive Genetic Analysis of Family Boletacae  Beyond PCR - Emerging Frontiers of Genetic Sequencing  Importance of Citizen Scientists in Biodiversity Research  Sequencing Existing Fungarium and Herbarium Collections   Species of Fungus Farming Ants  "Microbial Garden" Ant/Fungus/Bacteria Ecosystems  Divergent Evolution of Fungus Farming Ants  Evolutionary Significance of the Chemical Psilocybin  Current and Future Research at the Dentinger Lab  Episode Resources:Dentinger Lab Website: https://dentingerlab.org/  Bryn Dentinger Faculty Page: https://faculty.utah.edu/u6007810-BRYN_DENTINGER/hm/index.hml  Bryn Dentinger IG: https://www.instagram.com/nhmumycology/  Boletaceae (Family): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boletaceae   Boletus (Genus): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boletus  Boletus Edulis (Species): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boletus_edulis  David McLaughlin (Inspiration): https://cbs.umn.edu/contacts/david-j-mclaughlin  Tom Bruns (Inspiration): https://plantandmicrobiology.berkeley.edu/profile/bruns  Charles Peck (Inspiration): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Horton_Peck  Heimioporus (Mushroom Genus): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heimioporus  Leaf Cutter Ants: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leafcutter_ant  Rhodotus palmatus: https://www.mushroomexpert.com/rhodotus_palmatus.html  

Today on Mushroom Hour we’re excited to speak with Erica Davis, founder of Wild Food Girl. Erica started writing her adventures with wild food back in 2009 at her blog, and later in a monthly magazine called “Wild Edible Notebook.” She teaches a course on useful plants at Colorado Mountain College and conducts plant walks around the state. She is also a regular presenter at the Midwest Wild Harvest Festival in Wisconsin. Erica’s educational background includes a BA in archaeology, an elementary school teaching credential, and an MA in technology-based education. Today she maintains an active Facebook community and is hard at work on her first book about edible wild plants in the West. Her incredible body of work is carefully compiled and she has worked diligently to provide accurate, useful, safe—and whenever possible, lesser known—information.   Topics Covered:   Introduced to Foraging Through the Work of Yule Gibbons  Learning Through Books  Foraging Hobby vs Lifestyle  Foraging Seasons in Colorado  Wild Seed Foraging  Indigenous Agro-forestry  Agricultural Systems from an Ecological Perspective  Co-evolution of Human Tenders and Wild Edibles  Integrating Wild Foods into Your Diet  The World’s Best Dandelion Preparation  Wild Mustards  Wild Food Recipes and Preparations Across Cultures  Sustainable Foraging  Erica's Book Planned for 2022  Episode Resources:   Wild Food Girl Website: https://wildfoodgirl.com/  Wild Food Girl Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wildfoodgirl/  Euell Gibbons (Inspiration): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Euell_Gibbons  Cattail Bob Seebeck (Inspiration): https://www.rrcc.edu/outdoor-education/faculty/cattail-bob  Samuel Thayer (Inspiration): https://www.foragersharvest.com/#/  "Tending the Wild" (Book): https://www.amazon.com/Tending-Wild-Knowledge-Management-Californias/dp/0520280431  Yampa (Plant): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perideridia  Goosefoot (Plant): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chenopodium  Pinus edulis (Tree): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinus_edulis  "Mushrooms of Colorado and the Southern Rocky Mountains": https://www.amazon.com/Mushrooms-Colorado-Southern-Rocky-Mountains/dp/1565791924  "Mushrooms of the Rocky Mountain Region": https://www.amazon.com/Mushrooms-Rocky-Mountain-Region-Timber/dp/1604695765   

