The Mushroom Hour Podcast

Today on Mushroom Hour we are excited to travel to Uganda to speak with Josephine Nakakande. Josephine was a founding member of The Environmental Conservation & Agricultural Enhancement Uganda or “Eco-Agric Uganda” and has been the Executive Director of the organization since 2018. Eco-Agric Uganda is a Ugandan Community-based NGO. major focus was improving food security, nutrition, and income among critically vulnerable women through sustainable farming practices. However, over time, they have included interventions like HIV prevention and control, sanitation and environmental strategies that affect agriculture. They have explored a unique, holistic approach to supporting households with interventions like; training adolescent girls with vocational skills so they can support their children. The organization now has over 65,000 beneficiaries with well-established offices in Hoima Kibaale and Wakiso districts. It also started an international volunteers program and since 2017, Eco-Agric Uganda has hosted over 162 volunteers from all over the world. One of Eco-Agric’s biggest projects is their mushroom farming project in partnership with the Marr-Munning Trust. Farmers are trained on how to grow and manage mushrooms in their gardens and the materials needed in mushroom production. Please help empower women and protect the critically vulnerable in Uganda! You can help by donating your time, your mushroom knowledge, your expertise and/or money to EcoAgric Uganda. https://www.givingway.com/organization/ecoagric-ugandaTopics Covered:The Story of JosephineWomen and Agriculture in UgandaChallenges Women Face in UgandaFounding EcoAgric UgandaAgricultural Programs in Wakiso and Hoima DistrictsGrassroots Community OrganizationsImpact of UC Davis Trellis FundDeveloping Systems to Help Critically Vulnerable PopulationsEconomic Development & Vocational TrainingMushroom Cultivation in UgandaImportance of Mushrooms as a Source of Food & IncomePlans to Scale Mushroom Farming ProgramImportance of Volunteer OrganizationsEcoAgric Future Plans - A Call to Action!Episode Resources:EcoAgric Uganda Website: https://ecoagricuganda.org/EcoAgric Uganda IG: https://www.instagram.com/josephine.ecoagric/EcoAgric Uganda FB: https://www.facebook.com/ecoagricuganda.orgGivingway Donation Page: https://www.givingway.com/organization/ecoagric-ugandaAngels for Angels Website: https://www.angelsforangels.net/projects/UC Davis Trellis Fund: https://horticulture.ucdavis.edu/trellisMarr-Munning Trust: http://www.marrmunningtrust.org.uk/Vibrant Village: https://www.vibrantvillage.org/Obutiko obubaala (Mushroom): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Termitomyces_microcarpus

Today on Mushroom Hour we are excited to chat with Scott Stimpson. Better known for his incredibly popular social media accounts “woodlandcravings”, Scott has been foraging for over 8 years across 18 different states in the US. Growing up in Broward County Florida, Scott was immersed in a diverse culture and developed a love of foods from all over. His love of food naturally led to a love of cultivation and appreciating the culinary abundance that is all around us in nature. Not until Scott learned the word “permaculture” did he know the path he had to take.  His passion for agroforestry, foraging and mushrooms eventually led him to the mushroom mecca, the Pacific Northwest. As a student of working with the land in all these varied disciplines, Scott has developed an intimate relationship with natural systems. His lifestyle revolves around a symbiosis with the land and he is keenly aware of a responsibility to act as a shepherd of our Earth. As part of his great work, Scott shares his knowledge about permaculture techniques and ethical foraging with others, both online and in-person. For anyone who has followed Scott’s work, it is clear his passion and gratitude for nature’s culinary bounty are present in equal measure. I’m excited to learn more about this sacred relationship we have with the land that provides for us and how to give back as much as we receive.  