Podcasts about mushroom mountain

Today we're diving into the underground world of fungi with Olga from Mushroom Mountain. She grew up foraging mushrooms in the forests of Bosnia and Hercegovina, learning from her grandparents which ones to eat, which to toss, and how to live with the land instead of just on it. These days, she runs Mushroom Mountain, a powerhouse operation producing spawn for edible and medicinal varieties, plus mushroom extracts and honeys under the Mycomatrix label. But that's just scratching the surface. Olga also leads a wild mushroom food safety certification program that's FDA-endorsed and accepted by seven states so far. She's … Continue reading →

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Episode Summary B and M from Rot Glow Farm teach Inmn about how to farm mushrooms in the forest. They talk about their farm and growing set up, as well as the Lobelia Commons project they work with, and the Earthbound Almanac that they help put out. Host Info Inmn can be found on Instagram @shadowtail.artificery. Guest Info Rot Glow Farm can be found on Instagram @RotGlowFarm. Lobelia Commons can be contacted at lobeliacommons@protonnmail.com or found on Instagram @LobeliaCommons or on Twitter @LobeliaCommons. The Earthbound Almanac can be found at www.Earthbound.farm or on Emergent Goods at https://www.emergentgoods.com/ Deadline for submissions is July 31st, 2023. Publisher Info This show is published by Strangers in A Tangled Wilderness. We can be found at www.tangledwilderness.org, or on Twitter @TangledWild and Instagram @Tangled_Wilderness. You can support the show on Patreon at www.patreon.com/strangersinatangledwilderness. Transcript Live Like the World is Dying: Rot Glow Farm on Forest Farming Mushrooms Inmn 00:16 Hello, and welcome to Live Like the World is Dying, your podcast for what feels like the end times. I'm your host Inmn Neruin, and this week we're going to be talking about something really fun. And that is fungi. Specifically, we're going to be talking about how someone can grow mushrooms for food or medicine. And we're going to be talking with the folks that operate Rot Glow Farm where they grow mushrooms in the forest. But first, this podcast is a proud member of the Channels Zero Network of anarchist podcasts and here's a jingle from another show on the network. Doo do do doo doo doooo. [Making noises that sound like singing a melody] Inmn 01:40 And we're back. Thanks y'all so much for coming on to the podcast today. Would you like to introduce yourselves with your name, pronouns, and the farm that y'all are both part of and just tell us a little bit about about that project? B 01:59 Sure. My name is B. My pronouns are they/them. We a part of Rot Glow Farm and are farmers in Mississippi, pretty close to New Orleans, about an hour and a half away. M 02:16 Yeah, I am M. And he/they. And yeah, we've been farming here in southwestern Mississippi for three years. Inmn 02:26 Cool. Cool. And could y'all tell us a little bit about like, what is Rot Glow Farm and what do y'all do there? M 02:34 So we're primarily a mushroom farm and tree nursery. We grow quite a bit of shiitake mushrooms outdoors on logs, which we take to market and most of the sales from the shiitakes goes into basically subsidizing this tree nursery that we have where we grow thousands of trees and give them away in New Orleans and rurally in Mississippi. Inmn 03:07 Cool, cool. Like how did y'all get involved in doing this? M 03:12 For me, several years ago, I read that book Mushroom At the End of the World, which was kind of a life changing book for me. And that got me really excited about mushrooms generally and fungi. That first manifested by growing shiitakes in New Orleans as part of a backyard gardening practice. And then, when the pandemic happened, some of us had been part of this project in New Orleans called Lobelia Commons, which is this...We define it as like a network for food autonomy and neighborhood survival. In that project, we started a collaborative mushroom group where we kind of learned together how to produce mushrooms, which would fit into a wider network of ways of producing food in the city. So, the way that first manifested was doing oyster mushrooms, workshops to do oyster mushrooms in buckets at a decent scale. And we then also started doing some production on logs. Then wanting to scale that up a bit, we were interested in growing shiitakes in the forest north of New Orleans. So then we started growing out here in Southern Mississippi. And yeah, that's how I got here. Inmn 04:53 B, How did you start to...Like what got you interested in in mushroom farming? B 05:00 Yeah, so where I was living before, I was involved in mutual aid programs and just living in a place