Today on Mushroom Hour we are blessed by the presence of inventor & bio-designer Bob Hendrikx, coming to us all the way from the Netherlands. Through his work at Studio Hendrikx, Bob strives to restore the parasitic relationship between humanity and its environment by expanding the horizon of human imagination and exploring living materials. His Living Cocoon project has captured headlines around the world with a coffin made from mycelium that helps bodies decompose faster while improving the surrounding soil. Through all of his design endeavors Bob embraces the notion that current way we build and produce materials must change fundamentally. I’m excited to hear from this visionary designer how we may be able to shift humankind's 200,000-year model of parasitism and extraction by taking a cue from Mother Nature who has been leading the way for 3.8 billion years by growing materials in ecological harmony.   Topics Covered:   Becoming a bio-based designer  Living vs Dead Materials  Free Technology Found in Nature  What is “Homo Natura”?  Listening to Nature Helps us Listen to Each Other  Inspiration for the Mycelium Coffin  Becoming Compost, Not Waste  Facing our Collective Fear of Death  Living Homes Made of Mycelium  Self-Healing T-Shirts  Bioluminescent Streetlights  Smashing the System vs. Growing a New One  Growing Our Way to a Better Society  Future Projects for Studio Hendrikx  Episode Resources:   Bob Hendrikx Website: https://www.bobhendrikx.com/  Bob Hendrikx IG: https://www.instagram.com/studiohendrikx/  Genus Ramaria (Mushrooms): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ramaria  

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

Today we are blessed by the presence of Adam Haritan, founder of Learn Your Land. Adam started the famous Learn Your Land platform in 2014 out of a desire to connect naturalists with people who wanted to learn from naturalists.  Learn Your Land is an advertisement-free media channel, helping people to improve their nature skills one species at a time. He spends most of my days either looking for mushrooms/plants/trees, researching mushrooms/plants/trees, filming mushrooms/plants/trees, or editing videos and content around mushrooms/plants/trees. Before his life became dedicated to this project, Adam studied classical piano and euphonium, toured as a drummer with a heavy metal band until his academic pursuits led him to study nutrition and dietetics at the University of Pittsburgh.  I’m excited to probe the depths of a naturalist who has dedicated so much time and effort to help us all learn more about the land under our feet.   Topics Covered:   Charting a New Life Course Through Nutrition  Learning from Mentors and Naturalist Groups  Western Pennsylvania Mushroom and Wild Food Community  Finding Purpose in Sharing Information About Nature  Foraging in Western Pennsylvania  Connection with Land as Essential to Human Health  Tips for Other Educators  Content Creation as a Disciplined Learning Process  Foraging Wild Water, Medicine and Food  Land and Belonging  Transcending Dystopian Futures  Significance of Land Trusts & Giving Back to Natural Spaces  Learning Each Mushroom that Crosses Your Path  Future Projects for “Learn Your Land”  Episode Resources:   Learn Your Land Website: https://learnyourland.com/  Learn Your Land YT: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcbf8wnyVJl631LAmAbo7nw  Learn Your Land IG: https://www.instagram.com/learnyourland/  Western Pennsylvania Mushroom Club: https://wpamushroomclub.org/  Echinoderma asperum (Fungus): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Echinoderma_asperum  

Today on Mushroom Hour we are excited to have a conversation with Te’Lario Watkins II, founder of Tiger Mushroom Farms. Te’Lario started his mushroom farm at the age of 7 on the heels of a Cub Scout Project. Now at age 12, Te’Lario is a speaker, author, Hunger Hero and nonprofit Founder. He grows shiitake mushrooms in his basement and oyster mushrooms in a spare bedroom.  Te’Lario sells them at a farmers market and local restaurants. Te’Lario’s mission is to help end hunger and encourage kids to eat healthier. He has worked with No Kid Hungry to raise awareness and funds to end hunger. He volunteers with Food Rescue US and delivers unsold food from restaurants to food pantries. Te’Lario recently started his own nonprofit “The Garden Club Project” to help his mission to end hunger. This summer, Te’Lario’s nonprofit delivered over 2,000 pounds to a local food pantry in his community. Te’Lario was recently “gifted” a microgreen business and plans to donate some of the proceeds to his nonprofit to help his community even more.   Topics Covered:  Inspired by the Cub Scouts    Discovering Mushrooms for Winter Growing  "Back to the Roots" Grow Kits  Birth of Tiger Mushroom Farms  The Rise of Kid-preneurs  Writing a Children's Book  Making Healthy Delicious & Famous Shiitake Bacon  Te’Lario’s Mission to End Hunger  No Kid Hungry, Food Rescue & the Garden Club Project  Future Plans for Te’Lario and Tiger Mushroom Farm  Episode Resources:  Te'Lario Watkins II IG: https://www.instagram.com/telariowatkinsii/  Tiger Mushroom Farms IG: https://www.instagram.com/tigermushroomfarms_/  Tiger Mushroom Farms Website: https://www.tigermushroomfarms.com/home.html  "Te'Lario's Amazing Mushroom Farm": https://www.amazon.com/TeLarios-Amazing-Mushroom-TeLario-Watkins/dp/1975604741  Back to the Roots Grow Kits: https://backtotheroots.com/  No Kid Hungry: https://www.nokidhungry.org/  Food Rescue: https://foodrescue.us/  Worthington Farmer's Market: https://www.worthingtonfarmersmarket.com/  Sassafras Bakery: https://www.sassafrasbakery.com/  