Topics Covered:Scott’s Early Influences & Love of Food   Path Towards Permaculture  Florida Foraging Safari – Citrus, Smilax, Hog plums & Lactarius Indigo  Primal Connections to Foraging for Food   Shift from Florida to the PNW   Foraging as a Sacred Practice   Understanding Ecology & Sustainable Foraging  Integrating Agroforestry   Responsibility that Comes with Sharing Wild Food Information  The Importance of Hidden Knowledge  Honoring Indigenous Space  Mushroom Recipes & Preservation Techniques  Wild Food Inspiration in the Restaurant Industry  Future of Woodland Cravings  Episode Resources: Woodland Cravings Website: https://www.woodlandcravings.com/  Woodland Cravings IG: https://www.instagram.com/woodlandcravings/  Woodland Cravings Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@woodlandcravings  Smilax (Plant): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smilax  Hog Plums (Plant): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spondias_mombin  Catathelasma ventricosum (Mushroom): http://www.mushroomexpert.com/catathelasma_ventricosum.html  Fungi for the People (Inspiration): https://fungiforthepeople.org/ Leah Mycelia (Inspiration): https://www.instagram.com/leah_mycelia/ Chef Virgilio Martínez (Inspiration): https://www.starchefs.com/cook/chefs/bio/virgilio-martinezHericium (Mushroom): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HericiumClathrus Ruber (Mushroom): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clathrus_ruber

Today on Mushroom Hour we have the good fortune to be joined by Michael Phillips. Michael is a farmer, writer, carpenter, orchard consultant, and speaker who lives with his wife, Nancy, and daughter, Grace, on Heartsong Farm in northern New Hampshire. On the farm, they grow apples and a variety of medicinal herbs. Michael’s orchard, poetically dubbed Lost Nation Orchard, is part of the Holistic Orchard Network, and he also leads the community orchard movement at groworganicapples.com. He is the author of The Apple Grower, The Holistic Orchard, and teamed up with his wife to write The Herbalist’s Way. While all these works are milestones in regenerative orcharding and permaculture farming practices, we’re going to focus on his most recent work, the paradigm-shifting and mind-blowing Mycorrhizal Planet. More than just a celebration of the incredible mycorrhizosphere, this book makes you appreciate the complex ecosystem that is soil and how interactions at the microbial level on up effect everything that is birthed from a patch of Earth. This book will make you see your own lawn or garden as a complex ecosystem, awash in organic processes that, with the proper understanding and techniques, you can facilitate to build healthier soil, teeming with mycorrhizal fungi. Topics Covered:Microorganisms in the Soil & The Underground EconomyEndo and Ecto Mycorrhizal FungiMycelium Transport NetworksRudolph SteinerComplex Intelligence of NaturePlant Nutrients & Plant MetabolismNon-Disturbance PrincipleImportance of Cover CropsRamial Chipped Wood & HügelkulturMycorrhizal Diversity & Plant Quorum SensingUsing Beneficial Fungi in Our Farms, Gardens & Potted PlantsFarming Mycorrhizal FungiNancy’s Influence & the Herbal HusbandEpisode Resources:Holistic Orchard Network (Website): http://groworganicapples.com/Mycorrhizal Planet (Book): https://www.amazon.com/Mycorrhizal-Planet-Symbiotic-Support-Fertility/dp/160358658XRudolf Steiner: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rudolf_Steiner

Today on Mushroom Hour we have the honor of chatting with and learning from Eleana Hsu. Eleana is a fermentress focused on transforming foods with the magic of microbes and koji. What makes her most excited is creating new food products and flavors using local produce, different types of beans, and whole utilization techniques. Eleana has experience teaching koji workshops in the Bay Area and crafting ferments for local popup dinners and events. Koji is a filamentous fungi that has been used to ferment food since 300 BC. By employing this wondrous organism in a sort of alchemical, culinary transmutation may play a big role in the future of food as we know it. Currently, she is working on launching unique great tasting fermented food products in the Bay Area with her company Shared Cultures.  