The Mushroom Hour Podcast

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  

Today on Mushroom Hour we have the privilege of speaking with Dr. Ekaterina Dadachova. Dr. Dadachova is a Professor of Pharmacy at the College of Pharmacy and Nutrition and the Fedoruk Centre for Nuclear Innovation Chair in Radiopharmacy. Before joining University of Saskatchewan, she was a Professor of Radiology, Microbiology and Immunology in the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York, USA, where she was also Sylvia and Robert S. Olnick Faculty Scholar in Cancer Research. She received her PhD in Physical Chemistry from Moscow State University in Moscow, Russia, in 1992, and completed a postdoctoral fellowship in radiopharmaceutical chemistry at the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organization in Sydney, Australia. Dadachova’s laboratory has pioneered the treatment of infectious diseases including fungal and bacterial infections and HIV with radiolabeled antibodies (so called radioimmunotherapy). Her other research interests are radioimmunotherapy of melanoma, blood cancers and osteosarcoma as well as the development of melanin-based radioprotectors for cancer patients undergoing radiation therapy, soldiers on the battlefield and astronauts in space.   TOPICS COVERED:   Research Pathways of Melanin, Melanoma and Fungi Coming Together  Black Fungi in Soil Surrounding Chernobyl  Melanin in Fungi  Basics of Radiation and Types of Radioactive Particles  Fungi in Outer Space  How Fungi Use Melanin to Protect Themselves Against Ionizing Radiation  Fungi Surviving in Antarctica  Melanated Fungi Harvesting Radiation  Radiotropism  Applied Technologies for Radiation Protection from Melanized Fungi  The Power of Eating Melanized Mushrooms  Radioimmunotherapy  Radiopharmaceuticals  Future Research & Applications  EPISODE RESOURCES:    Dr. Ekaterina Dadachova Academic Website: https://pharmacy-nutrition.usask.ca/profiles/kate-dadachova.php#Bio  Dr. Ekaterina Dadachova Papers: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=A6Ud3q0AAAAJ&hl=en  Cryptococcus neoformans (fungus): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cryptococcus_neoformans  Cryptococcus antarcticus (fungus): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cryptococcus_antarcticus  Auricularia judae (fungis): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auricularia_auricula-judae

Today on Mushroom Hour we have the incredible opportunity to speak with Integrated Land Enhancement found Leif Olson. A native of the western North Carolina mountains, Leif grew up with a deep sense of connection and appreciation for nature.  Early on this relationship was primarily through a creative and imaginative lens, but after over a decade of researching and working in ecology, chemistry, mycology, landscaping and sustainable agriculture he now works to study and improve the natural world with an interdisciplinary approach. After receiving a Bachelor's of Science in Ecology from University of California at Santa Cruz and a Master of Environmental Management in Ecotoxicology at Duke University, Leif spent the following years becoming versed in the rapidly emerging fields of applied mycology and soil biology.  Though it may be unbeknownst to many, we are currently living in a renaissance of knowledge for understanding the processes and interconnectivity of nature. What a great opportunity to learn from a hands-on expert about how we can leverage our emerging understanding of plants, fungi, microorganisms, nutrients, water and more to enhance the resiliency, fertility and productivity of our landscapes. TOPICS COVERED:Childhood in Nature, Studying Ecology, Mycelium RunningEnvironmental Conditions Bioremediation Can AddressUnbounded Ability of Natural Organisms Benefits of Fungi to the EnvironmentChemistry of Fungal Decomposition & Ligninolytic EnzymesInteractions Between Fungi, Bacteria Virsuses and More in SoilTechnology in Applied MycologyContaminant Removal – Organic, Inorganic, PathogensEngineering & Implementing Bioremediation ProjectsReal-World Examples of Bioremediation ProjectsGeomycology & BiogeochemistryEvolution of Environmental Institutions & Regulatory FrameworksAll groups of Fungi Can Break Down Contaminants?Advice in Pursuing Bioremediation ProjectsEPISODE RESOURCES: Integrated Land Enhancement: https://integratedlandenhancement.com/Applied Mycology Podcast: https://www.instagram.com/appliedmycology/Fungi for the People: https://fungiforthepeople.org/Mushroom Mountain: https://mushroommountain.com/Lentinus tigrinus (AKA Tiger Sawgill Mushroom): https://www.mushroomexpert.com/lentinus_tigrinus.htmlHericium erinaceus (AKA Lions Mane): https://www.mushroomexpert.com/hericium_erinaceus.html