Today on Mushroom Hour we have the pleasure of learning from Jackie Shay. Jackie is a fungal evolutionary biologist and microbial ecologist fascinated with the intimate history and future significance of symbiotic relationships between plant hosts and their microbial communities. Her goal is to use integrative techniques to explore these interactions in the natural world and learn how we can apply these partnerships to promote conservation and resilience through climate change. Jackie received a master's in Ecology, Evolution, and Conservation Biology from the Desjardin lab at San Francisco State University studying the evolution of wood decaying mushrooms (Marasmius) from Madagascar. She is currently a Ph.D. student in the Sexton and Frank labs in the Quantitative and Systems Biology Program at the University of California, Merced. This interdisciplinary team has set out to uncover the mystery behind the Monkeyflower microbiome and discover whether these microbes influence their plant hosts across its range.  Topics Covered:  From Urban Dweller to Forest Lover  Desjardin Lab at SFSU  Marasmius Research in Madagascar  Unseen Ecological Importance of Saprobic Fungi  Fungal Genetics  Importance of "ITS" Region in Fungal Gene Sequencing  Discovering New Species of Marasmius  Monkeyflower Microbiome  Bioinformatics  Endophytes Defined  Endophytes and Climate Change  Mysteries of "Dark" Endophytes  We Need More Mycologists!  New Pedagogic Career Path & Future Plans  Episode Resources:Jackie Shay Website: https://www.jackieshay.com/  Castilleja miniata: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Castilleja_miniataMarasmius (Fungi Genus): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MarasmiusDesjardin Lab SFSU: http://biology.sfsu.edu/people/dennis-desjardin  Mimulus "Monkeyflower" (Plant Genus): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MimulusSexton and Frank labs UC Merced: http://sextonlab.ucmerced.edu/  Merced Center for Engaged Teaching and Learning: https://cetl.ucmerced.edu/Cordyceps (Fungi Genus): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cordyceps

Today on Mushroom Hour we are privileged to get to speak with Orion Aon, founder of Forage Colorado. Orion is a Colorado transplant with a lifelong passion for the outdoors and anything there is to do in them. He loves to hunt, fish, forage, camp, wander and wonder, look at trees, you name it! Orion grew up in Santa Fe, NM where he first started mushroom hunting with his family looking for king boletes, chanterelles, and hawk's wings - like a treasure hunt in the woods that got him hooked. In 2008, he moved to Colorado to attend CSU where he would study Natural Resource Management and Fisheries Biology. In 2015 Orion started Forage Colorado as a place where he could share his passion for Colorado foraging with others. His first big project was writing a series about Colorado morels, which has helped a lot of people who didn’t even know there were morels in Colorado to find their first ones. He now offers private foraging classes and does talks, events, and leads forays for his local mycological society.  Topics Covered:   Family Tradition Becomes a Passion for Foraging  Colorado Mycological Societies  Unique Mushroom Habitat of the Southwestern US  Mysteries of Colorado Morels  Finding Mushroom Spots on the Rocky Mountain range  Foraging as a Source of Connection  Wild Food Sustainability  "Forage Colorado" Passion Project  Cooking with Foraged Finds  Educating Through Social Media  Studies in Natural Resource Management  Career with Colorado State Seedling Nursery  Treatise on Dandelion  Foraging Books and Future Plans  Episode Resources:   Forage Colorado Website: https://www.foragecolorado.com/  Forage Colorado FB: https://www.facebook.com/foragecolorado/  Forage Colorado IG: https://www.instagram.com/foragecolorado/?hl=en  Colorado Mycological Society: https://cmsweb.org  Fort Collins Mycological Society: https://www.facebook.com/FoCoMycoClub/  Pikes Peak Mycological Society: pikespeakmyc.org  Colorado State Seedling Nursery: https://csfs.colostate.edu/seedling-tree-nursery/  Samuel Thayer Website (Inspiration): https://www.foragersharvest.com/  Briana Wiles (Inspiration): https://www.instagram.com/rootedapothecary/?hl=en  Erica Davis: https://wildfoodgirl.com  Mushrooms of the Rocky Mountain Region (Book): https://www.amazon.com/Mushrooms-Rocky-Mountain-Region-Timber/dp/1604695765  Rocky Mountain Mushrooms by Habitat (Book): https://www.amazon.com/Essential-Guide-Mountain-Mushrooms-Habitat/dp/0252081463