Topics Covered:Curing Depression by Foraging in Nature  Mushroom Hunting & Favorite Edibles  SOMA Camp  Fermentation – Transforming our Food with Microorganisms  The Magic of Koji Enzymes  Lipase, Protease, Amylase  Fermenting Inspirations  Uncovering a Family History with Koji  Chinese Cuisine made with Koji  Fermented Fungi as the Future of Food  How to Make Miso and Soy Sauce  Lessons from Becoming an Entrepreneur  Finding Fulfillment  Shared Cultures Products & Future Projects  Episode Resources:  Shared Cultures Website: https://www.shared-cultures.com/  Shared Cultures IG: https://www.instagram.com/sharedcultures/  Eugenia Bone "Mycophilia" (Book): https://www.amazon.com/Mycophilia-Revelations-Weird-World-Mushrooms/dp/1609619870  Sander Katz (inspiration): https://www.wildfermentation.com/  "Noma Guide to Fermentation" (Book): https://www.amazon.com/Noma-Guide-Fermentation-lacto-ferments-Foundations/dp/1579657184  Jeremy Umansky "Koji Alchemy" (Book): https://www.amazon.com/Koji-Alchemy-Rediscovering-Mold-Based-Fermentation/dp/160358868X  Russula Brevipes (Mushroom): https://www.mushroomexpert.com/russula_brevipes.html  Boletus Edulis (Mushroom): https://www.mushroomexpert.com/boletus_edulis.html

Today on Mushroom Hour we are blessed to have the chance to chat with international fungi photographer Stephen Axford.   Watch the new "Planet Fungi - Northeast India" documentary made by Steve Axford and his partner Catherine Marciniak: https://www.planetfungi.movie/   Stephen is an ambassador for Sony Australia and has an international reputation as a specialist in nature photographer with a particular passion in macro fungi photography. He also has a unique expertise in time-lapse photography of fungi. The beauty and scientific accuracy of Stephen’s fungi photography have captivated national and international media, fungi experts and the general public, with a following that stretches from Patagonia to Vladivostok. His photographs have appeared in international books and magazines, including: Nat Geo Magazine in Spain/Portugal, Geo Magazine in Germany, Roots Magazine in Holland, Guardian Observer [UK], Daily Mail UK, Civilization Magazine of Beijing in China and Sciences et Avenir science magazine in France to name just a few. In recent years, Stephen has shared the science of fungi and his experiences photographing fungi to packed houses in presentations in Australia, China and Chile. A new direction in his work is his collaborations with international universities and fungi organizations to photograph and document fungi in forests around the world.   Topics Covered:Origin Story of Steve Axford  Mushrooms of Australia  Secrets of Fungal Photography  The Breakout into Worldwide Recognition  Fungal Diversity in Yunan, China  Hidden Fungal Hotspots in Southeast Asia  "Planet Fungi" Documentary  Fungi as a Nutrition & Economic Resource  Exploring Assam & Meghalaya in Northeast India  Time-lapse Photography  Partnership with Catherine Marciniak  Australian Fires & Fire Obligate Fungi  Sharing the Mystery, Wonder and Appreciation of Fungi with Others  Future Documentary Plans  Episode Resources:   Steve Axford Website: https://steveaxford.smugmug.com/  "Planet Fungi" Documentary: https://www.planetfungi.movie/  Steve Axford & Catherine Marciniak IG: https://www.instagram.com/planet_fungi/  Mycena Interrupta (Mushroom): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mycena_interrupta  Mycena chlorophos (Mushroom): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mycena_chlorophos  Aseroe Rubra (Mushroom): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aseroe_rubra  Panaeolus Axfordii (Mushroom): https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Panaeolus-axfordii-sp-nov-a-b-Basidiocarps-in-their-natural-habitat-c-Basidiospores_fig1_339459453  

Today on Mushroom Hour we are joined by Dan de Lion of Return to Nature. The mission of Return to Nature is to provide a safe and healing teaching bridge for individuals and communities to recognize Nature as a continual and abundant provider of nourishment, medicine, food, and sacred connection, and to help reconnect the perception that Nature is the very source of our sustenance as humans. By teaching about the edible and medicinal aspects of wild plants, medicinal herbs, and mushrooms, Dan aims to help move humanity towards a Nature appreciation based paradigm which inspires people to forage, wildcraft, create tools for survival and primitive art, treat their own ailments with what nature provides, and get a little probiotic dirt under their fingernails. Engaging with Nature and tapping into ancient and sacred ways to directly carve our intuitive practice and reawaken a self-reliant depth within that seems so lost in today’s society. Once we recognize and reclaim our oneness with Nature and look around with new eyes we realize an ever present bounty Mother Nature provides and we just may see that we have never left Eden.  