The Mushroom Hour Podcast

Today on Mushroom Hour we are joined by illustrious lichen expert Matthew Nelsen PhD. Matthew is a Research Scientist at the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago. Matt's research began in botany, ecology and environmental science and has more recently gravitated towards: (i) the evolution of symbiotic associations; and (ii) the evolution of eukaryotic microbes (fungi and algae), and the roles they have played in shaping terrestrial ecosystems and nutrient-cycling over geologic timescales. Both avenues of his research attempt to link diverse fields and organismal groups. He also has conducted work addressing the timing and evolutionary consequences of ant-plant interactions. Matt thank you so much for joining us on the Mushroom Hour!    TOPICS COVERED:    Fungus & Algae Species Forming Lichen Partnerships    Host Specificity in Lichen Partnerships    Evolutionary History of Lichen    Vascular Plants on Land Before Lichen?!    Challenges of Working on “Big Time”    Process of Lichen Formation, Fungal Phenotypes    Lichen Blurring Species Boundaries    Cleptobiosis    Role in Carbon & Nitrogen Cycles    Lichen as an Ecosystem    Lichen & Air Quality in an Environment    Lichenometry   Analysis of Fungal Coal Formation Hypothesis    Ant Plant Interactions   EPISODE RESOURCES:   Matthew Nelsen Website: https://mpnelsen.com/   Lichen: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lichen   Xanthoria parietina (Lichen): https://www.wikiwand.com/en/Xanthoria_parietina   Trebouxia (Lichen Genus): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trebouxia   Toby Spribille (Lichen Expert): https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=vPlIL5IAAAAJ&hl=en   Betsy Arnold (Endophyte Expert): http://www.arnoldlab.net/   Article on Fungal Coal Formation Hypothesis: https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.1517943113  Arthrobotrys (Fungal Genus): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthrobotrys   Mycoparasites: https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/agricultural-and-biological-sciences/mycoparasites   

Today on Mushroom Hour we have the honor of being joined by Jacob Alvarez. Jacob is an amateur mycologist focusing on dialing in cultivation methods for Fistulina hepatica, the beefsteak fungus. He started the “Beefsteak culture collection project” last year and has been collecting samples of the mushroom since early 2019.  In May 2020 he made a significant breakthrough and successfully cultivated the first ever photo documented Beefsteak mushroom grow on a hardwood bag in the USA. He is based out Southern New Jersey where he owns & operates his farm Garden State Mushrooms. At the farm, he grows a wide variety of different gourmet mushrooms and continues his research figuring out better beefsteak cultivation methods. Beefsteak mushrooms are an intriguing mushroom that can be eaten raw, resemble meat in appearance and even bleed. The cultivation of the beefsteak mushroom can add some tremendous value to the mushroom market for small mushroom farms and he passionately believes the time to grow this mushroom is now! I’m excited to hear insights as to how to cultivate this mushroom and maybe be inspired to never give up on ideas even when things go very, very wrong.    TOPICS COVERED:    Discovering Wild Mushrooms and Introduction to Fistulina hepatica   Fistulina Fundamentals  Finding the Best Beefsteak Strain for Commercial Cultivation    2020 Beefsteak Culture Challenge   Genetics and Process Over Substrate in Beefsteak Cultivation   Process of Collecting Wild Tissue Cultures   Extreme Photosensitivity of Beefsteak Mushrooms   Growth of Project and R&D Scaling   Economic Importance of Beefsteak Mushrooms for Small Farmers   Betting the Future of Garden State Mycology on Beefsteak   Juggling Research, Business, Fatherhood   Advice for Entering the World of Mushroom Farming   Creating Jerky, Sushi and More with Beefsteak Mushrooms    Open-Source Innovation   EPISODE RESOURCES:   Garden State Mycology Website: https://gardenstatemushrooms.com/   Garden State Mycology IG: https://www.instagram.com/gardenstatemushrooms/   Jacob Alvarez IG: https://www.instagram.com/hacob_/   Fistulina hepatica (AKA Beefsteak Mushroom): https://www.mushroomexpert.com/fistulina_hepatica.html   Myco-Operative Twin Cities: https://www.facebook.com/MycoOpTwinCities/    Mycopolitan: https://www.mycopolitan.com/   Pleurotus eryngii  (AKA King Oyster Mushroom): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pleurotus_eryngii   Lanmaoa pallidorosea (AKA Bullion Bolete): https://boletes.wpamushroomclub.org/product/boletus-pallidoroseus/   