for a while and feeling sort of stagnant and feeling like the work that we were doing was great and impactful. But it...I just....I think my heart wasn't in it. It felt more like a job, like going to my mutual aid job. And it felt more like charity than it did like actually connecting with people in a way that felt horizontal. And, I had a big life event and had to leave where I was living at and started to get involved with the Gulf South region through hurricane relief after [Hurricane] Ida. And so I was connecting more with people in this area. And I met M a few years prior and M and I were getting closer as friends and starting to meet more people who were doing this work that, to me, felt more aligned with my interests and my value system and also just something I was really fascinated by. And the mushroom farming was an aspect of that. And like M said prior, it helped us subsidize this thing that we do and the nursery growing that what we do and some of these other projects that were involved in. And, it felt sort of like a natural progression for myself because years prior I used to live in central California and had a fair amount of experience just walking through the woods and foraging mushrooms that were wild and talking with budding mycologists. And where I was living before, it was sort of like a casual culture of mushroom interest that people had. And so there's like a annual fungi fair that happens every year in the area I was living before. And so I guess I had never really considered farming mushrooms. And M was already starting to cultivate that here. And once I was introduced to it, it felt like this really exciting thing, but yeah, it just kind of fell into my lap in this way what was like, "Oh, yeah, of course. That's what I'm doing now." And yeah, like I said before, it's not disconnected from anything else that we do. It feels really interconnected. And that's what also makes it feel regenerative and worthwhile. Does that make sense? Inmn 07:47 Yeah, totally. Totally. And I guess maybe this is silly question, but like, why...why mushrooms as opposed to like any other food or medicine thing that you could grow? M 08:03 Um, so partially, the land that we inhabit here is a successionary forest, very young. Everything around us is pine plantation, mostly Lob lolly pine. We have a lot of like lob lolly here and a lot of young sweet gums, young oaks. And in...like, in some ways, the only way to farm at all here we would have to clear some woods. So, and on the one hand, it's practical, because we also would like to grow large amounts of trees. So, we can't grow trees in the middle of the forest. Well, we could, but it would take a very long time. And it wouldn't be like really effective towards getting them in the hands of people who want to plant trees. So, we cleared some of the forests to have that nursery and small garden and, you know, meeting some local needs. So, with those trees, the sweet gums and the oaks in particular, we turn them into mushroom bolts is what they're called, like blogs, basically. But I think beyond that, I think mushrooms are just like an extremely fascinating subject. They're unlike anything else that you eat. I think they have something that's kind of like indescribable or like uncanny. And I think when you get into conversations with people--especially like we're often at farmers markets--there's a way of finding, especially rurally like who the kinda secret freaks are. And like you know, it's really hard to find each other out here. And mushrooms, I think is like kind of a little like, "wink wink," in some ways, and I think that that's been a big asset for us. We met a few people through farmers markets like that. Inmn 10:27 Like, mushrooms is like, more....Farming mushrooms is more common like, for people that you might feel more like the true freaks or something? Or? M 10:38 I think not even just farming--I mean definitely farming--but I think, like in a good way and a bad way. There's definitely some mushroom farmers who are like, maybe not freaks we'd like to hang out with on a lovely Saturday night. But I think the type of people that are drawn to are like going into the woods, getting down, and like looking at the Earth very close and that these super tiny things or sometimes, like really phallic things. Or, you know, like in all the all the forms...