Topics Covered:  The Origin Story of Dan De Lion  Herbalism - Medicines & Food All Around Us  Reductionism vs Systems Thinking  Interconnectedness & Correspondence - As Above, So Below  Rewilding - Genetic Memory, Instinct and Pattern Recognition  Social Alchemy  Rise of the Machines & Transhumanism  Biomimicry  Psychedelics at Society’s Crossroads  Localize and Overgrow the System  Benevolent Activism  Internet Freedom  The Global Elite  The Power of Ritual  Autumn Olives, Garlic Mustard, Plantago  Return to Nature Classes and Future Plans  Episode Resources:   Return to Nature Website: http://returntonature.us/   Return to Nature IG: https://www.instagram.com/returntonature/   Alan Watts: https://www.alanwatts.org/   Terence McKenna: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terence_McKenna   Manly P. Hall: https://www.prs.org/manly-p-hall.html   Lactarius Volemus (Mushroom): https://www.mushroomexpert.com/lactarius_volemus.html   Lactarius Corrugis (Mushroom): https://www.mushroomexpert.com/lactarius_corrugis.html   Lactarius Hygrophoroides (Mushroom): https://www.mushroomexpert.com/lactarius_hygrophoroides.html   

Antonio Cosme is an indigenous (Coahuiltecan and Boricua) writer, public speaker, entrepreneur, radical economist, educator, artist, beekeeper and farmer from Southwest, Detroit. Much of his work has been dedicated to lecturing, writing, and acting in opposition to the neoliberal assault on Detroit and water. Antonio has a unique gift for connecting social movements with struggles for land reclamation and intersectional environmental justice.   Setting down in urban SW Detroit, our guide Antonio helps us clear the mists of our historical amnesia. We face the genocide and removal of indigenous people from the land and how that is directly connected with the degradation of Michigan's environment and clear-cutting of old growth forests. That foundation of injustice shaped how a land evolved and we find the mentality echoed throughout Michigan's history right up to the incredible loss of civic rights for black and brown communities after the 2008 financial crisis. Through experience in local politics, Antonio found he could have the most impact in addressing the repercussions of these social, economic and political forces as a community organizer.   In wrestling with massive issues, Antonio sought replenishment through a relationship with nature and the land. In creating an urban farm from derelict properties stolen by banks, he found a powerful ally in mushrooms. As he began cultivating and foraging for fungi, he recognized their ability to heal soil, but also heal people. Through projects like Black to the Land and his work with the National Wildlife Federation, he is exposing children from inner city Detroit to the power of natural spaces. While it can be hard to mobilize POC communities who are the most impacted by urban pollution, he hopes by having people fall in love with nature they can take up their rightful place on the front lines of championing environmental justice.   Wading through more and more examples of systemic inequality, we have to ask - can the US political system actually offer lasting solutions when it comes to making positive environmental, social and economic change? What Antonio proposes is a continued effort from the grassroots and local government level on up to shift our cultural narratives around economics, environment, land and US history. By escaping the polarizing political party lines, we can find a populist common ground and collectively dictate a new path centered on fundamental human values like access to clean food and water, access to nature, access to education, access to land, and access to meaningful work.   Directed, Recorded, Produced by: Mushroom Hour (@welcome_to_mushroom_hour)  Music by: Ancient Baby (https://peckthetowncrier.bandcamp.com/)   Art by: Wyn Di Stefano (http://www.wyndistefano.com/)   Episode Resources   Antonio Cosme IG: https://www.instagram.com/swdetroitjesus/  The Soul of Soil (book): https://www.amazon.com/Soul-Soil-Soil-Building-Gardeners-Farmers/dp/1890132314  The Entrepreneurial State (book): https://www.amazon.com/Entrepreneurial-State-Debunking-Public-Private/dp/1610396138Hajoon Chang (economist): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ha-Joon_ChangRyan Gates (inspiration): https://www.instagram.com/terrestrialfungi/