Today on Mushroom Hour we have the privilege of speaking with Mark Williams, founder of Galloway Wild Foods. Through his work in the wilds of Scotland, Mark hopes to share his passion for foraging and the delicious and nutritious food that we all can gather for free in the wild. In so doing, Mark’s goal is to restore vital connection between humans and nature, increasing our intimacy with the natural world in ways that are beneficial our own physical and mental wellbeing, and the health of the ecosystems of which we are part. He teaches about the full range and depth of wild food and foraging including plants, fungi, seaweed, and shellfish. These practices take Mark across a diverse range of habitats – from high mountains, through forests, hedgerows, urban settings and down to the coast. He covers all areas of foraging including traditional and modern food uses, health and nutrition, traditional and modern medicinal uses, survival and bushcraft, wild booze and lots more.   TOPICS COVERED:   Childhood Spent in Nature   Discovering Provenance, Wild Food & Foraging Working as a Chef   Scotland as a Mushroom Habitat   Foraging Traditions in Scotland   Diversity & Abundance in Coastal Foraging   Nutritional & Medicinal Value of Seaweeds   Cyber-foraging & Impressions on Social Media   Edible Conifers   Botanical Cocktails   Medicinal Mushrooms & Plants   Evolution of Foraging Mentorship   The Association of Foragers   Wild Food Accreditation Systems   Adding Mushrooms to School Curriculums   EPISODE RESOURCES:   Galloway Wild Foods Website: https://gallowaywildfoods.com/   Mark Williams Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/markwildfood/   Association of Foragers: https://foragers-association.org/   "A Passion for Mushrooms" (Book): https://antoniocarlucciofoundation.org/book/a-passion-for-mushrooms/   Sea Orache: https://gallowaywildfoods.com/orache-identification-edibility-distribution/   Palmaria palmata (Dulse Seaweed): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palmaria_palmata   Nori Seaweed: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nori   Grifola frondosa (Hen of the Woods): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grifola_frondosa   Hymenochaete corrugata (Hazel Glue): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hymenochaete_corrugata   Hypocreopsis rhododendri (Hazel Gloves): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypocreopsis_rhododendri   

Today on the Mushroom Hour Podcast we are joined by David Breslauer, Chief Scientific Officer and Co-Founder of Bolt Threads. Bolt Threads is a company on a mission to create way better materials for a way better world, developing sustainable solutions for the apparel and beauty industries. With nature as inspiration, Bolt Threads invents and scales credible materials that put us on a path towards a more sustainable future. Bolt Threads is based in Emeryville, Calif. and was a Fast Company Most Innovative company in 2019 and 2018. David leads technology innovation at Bolt, creating and incubating biomaterials for improved consumer products. His obsession with biomaterials began with graduate research on silk during his Bioengineering PhD at UC Berkeley and UCSF. David has an orange belt in Krav Maga and is a great admirer of stencil graffiti. I’m excited to hear from him about all the future of sustainable materials and how Mylo™ – their mycelium material line, will play a leading role.   TOPICS COVERED:   Microfluidics & Bio-inspiration   Biomaterials Past, Present and Future   Decision to Create Sustainable Consumer Goods   Synchronistic Connections Researching Spider Silk   Founding Bolt Threads   In Search of Leather, Turning to Mycelium   Learning to Work with Mycelium as a Material   How to Transform Mycelium into Leather-like MaterialProperties of Mycelium as a Leather Material   Scaling Production of Mycelium Leather   Reaction from Product Developers and Fashion Houses   Future Uses of Mycelium and other Biomaterials   Advice for Working in the Field of Biomaterials   EPISODE RESOURCES:   Bolt Threads Website: https://boltthreads.com/   Mylo Unleather Website: https://www.mylo-unleather.com/   Bolt Threads IG: https://www.instagram.com/boltthreads/   Mylo Unleather IG: https://www.instagram.com/mylo_unleather/   