Wade Davis is Professor of Anthropology and the BC Leadership Chair in Cultures and Ecosystems at Risk at the University of British Columbia. Between 2000 and 2013 he served as Explorer-in-Residence at the National Geographic Society and was named by NGS as one of the Explorers for the Millennium. He has been described as “a rare combination of scientist, scholar, poet and passionate defender of all of life’s diversity.” His work has taken him to unique biomes across the world including East Africa, Borneo, Nepal, Peru, Polynesia, Tibet, Mali, Benin, Togo, New Guinea, Australia, Colombia, Vanuatu, Mongolia and the high Arctic of Nunuvut and Greenland. An ethnographer, writer, photographer and filmmaker, Davis holds degrees in anthropology and biology and received his Ph.D. in ethnobotany, all from Harvard University. Through the Harvard Botanical Museum, he spent three years in the Amazon and Andes as a plant explorer, living among 15 indigenous groups in eight Latin American nations while making some 6000 botanical collections. Davis is the author of 320 scientific and popular articles and 23 books and as a professional speaker for 30 years, has lectured at over 200 universities and 250 corporations and professional associations.  One of only 20 Honorary Members of the Explorers Club, his incredible list of awards, medals and accolades would warrant its own podcast. We’ve connected here today to introduce our audience to this incredible explorer, give some of his background and dive into his newest work about one of the most biodiverse and culturally relevant countries in the world – Colombia and it’s great river the Magdalena.  ⚠️ There were some issues with audio capture at certain points in the interview. After 12 minutes you get through the roughest patches, but I encourage you to listen in even to the rough bits! There is gold here 💛  Topics Covered:  Anthropological and Ethnobotanical Influences at Harvard  Richard Evans Schultes & David Maybury-Lewis  Cross-Disciplinary Importance of Anthropology  Emergence of Concepts of Conservation & Biodiversity   Magical, Animated Worldview vs. Inert, Material Worldview  Indigenous Shaman as Natural Philosopher  Psychedelic Renaissance  Colombia & the Magdalena River  Scale & Impact of Cocaine Trade on Colombia  Colombia's Ongoing Civil War  Enshrining Indigenous & Environmental Rights  Coca - Divine Leaf of Immortality  Colombia’s Outrageous Biodiversity  Resiliency of Colombian People  Hopes for the Book & Future of Colombia  Episode Resources:  Wade Davis Website: https://daviswade.com/wadeWade Davis Teaching Website: https://anth.ubc.ca/profile/wade-davis/Wade Davis IG: https://www.instagram.com/wadedavisofficial/Magdalena: River of Dreams (Book): https://www.amazon.com/Magdalena-River-Dreams-Wade-Davis/dp/0375410996Richard Evans Schultes: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Evans_SchultesDavid Maybury-Lewis: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Maybury-LewisFranz Boas: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franz_BoasTimothy Plowman: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timothy_Plowman