The Mushroom Hour Podcast

Today on the Mushroom Hour Podcast we are graced by the presence of Melissa Waddingham founder of Truffle and Mushroom Hunter. As a professional truffle hunter, Melissa respectfully and sustainably searches for truffles with her trained canine companions. She has studied forestry and woodland management and exudes a passion for woodlands and their association with mushrooms and truffles. Her work has given her a reverence for the delicate truffle woodland ecology and its sustainability. It is a rare environment crucial for not only her beloved truffles, but also the well-being of trees in areas of poor nutrients. In pursuing this work, Melissa has created a mushroom and truffle foraging business where she does it all - training truffle hounds, leading truffle hunting courses, performing woodland surveys in search of truffle presence or potential and collaborating with landowners to nurture environments for truffle cultivation.   TOPICS COVERED:   Introduction to Fungi Through the Stomach  Discovering Truffles  Truffle Habitat - England vs Portugal  Truffle Clues & Aromas  Engaging the Senses  Ecology & Life of Truffles  Special Relationship with a Truffle Dog  What Types of Dogs can Hunt Truffles?  Traits of Good Truffle Dogs  Training a Truffle Dog  Learning the Language of Your Truffle Dog  Advice for Beginning the Truffle Hunting Journey  Surveying Forests for Truffles  Truffle Cultivation Industry  EPISODE RESOURCES:   Truffle & Mushroom Hunter Website: https://truffleandmushroomhunter.com/  Truffle & Mushroom Hunter FB: https://www.facebook.com/truffleandmushroomhunter/  Truffle & Mushroom Hunter IG: https://www.instagram.com/truffleandmushroomhunter/  Lagotto Romagnolo (Italian Truffle Hunting Dog): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lagotto_Romagnolo  Ian Hall: http://www.trufflesandmushrooms.co.nz/  Amanita caesarea (Fungus): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amanita_caesarea

Today on Mushroom Hour we are joined by generational mushroom cultivator and medicinal mushroom alchemist Amir Karian. Amir grew up in a family of mushroom farmers who own and operate one of America’s largest mushroom farms in Monterey Mushrooms and one of the largest mushroom spawn production companies called Amycel. But Amir’s passion for mycology truly began when a journey of personal healing taught him first hand the power of medicinal mushrooms. He was compelled to share with others and being a part of a family of farmers was a blessing he couldn't overlook. He spent the next several years utilizing all of the experience and knowledge of mushroom farming that had been perfected over generations to research, develop, and grow the highest quality medicinal mushroom supplements - thus Alchemi Mushrooms was born. The driving ethos behind Alchemi’s medicinal mushroom products is: "if it's not good enough to give to our families, we won't sell it." I’m excited to learn about mushroom cultivation, medicine and more from someone who has mushrooms encoded in their DNA    TOPICS COVERED:   Generational Mushroom Farmer Discovers Medicinal Mushrooms  Decentralization & Consolidation in the Mushroom Industry  Monterey Mushrooms & Amycel  Breeding and Selecting Mushroom Genetics  Mushroom Mutations  Role of Large Agaricus Farms in Medicinal Mushroom Cultivation  The Birth of Alchemi Mushrooms & Monterey Neutraceuticals  Medicinal Benefits of Mushroom Mycelium & Fruit Bodies  Medicinal Mushroom Unknown Unknowns  Chitin & Polysaccharides in Mushroom Cell Walls  Alchemi Mushrooms Product Line  Cultivating Chaga  Innovation and Growth of the Mushroom Cultivation Industry  Advice for Mushroom Cultivators  EPISODE RESOURCES:   Alchemi Mushrooms Website: https://alchemimushrooms.com/Mushroomhour  Monterey Mushrooms Website: https://www.montereymushrooms.com/  Amycel Website: https://www.amycel.com/    Agaricus blazei: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agaricus_subrufescens  Lignosus rhinocerus "Tiger Milk Mushroom":  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lignosus_rhinocerus  Cordyceps: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cordyceps