Today on Mushroom Hour we are joined by the dynamic duo Michelle Russell and Camille Myhre Degabrielle author of the new cookbook “Just Mushrooms”. Ten years ago, Michelle changed everything about her life, she lost 80lbs by adopting a plant-based diet, ridded herself of the need for 12 prescription medications, cured her depression, and accepted a new job in Tokyo. From Tokyo, she moved to Bavaria and spent years traveling the European capitals and backroads. During this period of exploration, Michelle went to culinary school to learn more about the many ways that plants can heal us and became convinced that part of her next evolution would be to help make it easier to be healthy. Camille majored in Industrial Design at Savannah College of Art and Design. During this time, she had the opportunity to study abroad in Hong Kong. Having first-hand experience with manufacturing practices and seeing the impact of what product design could do to our environment, she refocused her efforts to more sustainable design. Through studying Sustainability & Biomimicry, she allowed those principles to reshape her thinking and eventually adopted a plant-based diet for ecological and ethical reasons. Their cookbook will make you a firm believer, like I am, that fungi are the future of food and they can help us heal our bodies, our minds, and the planet itself.   TOPICS COVERED:   Michelle and Camille Connecting Through Mushrooms  In Search of a Mushroom Cookbook  Influenced by Mycophilic Cultures   Growing Mushrooms at Home   Mushroom Cultivation as the Future of Sustainable Agriculture   Techniques in Mushroom Cooking & Preparation   Health Benefits of Consuming Mushrooms   Possible to Eat Too Many Mushrooms?   Themes Throughout “Just Mushrooms” Cookbook   How the Cookbook is Structured   Some Favorite Mushroom Recipes from the Cookbook   Evolution Through Writing the Cookbook   Integration with the Mycophile Community   Future Plans Beyond the Cookbook   EPISODE RESOURCES:   Just Mushrooms Website: https://www.just-mushrooms.com/Just Mushrooms IG: https://www.instagram.com/just_mushrooms_/?hl=en   Just Mushrooms Cookbook: https://www.just-mushrooms.com/purchase   

Today on Mushroom Hour we are blessed by the presence of Jason Scott, founder of Feral Fungi.  Jason Scott is a Mycologist, Ethnobotanist and Spagyricist who has studied traditional Hermetic Alchemy, from history and philosophy to practice, for the past 9 years. He has a background in Ethnobotany and Plant Medicine that started on the Big Island of Hawaii and has carried back with him into his home: the Pacific North West. Born and raised in Oregon, Jason has an intrinsic interest in the Fungal Queendom and all of its aspects: from cultivation and mycoremediation, to historical and cultural relationships. Jason has studied various different healing modalities including Ayurveda in Nepal and Western Herbalism all over Oregon and Washington. As Owner of Feral Fungi, he produces Mushroom Spagyric Tinctures, and he curates AlcheMycology.com where he shares some of his teachings and writings alongside other fascinating discoveries in the world of Fungi. Jason is also a co-organizer of the Radical Mycology Convergence and the Fungi Film Fest. He is on an ever-deepening journey of education to understand the practical applications of his interests, and the golden threads that connect them.   TOPICS COVERED:   Growing up Adrift in a Disconnected Culture  Radical Mycology Convergence  Heremetic Sciences – Alchemy, Astrology, Quabbalah  Philosophies & Origins of Alchemy  Embracing Practical Alchemy in Laboratory Work  Doctrines of Signatures, Correspondences & Emanations  Alche-mycology & Transmutation  Astrology & Planetary Correspondences  Astro-mycology - Mushrooms & Their Planets  Understanding Through Powers of Observation   Embracing the Qualitative  Dangers of Reductionism with Herbal Medicines  Spagyric Processing – Metaphor of Sulphur, Salt, Mercury  Frontiers of Mushroom Spagyrics  EPISODE RESOURCES:   Feral Fungi Website: https://feralfungi.com/  Feral Fungi IG: https://www.instagram.com/feralfungi/  Alchemycology Website: http://www.alchemycology.com/  Radical Mycology: https://www.radicalmycology.com/  Robert Bartlett: https://www.spagyricus.com/about-robert-bartlett/  Paracelsus: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paracelsus  Plant Path Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-plant-path/id1243181579   Manfred M Junius: https://www.simonandschuster.com/authors/Manfred-M-Junius/410051223  