Today on Mushroom Hour we are grateful for the opportunity to speak with Amber, one of the founders of Moon Mountain. Moon Mountain is a 40-acre biodynamic farm, wild food refuge and all-around sacred space located in the beautiful Michigan wilderness among some of the oldest mountains in the world. This compound functions as a demonstration site for regenerative agricultural practices and serves as a “hands on” medicinal plant classroom for their rural community.   We venture to those untamed wilds of Upper Penninsula of Michigan and hold space with our gracious host Amber. Today, the combination permaculture farm and wild-food forest she manages with partner Ryan is impressive, but it was a future that she did not quite envision. In creating this sanctuary, they both had to address their centers of alienation, leaving behind some of the traditional values of modern society. They followed a lifepath that resonated most clearly with heart and mind - honoring the mystery of what it would become along the way.   Alongside their ongoing explorations of ancient land-based practices like polyculture, agroforestry, lunar observation, crop rotations and water harvesting, Amber takes us into the deep forests of the Huron mountains to share in a rich bounty of edible mushrooms. Her work with fungi has taught her to slow down, listen to nature and understand the cycles of the environment around her.    In exploring this deep communion with the forest and the land, those of us who are European-American run into a deep-seated anxiety. How do we develop an authentic relationship with land that was stolen? How do we acknowledge and authentically support the indigenous communities that were displaced and then dispossessed of these "wild" spaces? In a modern context, is reconciliation possible between European and non-European communities in the US given histories of systemic imbalance? Amber offers her deep work around this subject and acknowledges that her path may not be for everyone. She outlines a process of moving through our fear and anxiety, learning about and showing up to support indigenous and POC communities and expanding into stages of personal growth that will cascade into restructuring unequal systems. And while these topics can be isolating, we need to have more open conversations, face the issues and leave behind the vestiges of colonial culture.   Directed, Recorded, Produced by: Mushroom Hour (@welcome_to_mushroom_hour)  Music by: Ancient Baby (https://peckthetowncrier.bandcamp.com/)   Art by: Wyn Di Stefano (http://www.wyndistefano.com/)   Episode Resources   Moon Mountain Website: https://moonmtn.com    Moon Mountain Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/moonmtn.mi/    Freedom House Farm (Inspiration): https://www.facebook.com/freedomhousefarm  Roxanne Dunbar Ortiz - Indigenous People's History of the US (Book): https://www.amazon.com/Indigenous-Peoples-History-ReVisioning-American/dp/0807057835   Linda Black Elk (Inspiration): https://www.wisdomhub.tv/linda-black-elk   Braiding Sweetgrass (Book): https://www.amazon.com/Braiding-Sweetgrass-Indigenous-Scientific-Knowledge/dp/1571313567   

Today on Mushroom Hour we are blessed to speak with our very special guest Alan Rockefeller. Alan is a mycologist who has undertaken extensive field and lab research on the mushrooms of California and Mexico. He has been collecting mushrooms for 17+ years and has focused on the taxonomy and photography of Mexican mushrooms for the past 11+ years.   Our epic journey brings us back to the dawn of the new millennium when a young Alan Rockefeller first became spellbound by fungi. A few years into his mycology explorations, he had a chance encounter on shroomery.org with a biologist in Mexico who was posting amazing fungal finds. Alan made a connection and began traveling to Mexico each year to seek out rare fungi.   Since he began these adventures, he has played a central role in mapping fungal diversity throughout different climate ranges in Mexico. This includes some of the most in-depth field observations in the world when it comes to those incredible bioluminescent and infamous psilocybin containing fungi. We'll cover it all - how bioluminescence occurs in biology, the evolutionary significance of bioluminescent enzymes and psilocybin compounds in fungi and how Alan goes about finding the rarest varieties of these fascinating organisms.   