Today on Mushroom Hour we have the privilege of speaking with Monica Wilde. Monica is a forager, research herbalist and ethnobotanist. She lives in Scotland in a self-built wooden house on 4 organic acres where she is encouraging the growth of medicinal and foraging species to create a wild, teaching garden. She is also a Research Herbalist specializing in Lyme disease & co-infections, and a Fellow of the Linnean Society. Monica holds a Master’s degree in Herbal Medicine, she is a Member of the Association of Forager and a Member of the British Mycological Society. I’m excited to learn from someone who embodies such deep natural wisdom on how to nourish both our bodies and Gaia through wild food and wild medicine.   TOPICS COVERED:    Childhood in Kenya & Connection to the Wild  Disconnection in Post-WWII Western Society  The Wisdom of Plants  The Language & Biosemiotics of Plants  Tenets of Herbalism   Ancient Roots of Herbalism  Herbalism and Pharmaceuticals   Money as a Religion  The Body as a Collection of Microbiomes  Understanding Lyme Disease  Shepherding Wild Plants & Mushrooms  Traditional Ecological Knowledge  Reciprocity with the Natural World  Lessons Learned from a Wild Food Diet  EPISODE RESOURCES:   Monica Wilde Website: https://monicawilde.com/  Monica Wilde Twitter: https://twitter.com/monicawilde  Monica Wilde IG: https://www.instagram.com/monicawilde/  Wild Medicine Substack: https://wildmedicine.substack.com/  Napiers Herbalists: https://napiers.net/  Monascus purpureus (Red Rice Yeast): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monascus_purpureus  Heracleum sphondylium (Common Hogweed): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heracleum_sphondylium  Heracleum mantegazzianum (Giant Hogweed): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heracleum_mantegazzianum  Zach Bush: https://zachbushmd.com/  Lyme Disease: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lyme_disease  Łukasz Łuczaj: http://thewildfood.org/  Pilosella officinarum (Mouse Ear Hawkweed): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pilosella_officinarum  Association of Foragers: https://foragers-association.org/  Ganoderma applanatum (Artist Conk): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ganoderma_applanatum  

Today on the Mushroom Hour Podcast we are honored to be joined by Else Vellinga.  In her career as a mycologist, Else has described 22 new mushroom species in California. Her most recent work is at the University and Jepson Herbaria at UC Berkeley, and at UCSF, on the Microfungi Collections Digitization project. She received her training at the National Herbarium of the Netherlands, and earned her PhD at the University of Leiden (layden).  Additionally, Else is a researcher and professor with the Bruns Laboratory at UC Berkeley. The main motivation for her taxonomic work is that it lays the basis for efforts to include mushroom species in nature management and conservation plans.  She has proposed several species for the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), a global database of endangered species. She concentrates especially on Lepiotas, or Parasol mushrooms.  Else is an avid knitter and uses mushroom dyed yarn for her creations.   TOPICS COVERED:   Growing up in Netherlands Wilderness  What are Scientific Names Based On?  Importance of Physical Features   Impact of DNA Sequences on Taxonomy  ITS, Multiple Gene Sequence and Whole Genome Phylogenetic Information  Monophyletic vs Paraphyletic Genera  What is Sufficient Difference to Make a New Taxonomic Grouping?  Relationship Between Genera and Clades  How are Names Selected? Does There Need to be a Consensus?  Process of Naming a Species  Potential Taxonomic Shakeups  Fungal Conservation  Fungal Diversity Survey  Official State Mushrooms  Education, Outreach and Awareness Central to Conservation Efforts  EPISODE RESOURCES:   Else Vellinga ResearchGate: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Else-Vellinga  University and Jepson Herbaria: https://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/  National Herbarium of the Netherlands: https://plants.jstor.org/partner/NHN  Bruns Laboratory: https://nature.berkeley.edu/brunslab/  IUCN Fungi List: https://www.iucn.org/commissions/ssc-groups/plants-fungi/fungi  Global Fungal Redlist Initiative: http://iucn.ekoo.se/en/iucn/welcome  Fungal Diversity Survey (FunDiS): https://fundis.org/  Lepiota (Fungal Genus): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lepiota  Entoloma (Fungal Genus): https://www.mushroomexpert.com/entoloma.html  Cryptomarasmius (Fungal Genus): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cryptomarasmius  