Today on the Mushroom Hour Podcast we are honored to be joined by Terri Smith, the CEO of Wake Jamaica. Terri’s passions lie in making wellness possible for underserved people and communities. As a young mother recently arrived in Canada, she completed her studies in Literature and Social-Cultural Anthropology and developed her expertise in Labour Market re-entry for injured workers and economically-disadvantaged adults. Terri returned to Jamaica to care for an elderly relative, and during that time she and her husband took up a mushroom farm using a unique proprietary lemongrass-bamboo substrate. Terri believes in a triple bottom line approach to growing any of her projects: every community entered must be better when we leave - financially, socially and environmentally. I’m so excited to here about her work in helping rural & underserved communities to find empowerment through mushroom cultivation and all the ways that her company Wake is contributing to the democratization of wellness.   TOPICS COVERED:   Childhood in Rural Jamaica  Inspired to Train Women how to Change Their World with Mushrooms  Seeing a Need to Heal People and Environments in Rural Jamaica   Economic Policies Impacting Health of Jamaica’s People and Environment  Becoming Jamaica’s Mushroom Queen  Adapting Cultivation Techniques to Meet the Needs of Communities  Improving Understandings of Agriculture through Mushroom Cultivation  The Power Multiplier of Empowering Women in Poor & Rural Communities  Connecting with Wake Network  Landscape of Psilocybin Mushroom Industry in Jamaica  History of Psilocybin Mushrooms in Jamaica  How Wake’s Programs Integrate and Support Local Communities in Jamaica  Plant and Mushroom Medicines Nothing New for Indigenous Cultures  Future of Scaling Wake Network Programs in Jamaica  EPISODE RESOURCES:   Wake Network: https://wake.net/  Chido Govera (Inspiration): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chido_Govera  Pleurotus ostreatus (fungus): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pleurotus_ostreatus  Psilocybe cubensis (fungus): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psilocybe_cubensis  

Today on Mushroom Hour we have the honor of being joined by Dr. Cathy Cripps. Dr Cripps is a mycologist and professor at Montana State University where she teaches and does research on fungi. She earned her BS from the University of Michigan and PhD from Virginia Tech with Dr. Orson Miller. Her research on mushrooms that survive in Arctic and alpine habitats has taken her to Iceland, Svalbard, Norway, Greenland, the Austrian Alps, and Finland. She is co-author of “The Essential Guide to Rocky Mountain Mushrooms by Habitat”, and “Fungi in Forest Ecosystems”, and has authored numerous scientific papers. She is also involved with using mycorrhizal fungi in the restoration of whitebark pine. With over 40 years of experience collecting mushrooms, first as an amateur when she lived in a cabin in Colorado and later as a professional leading forays and teaching field classes in Montana, her love and enthusiasm for the Rocky Mountains and its fungal creatures runs deep.   TOPICS COVERED:   Interest in Organisms from the Benthic Deep to the Mountaintops  Falling in Love with the Colorado Mountains  Coming out of the Mountains to Pursue a Graduate Degree  Foundations of the Telluride Mushroom Festival  Distinguishing Montagne, Alpine and Subalpine Ecosystems  Alpine Mushrooms and 1 Inch Dwarf Willows  Subalpine Aspen Forests  Montagne Conifer Forests  Role of Soil pH and Tree Age in Fungal Community Composition  Mycorrhizal Fungi as Key to Resiliency of White Bark Pine Forests  Biogeography of Arctic Alpine Fungi   Native and Endemic Fungi of Mountain Biomes  Writing “The Essential Guide to Rocky Mountain Mushrooms by Habitat”  Future of Research on Mycorrhizal Fungi  EPISODE RESOURCES:   Cathy Cripps Faculty Profile: https://plantsciences.montana.edu/directory/faculty/1524013/cathy-cripps  Orson K. Miller: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.3852/10-042  Dwarf Willows: https://www.bbcearth.com/news/the-worlds-tiniest-tree  Amanita alpinicola (fungus): https://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/mtax/mt/2017/00000132/00000003/art00025;jsessionid=26t1ks7l10pq2.x-ic-live-02  Arrhenia auriscalpium (fungus): https://plantsciences.montana.edu/facultyorstaff/faculty/cripps/Arrhenia%20paper.pdf  Dentinum repandum (fungus): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydnum_repandum  Hericium coralloides (fungus): https://www.mushroomexpert.com/hericium_coralloides.html  Suillus americanus (fungus): https://www.mushroomexpert.com/suillus_americanus.html  Suillus of whitebark pine: https://plantsciences.montana.edu/facultyorstaff/faculty/cripps/MohattRPViewDoc.pdf  