The epitome of the self-taught naturalist and citizen scientist we'll learn the secrets of how Alan gained his vast taxonomic knowledge. Just "showing up" and pursuing his interests he has been able to collaborate with leading academics in the field of mycology. Alan then reveals how we can all contribute to the science of mycology by making good observations in the field and cataloging them effectively for posterity. We get a masterclass on cataloging field finds including how to take good photos in the field, record relevant observations, preserve dried specimens and even how we can sequence the genome of our fungal finds. This is an incredible opportunity to soak up wisdom and experience from a legend in the field of citizen mycology.   Directed, Recorded, Produced by: Mushroom Hour (@welcome_to_mushroom_hour) Music by: Ancient Baby (https://peckthetowncrier.bandcamp.com/)  Art by: Wyn Di Stefano (http://www.wyndistefano.com/)  Episode ResourcesAlan Rockefeller FB: https://www.facebook.com/alan.rockefeller  Alan Rockefeller IG: https://www.instagram.com/alan_rockefeller/  New Bioluminescent Mushrooms in Mexico (Article): https://www.researchgate.net/publication/331996064_New_species_and_records_of_bioluminescent_Mycena_from_Mexico  Alvalabs (Resource): http://alvalab.es/  Shroomery.org (Resource): https://shroomery.org  Mycena Perlae 🍄: https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/981470-Mycena-perlae  Panellus stipticus 🍄: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panellus_stipticus  Neonothopanus Gardneri 🍄: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neonothopanus_gardneri  Psilocybe moseri 🍄: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psilocybe_moseri  Lepitoa Trichroma 🍄: https://mushroomobserver.org/104595?q=1VIoQ  

Today on Mushroom Hour we have the glorious opportunity to speak with Kristen and Trent Blizzard from Modern Forager. This fungal dynamic duo started out as online marketers who turned a love of mushroom adventures into a calling, a community and an obsession. Our mushroom hunting caravan makes it's first stop in the Midwest where Kristen and Trent grew up exploring nature and hunting those infamous Midwestern morel mushrooms. Once they found each other, they quickly found their mushroom foraging skills grow along with their relationship. They now travel across the US with their camper in tow, charting their calendar to follow the mushroom seasons. As we tag along for their journey, we'll meet amazing new friends and connect with foraging communities every step of the way.During the foraging tour, a deeply ingrained passion for morels comes to the fore as we follow the couple's camper through the winding roads of the Western United States chasing wild fires. Our tech-savvy guides have crafted highly-detailed burn morel maps for almost every state in the Western US by collating wildfire perimeter data, satellite imagery and forest service road maps. Even with all of this data, how do they screen and predict which burns will yield morels? What kind of success rates can foragers have with the aid of these maps?Cruising across the country and filling out bags and buckets with mushrooms is great, but now what do we do with all of our fungal treasures? Trent and Kristen have us covered with creative preservation techniques and amazing recipes from their new book "Wild Mushrooms: A Cookbook and Foraging Guide". Organized around 15 species of edible mushrooms, the book shares not only amazing recipes and preservation techniques, but also the stories of 25 foragers whose knowledge graces the pages of their work. This book was a labor of love for the couple who were completely new to writing! What was it like to achieve this massive undertaking and what is next for these modern foragers?Directed, Recorded, Produced by: Mushroom Hour(@welcome_to_mushroom_hour)Music by: Ancient Baby (https://peckthetowncrier.bandcamp.com/)Art by: Wyn Di Stefano (http://www.wyndistefano.com/)Episode ResourcesModern Forager Website: https://www.modern-forager.com/Modern Forager IG: https://www.instagram.com/modernforager/Burn Morel Maps: https://www.modern-forager.com/burn-morels/Wild Mushrooms: A Cookbook and Foraging Guide (Book): https://shop.modern-forager.com/products/pre-order-wild-mushrooms-a-cookbook-and-foraging-guide-author-signed-copy