[B interrupts] B 11:17 Yes. Slimy, stinky, like, yeah, voluptuous, like, disgusting. All of the brackets of signifiers. Yeah, and like you said, it takes a certain kind of attention and careful consideration and observation where you're getting down on your hands and knees and just like you're...There's this one particular--I can't remember what it's called--but it's a...there's this one type of mushroom that grows just on Magnolia stuff, just the cones of magnolia trees. And it's really teeny tiny. And you would never think to look for it if you didn't know it was there. And there are just so many species of mushrooms that are hidden. If you just look a little bit closer on the bark of a pine tree, it's this microscopic guy that just exists like in this one area, or, yeah, there's just so many numerous species like that, that are fascinating to look at and to think about and so many species that are being discovered all the time. And then also just the queerness of mushrooms is fascinating and really interesting to think about when we're thinking about the way things are reproducing and sex, of biological sex and how there's like...What's the one that the? [M interrupts to answer] M 12:54 Schizophyllum. B 12:57 Yeah, Schizophyllum. Has how many different sexes? M 13:01 The common name is common split gill, and it has, I think it's like 23,000 different distinct sexes. [Noises of incredulity from Inmn] You'll see it everywhere, it goes pretty much full sun to like deep shade on all kinds of dead wood. B 13:21 And the reason why it grows everywhere, right is because of how promiscuous it is and how adaptive it is. And so that's like, part of its ability to reproduce so successfully is because of the wide diversity of sex that it's able to inhabit. M 13:40 Yeah, I think it's something like any one individual of that fungus can reproduce with like, it's like 96% or 98% of all total of that species, total individuals of that species. Which so cool. B 13:58 Yeah, and that's just, you know, that's just one particular grouping. When you start to go through them, it's...I mean, yeah, it's infinite. Inmn 14:12 Yeah. That's, that's really cool. Um, I've heard that in, like, in the southeast that, old growth gets talked about a little bit differently than, like on the West Coast, for example. Where like, like an old growth forest has like more to do with the amount of fungal interactions that are going on than it has to do with like, the size or the age of the trees necessarily. Is that, is that true? M 14:44 It's, it's, that might be...I might not be totally qualified to answer to that. But my inclination is that that's a glass-half-full way of looking at the situation with southeastern forests, which is unfortunately the southeastern long leaf pine forests, which are, you know, amazing and, unfortunately exist only in fractions of fractions of fractions of its former glory like, you know often gets compared, like the type of biodiversity that gets compared to the Amazon rainforest. And I think a lot of that is in the soil, like particularly the Russulaceae, the Russula laurocerasi is extremely diverse in the southeast. And that's, that's a mycorrhizal mushroom that you'll often see it's like kind of the one that is, has a brittle cap, often red caps, but has quite a diverse array of colors, green, purple, blue, there's even a yellow. But yeah, and that's just the one's that you'll see quite a lot. Inmn 16:09 Cool. Cool. To switch a little bit, it seems like maybe it's like a practical decision since y'all live in a forest, but like, why kind of doing like forest farming? Like as opposed to like...I guess I don't know how people normally grow mushrooms. But like, yeah, is there something that's different about forest farming for y'all than like how a lot of people might go about cultivating mushrooms? B 16:43 So yeah, so, if you're growing mushrooms outdoors, you could probably have a very elaborate way of creating shade and humidity and the kinds of things that you need in order to grow mushrooms on logs. But, it just makes sense because you're as a person who's growing mushrooms on logs, you're...in some ways, you're replicating what would be occurring in the wild, and how those mushrooms would be occurring on decomposing wood or logs in the wild. And so it sort of does the work for you of...I mean, you're already in a forest. So, instead of putting that in an indoor setting, which a lot of people will do this where they'll they'll have, you know, a sterile, often sterile environment indoors, they'll have bags of mushrooms--and I don't know that much about it because I don't do it myself--but from what I've read about it and talked to people about it, you're able to really dial in the exact conditions that these mushrooms would need to produce. Whereas, in an outdoor setting, you're exposed to whatever kinds of temperature increases or decreases and you're exposed to the seasons and, you know, if there's a drought that year, or whatever it is, and so the forest is going to help maintain the environment that you're going to need to be able to grow those mushrooms. Does that sum it up? I don't know, M 