All the information discussed in this episode is for educational and entertainment purposes only! We do not encourage the use of any illicit and/or regulated substance.   Today on the Mushroom Hour Podcast we have the honor of speaking with authors Virginia Haze and Dr. K. Mandrake. Dr. Mandrake is a proponent of psychedelics from both a scientific and personal growth perspective. His long and varied education has mostly centered on biology, toxicology and mycology, culminating in a PhD in microbiology, which greatly influenced his home mushroom growing methods. Virginia Haze is a prolific writer and photographer with many books under her belt. She’s a regular contributor to publications that focus on recreational drugs and her photography has appeared in many books. She learned to grow mushrooms under the tutelage of Dr. K. Mandrake, has co-authored two books on the growing and use of shrooms, and has since become a fierce proponent of psilocybin decriminalization and the dissemination of science-backed information relating to psychedelics. I’m excited to speak with these two myconauts today about the two works they’ve written together, “The Psilocybin Mushroom Bible” and “The Psilocybin Chef Cookbook”.    TOPICS COVERED:   Discovering Psilocybin - UK Prohibition & Thai Milkshakes  First Attempts at Cultivation  Impact of Local Climate on Cultivation  Precautions in Exploring Cultivation  Sourcing Spores  Cultivation Hardware & Equipment  Contending with Contamination  Cultivation Cycle  Substrate Recipes   Monotub & Different Teks  Strains & Testing of Psilocybe cubensis  Dehydration & Preparation Methods  Magic Mushroom Recipes  Impact of the Books  EPISODE RESOURCES:   Psilocybin Mushroom Bible IG: https://www.instagram.com/themushroombible/  The Psilocybin Mushroom Bible (Book): https://bookshop.org/books/the-psilocybin-mushroom-bible-the-definitive-guide-to-growing-and-using-magic-mushrooms/9781937866280  The Psilocybin Chef Cookbook (Book): https://bookshop.org/books/the-psilocybin-chef-cookbook/9781937866419  Shroomery: https://shroomery.org  Spore Works: http://sporeworks.com/  Alexander Shulgin: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Shulgin  David Nutt: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Nutt  Flammulina velutipes (fungus): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enokitake

Today on Mushroom Hour we are joined by freethinker, activist and mycologist Dr. Patricia Kaishian. Dr. Kaishian received a B.A in Biology with a concentration in Environmental Studies in 2013 from Wheaton College, MA. In August 2020, she defended her Ph.D. in Forest Pathology & Mycology from SUNY College of Environmental Science & Forestry. She is broadly trained in the taxonomy of macro and micro fungi, with considerable field experience in the Neotropics. Currently, she is working as a postdoctoral researcher in the Aime Lab at Purdue University where she is serving as curator of fungi at the Arthur Fungarium & Kriebel Herbarium. Beyond more traditional scientific work, Dr. Kaishian also works in the realms like the philosophy of science, feminist bioscience, ecofeminism and queer theory, exploring how mycology and other scientific disciplines are situated in and informed by our sociopolitical landscape. She is a founding member of the International Congress of Armenian Mycologists, a research organization comprised of ethnically Armenian mycologists who seek to simultaneously advance mycological science and Armenian sovereignty and liberation.   TOPICS COVERED:   Childhood Embracing Nature in NY State  Activism & Science Intertwined  The Practice of Science & the Institution of Science  Western Eurocentric Perspectives Embedding into Modern Institutions  Historical Dynamics Between Institutional Science, Institutional Christianity, Agriculture & Colonization  Agro-Heterosexuality  Queer Theory & Queer Ecology  Mycology as a Queer Science  Upliftment of Marginalized People & Organisms  Influence of Dr. Robin Kimmerer  Armenian Advocacy  Link Between Biodiversity & Indigenous Sovereignty  Dr. Kaishian’s Research on Laboulbeniales & Rust Fungi  EPISODE RESOURCES:   Dr. Kaishian Twitter: https://twitter.com/queendom_fungiDr. Kaishian ResearchGate: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Patricia-Kaishian  "Mycology as a Queer Discipline" Paper: https://catalystjournal.org/index.php/catalyst/article/view/33523  Dr. George Hudler “Magical Mushrooms Mischievous Molds”: https://www.amazon.com/Magical-Mushrooms-Mischievous-George-Hudler/dp/0691070164  "Queer Ecologies": https://www.amazon.com/Queer-Ecologies-Nature-Politics-Desire/dp/0253222036  "The Mushroom at the End of the World": https://www.amazon.com/Mushroom-End-World-Possibility-Capitalist/dp/0691178321/  "Braiding Sweetgrass": https://www.amazon.com/Braiding-Sweetgrass-Indigenous-Scientific-Knowledge/dp/1571313567/  Tiokasin Ghosthorse: https://www.humansandnature.org/tiokasin-ghosthorseInternational Congress of Aremenian Mycologists: https://icarmenian-mycologists.github.io/  Entoloma salmoneum: https://www.mushroomexpert.com/entoloma_quadratum.html