Today on Mushroom Hour we are blessed by the presence of the illustrious Dr. Michael Beug. Dr. Beug taught chemistry, mycology and organic farming at The Evergreen State College in Olympia, Washington for 32 years. He lectures to mushroom enthusiasts throughout the Western US and loves to teach beginners workshops. He is a member of the North American Mycological Association (NAMA) where he serves as Editor of the Journal McIlvainea, Chair of the Toxicology Committee, and member of the Education Committee. Michael has served four terms as President of The Pacific Northwest Key Council, a group dedicated to writing macroscopic keys for the identification of fungi. His specialties are the genus Ramaria and all toxic and hallucinogenic mushrooms. He is also doing research on oak-associated fungi of the Columbia River Gorge, especially Cortinarius species. His newest book is Mushrooms of Cascadia and he regularly writes about mushrooms in McIlvainea, The Mycophile, Fungi, and Mushroom: The Journal of Wild Mushrooming and he somehow finds the time to be on the editorial board of Fungi magazine. I’m excited to learn from this master mycology educator about the past, present and future of mushrooms.    TOPICS COVERED:   Early Career at Evergreen & Becoming a Mycologist  DDT Controversy, Research into PCBs and Heavy Metals  Multidisciplinary Teaching Career and Collaboration at Evergreen College  Paul Stamets Jeremy Bigwood & Jonathan Ott Introduce Psilocybe  Being Paul Stamets’ Professor & Friend  Modern Psilocybin History from Wasson, Leary & Alpert to Recent Decriminalization  Evolution of Academic Mycology  Importance of Amateur Naturalists in Mycology  Global Political Theory & Creating Positive Change  Averting Disaster, Listening to Nature   Rise of Mushroom Culture  Psilocybin, Empathy & Hope  Mushrooms of Cascadia & Next Book on Regenerative Design  Trippy Tales featuring Mushroom Legends at Brightenbush  EPISODE RESOURCES:   Mushrooms of Cascadia Website: https://www.mushroomsofcascadia.com/  Mushrooms of Cascadia Book: https://fungi.com/products/mushrooms-of-cascadia  Columbia River Gorge: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Columbia_River_Gorge  North American Mycological Association: https://namyco.org/   Fungi Magazine: https://www.fungimag.com/  Pacific Northwest Key Council: https://www.svims.ca/council/  MycoMatch: https://www.mycomatch.com/index.htm  Hericium erinaceus (AKA Lions Mane): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hericium_erinaceus  Trametes versicolor (AKA Turkey Tail): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trametes_versicolor  

Xiaojing Yan is a Canadian artist whose work embraces the combination of her Chinese roots and education at Nanjing Arts Institute (B.F.A., 2000) with higher education at George Brown College in Toronto (2004) and an M.F.A. in sculpture at Indiana University of Pennsylvania (2007). Her unique point of view brings together the past and the present, encompasses culture and nature, art and science. Yan is a recipient of numerous awards and grants, including the 2014 Outstanding Young Alumni Award from Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Project Grants from the Canadian Council for the Arts, the Chalmers Arts Fellowship, Mid-career Grants from Ontario Arts Council, and many more. Most recently, she has had solo shows at Maison Hermès, Shanghai, China, Art Gallery of Northumberland, Cobourg, ON, Canada, Richmond Art Gallery, Richmond, BC, Canada and Suzhou Museum, Suzhou, China, Varley Art Gallery, Markham, ON, Canada. Yan has also completed public art projects and commissions in Canada and China including her 2018 installation Cloudscape at the Royal Ontario Museum and 2019 Window display "Into the Dream" for Maison Hermès. It’s my pleasure to learn more about the unique ethos behind her art and her intimate relationship with reishi mushroom, also known as lingzhi.    TOPICS COVERED:   Following the Artists' Path from China to Canada  Engaging Space in Creating Art  Inspiration from Chinese Mythologies, Stories and Iconographies  Connection to Nature in Eastern and Western Cultures  Forces of Modernization Reshaping Relationships with Nature  Rise of the “Moderners”   Weighing Human Progress and Environmental Homeostasis  Imbuing Art with Meaning Before and After Creation  Pearls and Cicadas used to make Sculptures  Roles of Artists in Communicating Balance in Nature  Making Art with Lingzhi AKA Reishi  Chinese Culture and the Mushroom of Immortality  Cocreating Art with Nature   Rise of Mycelium in Art and Design  EPISODE RESOURCES:   Xiaojing Yan Website: https://yanxiaojing.com/   Xiaojing Yan Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/xiaojing.yan.studio/?hl=en   Lingzhi: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lingzhi_(mushroom)   "Scholar's Stone": https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gongshi   "Classic of Mountains and Seas": https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Classic_of_Mountains_and_Seas