For more than two decades, Michael Allen Z Prime has pioneered the art of making music in collaboration with plants and fungi. His albums: L-Fields, One Hour As Peyote, Borneo, and The Ascent Of Sap were the first to be made in collaboration with the bioelectrical fields of plants and fungi. In his work, the fluctuations in pitch and rhythm that you hear directly follow the fluctuations of the bioelectrical fields of the organisms he is working with. Michael has presented his plant and fungal sound installations at venues around the world, including The Mendel Museum (Brno), the NTT InterCommunication Center (Tokyo), the Halles de Schaarbeek (Brussels), the Arnolfini Gallery (Bristol), the Centre for Experimental and Improvised Music (Madrid), and the old Franciscan Abbey on Sherkin Island (Ireland). His recordings of fungi have also been featured on the BBC. Michael is also a qualified ecologist, and his work in that field led him to establish the Comillane Gardens botanical gardens and nature reserve on Cape Clear Island, 10 miles south of the Irish mainland.    TOPICS COVERED:   Early Explorations of  Electroacoustic Music & Mycology  Translating the Bio-Electrical Activity of Organisms into Sound  Different Approaches to Translate Biodata from Organisms  Audio Translation of Electrical Resistance vs Bioelectrical Action PotentialsWhat Does Sound Coming from Mushrooms Tell Us?  Acoustic Differences Between Day and Nights Cycles of Fungi  Does Translating Bioelectrical Activity Also Us to Communicate with Other Organisms?  Bioactivity Translation Equipment  Michael's Mushroom Sound Exhibitions  Different Sounds of Mushrooms Indoors vs Outdoors  Differences in Sounds Between Mushroom Species  Understanding Bioactivity as Future of Understanding Fungal Networks  Demonstration Transcribing Bioelectrical Action Potentials of Mushrooms into Sound   Upcoming Projects and Collaborations  EPISODE RESOURCES:      Michael Prime Bandcamp: https://michaelallenzprime.bandcamp.com/music  Michael Prime Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSX2bfcI0BR-phhw1DGH7JA  Tony Bassett (only reference we could find): http://www.fsr.org.uk/spi/spibass1.htm  Merlin Sheldrake: https://www.merlinsheldrake.com/  Peziza repanda (fungus): https://www.mushroomexpert.com/peziza_repanda.html  Laricifomes officinalis (AKA Agarikon mushroom): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laricifomes_officinalis  Macrolepiota procera (AKA Parasol mushroom): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macrolepiota_procera  

Today on Mushroom Hour we have are honored to be joined by Welsh wild food expert Daniel Butler. Daniel is an environmental writer and wild food enthusiast, starting as a boy with ferreted rabbits and moving on to herbs and mushrooms in his 20s. He leads guided hedgerow and fungal forays from his Welsh smallholding through the summer and autumn. Writing extensively on issues of foraging as a source of free food Daniel aims to demystify edible plants and fungi to make them accessible to all. I’m excited to learn more about foraging in the Welsh countryside, how wild foods can add new dimensions to our lives and even the legal and conservation aspects foragers consider as we enjoy the wild harvest.    TOPICS COVERED:   Moving to the Country, Discovering Mushrooms  Anglo-Saxon Mycophobia  Fungal Edibility & Toxicity in Perspective   Environmental Conservation in the UK   Property Rights in the UK  “The Charter of the Forest” More Influential than Magna Carta?  How Foraging Benefits Conservation Efforts  Cultural Influences on Foraging in the UK, Continental Europe and America  Mushroom Foraging Seasons in the UK   Exploring the Biodiversity of Elan Valley in Wales  Clashes with Authority in UK Forests  Bringing Together Conservation Authorities and Foraging Culture  Building Back Connection with the Land   Gift of Educating Others About Wild Mushrooms  EPISODE RESOURCES:   Daniel Butler Website: https://www.fungiforays.co.uk/  Elan Valley, Wales: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elan_Valley  "Charter of the Forest": https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charter_of_the_Forest  Northern Goshawk: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northern_goshawk  Calocybe gamose (AKA St. George's Mushroom): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calocybe_gambosa  Boletus edulis (AKA Porcini Mushroom): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boletus_edulis  Craterellus cornucopioides (AKA Black Trumpet Mushroom): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Craterellus_cornucopioides