Today on Mushroom Hour we have the privilege of interviewing Phil Ross of MycoWorks. A pioneer in cultivating living materials for art and design, Phil began using mycelium in the 1990s as a medium for sculpture. Almost three decades on, Phil and his team of artists are now complemented by engineers, biologists, production specialists and material scientists in bringing the first Fine Mycelium™ material, Reishi™, to the world. Anyone who sees his work or hears him speak, can’t help but have their mind set alight by a spark of inspiration. Phil is one of those unique individuals who can take something ancient, like fungi, and derive novel uses for it that not only shift how we see fungi, unlock new ideas and new fields of discovery, but really expand humanity’s entire “realm of the possible”. His lifetime of work with mycelium hints at the vast ocean of infinite opportunities that await humanity as we explore kingdom fungi.    TOPICS COVERED:   Cooking as a Primer on the Practicum of Biotechnology  Push and Pull of Tropisms  Fungi as a Cypher to Understand Nature  From Forests to Graffiti - Learning to “Read” the Environment  Polypore Inspirations for Reishi™ Fine Mycelium Leather Products  Indigenous Use of Mycelium Leather  Medicinal Qualities of Reishi Mushrooms  Cultural Responses to the Gross and the Grotesque  Fashion as a Means of Communication  How MycoWorks Creates Reishi™ Fine Mycelium Leather  Mycelium Sheet Polymer & Leathercraft Learning Curves  Scaling Up to the Future of MycoWorks  The Transformation of Phil Ross  Future of Mycelium Materials   EPISODE RESOURCES:   Mycoworks website: https://www.mycoworks.com/  Mycoworks IG: https://www.instagram.com/mycoworks/  Louis Pasteur: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_Pasteur  Claude Levi-Strauss "The Raw and the Cooked": https://www.amazon.com/Raw-Cooked-Mythologiques-Claude-L%C3%A9vi-Strauss/dp/0226474879  Rudy Rucker "Ware Tetralogy": https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ware_TetralogyCarl Woese: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carl_Woese  Susan Oyama "Evolution's Eye": https://www.amazon.com/Evolutions-Eye-Systems-Biology-Culture-Cultural/dp/0822324725  Ganoderma lucidum (fungus): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ganoderma_lucidum   Lenzites betulina (fungus): https://www.mushroomexpert.com/lenzites_betulina.html

Today on the Mushroom Hour we are excited to have the chance to learn from Ja Schindler. Ja is a fungi researcher/ teacher/ activist/ farmer based in the Southeast Cascade Mountains of Oregon on traditional lands of the Kalapooya peoples. Motivated by desires to challenge issues of environmental injustice, Ja founded Fungi For the People in 2010, which serves as an outlet for collaboratively developing appropriate methods for cultivating and problem solving with people and fungi. As a hands-on cultivator and community organizer he is a focal point of the inspiring community science movement. I can’t wait to hear his take on the role community mycology can play in empowering people and helping us develop a more balanced relationship with our environment.   TOPICS COVERED:   Early Inspirations from the “Rebound Ecology” of Detroit   Moving West, Working with Applied Mycology   Community Evolution of Fungi for the People   Ecological Restoration & Mycoremediation   Impact of Arbuscular Mycorrhizae    Advantages of Site-Based Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi   Bioremediation Work in Contaminated Mining Sites   Advice on “Skilling Up” for Bioremediation Projects   Background on the EPA and How it Works   How EPA Regulates & Facilitates Environmental Cleanups   Engaging with Institutional & Regulatory Frameworks     Working with Ectomycorrhizal and Endomycorrhizal Fungi at Home   Decentralized Future of Medicinal Mushroom Cultivation   Impact and Upside of a Parkinson’s Diagnosis   EPISODE RESOURCES:   Fungi for the People Website: https://fungiforthepeople.org/   Fungi for the People FB: https://www.facebook.com/FungiForThePeople   Fungi for the People IG: https://www.instagram.com/fungiforthepeople/   EPA "CLU-IN" Resource: https://clu-in.org/   "Mycoremediation: Fungal Bioremediation" (Book): https://www.amazon.com/Mycoremediation-Fungal-Bioremediation-Harbhajan-Singh/dp/047175501X    Fomitopsis pinicola (Fungus): https://www.mushroomexpert.com/fomitopsis_pinicola.html

Today on Mushroom Hour we have the privilege of speaking with Courtney Tyler. Courtney is the founder of Hips and Haws Wildcrafts, based in the Wicklow mountains of Ireland. Hips and Haws is a project all about wild food, fermentation, folk herbalism, fungi, foraging and wildcrafting- which is making food or medicine from plants and mushrooms sourced from the wild.  She is a keen forager and spends much time wandering the hedgerows and forests of Ireland, searching for wild edibles to preserve as food or medicine or to add to her collection of fermented food and drinks. She passes her knowledge on through her foraging walks and tours, workshops, crafting and recipes. Her passion, knowledge, and her clarity in explaining and sharing her excitement inspires us to re-kindle our connection to the wild around and within us.   TOPICS COVERED:   Modernity Fatigue, Seeking Connection & Escaping to Nature  Finding Solace in Herbalism & Natural Medicine  Developing a Connection to Ireland in the Wilds of Wicklow   Foraging as a Physical & Spiritual Practice   Forage Seasons in Ireland   Resurgence of Wild Food Appreciation   Forest Composition in Ireland   Sitka Spruce Plantations & Groves of Porcini   Amanita muscaria Culinary & Medicinal Uses   Destigmatizing Amanita muscaria   Woodland Wizard Fergus Drennan   Creative Preparations of Medicinal Plants & Mushrooms   Magic of Koji   Future Vanlife Adventures   EPISODE RESOURCES:   Hips & Haws Website: https://www.hipsandhaws.com/   H&H Wildcrafts IG: https://www.instagram.com/hipsandhawswildcrafts/   H&H Wildcrafts FB: https://www.facebook.com/hipsandhawswildcrafts/   Wicklow County Ireland: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wicklow   Amanita muscaria: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amanita_muscaria   Fomitopsis betulina (Birch Polypore): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fomitopsis_betulina   Inonotus obliquus (Chaga): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inonotus_obliquus   Fergus Drennan: https://www.instagram.com/fergustheforager/   

Thea Chesney is a lifelong Sierra Nevada foothill resident and naturalist. She has had an interest in mushrooms (and plants, and the rest of the natural world) since early childhood, which gradually became an obsession. She holds a B.S. in forestry from UC Berkeley, with an emphasis in botany and natural sciences. During her time at Berkeley, she spent plenty of time working and hanging out in the Berkeley mycology labs and continues to return to campus to provide specimens for and aid in teaching their mushroom ID course. She worked on a mushroom survey crew for the U.S. Forest Service around Mt. Shasta for several seasons, which allowed her to become intimately familiar with the fungal inhabitants and ecology of the area. Since then, she has continued with the Forest Service as a botanist for a long-term California-wide meadow monitoring project. She teaches occasional workshops in mushroom and plant identification, both for work and independently. She has also been involved with the California Rare Fungi Working Group since its inception. Her fieldwork and her own studies of plants and fungi are centered in the Sierra Nevada and other mountains of California, and she is currently working on a field guide to mushrooms of these understudied regions with Noah Siegel and Christian Schwarz.   TOPICS COVERED:   Mycology Lineage & Childhood Immersion in Nature  Underexplored Mountain Ranges of California  Diversity of Bioregions in Mountain Ranges  Mycorrhizal Mushrooms & Tree Hosts  Montane Water Cycles, Plant Ecology & Fungal Diversity  High Meadows Ecosystems & Their Mushrooms  California Rare Fungi Working Group  The Future of Documenting Fungal Diversity  Fire-Following Fungi  Morel Habitat & Ecology in California  Tips for Finding Morels  Thea’s Lifelong Connection to the Sierras  Klamath Mountains – The Most Biodiverse Pocket of California?!  Future Work with Christian Schwarz & Noah Siegel  EPISODE RESOURCES:   Thea Chesney iNaturalist: https://www.inaturalist.org/people/theachesney   Thea's Talk on Fire Fungi: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8V9Irj0GtTE   Thea's Talk on Mycorrhizal Fungi: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PISk9C6FAds   Prof. Ralph Emerson: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ralph_Emerson_(botanist)   Klamath Mountains: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Klamath_Mountains   Rare Fungi of CA National Forests: https://www.scribd.com/document/432145073/Rare-Fungi-of-California-National-Forests   William Bridge Cooke: https://www.mykoweb.com/articles/PDF/William%20Bridge%20Cooke,%201908-1991.pdf   Caloscypha fulgens (fungus): https://www.mushroomexpert.com/caloscypha_fulgens.html   Hygrophorus goetzii (fungus): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hygrophorus_goetzii