18:37 I think I would add, like a question that we get asked a lot by, especially by other farmers whether or not they're mushroom farmers, is that they'll ask what our acreage is. Which doesn't matter. You know, like if you have any amount of space and you have a way to make shade, and you're not just sitting on concrete, you can grow mushrooms outdoors, pretty much. So that one doesn't matter. But they often ask like, "Why don't you...I'm sure you can get a grant. Why don't you put in like an indoor space, or like a warehouse? You know, you've got plenty of space to put in a warehouse." And it's like okay, you have to like just clear cut a bunch of forests where mushrooms are already happening. Fungi are everywhere, you know, raised, you know, in their perfect condition. We already have the perfect condition. It's just like yeah...And I mean, obviously this comes from farmers are very concerned with yields, and productivity, and stuff, which totally makes sense. Like, obviously that's like a capitalist mindset. But, we also have to eat, you know. Like, if the mushrooms don't fruit then we can't go to market. And, we eat a lot of shiitakes. We also just eat less of that stuff. So, I understand where that comes from. But, I think our wager with forest farming has been that we really need to try and try and try new things. Like, the way things have been running for, you know, 300 years in this area hasn't hasn't been working, simply put. So, this is one effort to try something that's different, that's maybe not motivated by capitalist economics and colonial mentality. Yeah. And hopefully it works out. B 20:51 Yeah I mean, I'm right. That's, that's it, we're, I guess, generally...I mean, maybe in the future, we would experiment with doing some indoor space just to try it because I personally, I've never done that before. So it would be interesting to see. And I think for folks who are trying to really scale up, there is some sense in doing something indoors, because you can really dial it in and you can maximize the amount of space that you have for the amount of yield that you're able to get from being able to manipulate your environment in such a way that you're able to get it. You know, like you can calculate exactly how much you're gonna get. And, I guess really, the point is just that we're trying to sort of move away from having this artificial spaces that takes a lot of energy to create, especially where we are. I mean, thinking about climate controlling an indoor space to be able to produce mushrooms in the dead of summer, you know, where it's like, you know, 100 and get gets up to like 115, sometimes, like 110 degrees. It sort of goes against the path that we're trying to go down, which is to take ourselves out of that cycle of constant resource extraction and constant, which is like cultivation, or like artificial cultivation to be able to make as much money as possible in the shortest amount of time. We feel like, yeah, just trying to sort of see it in a different way and show others that it can be done in a different way. And also that like yeah, of course, it's not going to be as profitable, but I feel like the process in figuring it out and trying it is worth the setbacks. Like for example, recently, this last spring, we didn't have as much shiitake yields as we thought we would have. And we're not really totally sure why that is. But, our reishi did really well. And we're still...We're still troubleshooting why that happened. And if we were operating a completely indoor space, I think it would be pretty simple to figure out, okay, well, you know, we didn't have this humidity, or like, our air conditioning unit broke down for this one week or, you know, we tried this one strain that maybe wasn't as viable as like a different strain. But, I think there's something about that, that it forces you to really look at your environment and be forced to be more connected to where you're at and the kinds of species that are growing. And like for example, we're growing on sweet gums and oaks. And so we're starting to think "Okay, well, is it...Do the sweet gums maybe not last as long. Do they maybe last two years or three years rather than four years? Are the oaks better to be growing on rather than sweet gums? And that's all being figured out through trial and error. But, it feels like important long term information to be gathering. Albeit, might be frustrating to be like "What the fuck, why isn't...why aren't they fruiting as much as they were last year?" or whatever it is. Inmn 24:34 Yeah, yeah. It's wild to me that someone would question why you would grow a thing in the place where it naturally grows. [Said sarcastically and then laughing] M 24:47 Yeah, and I mean, to be fair, it's like, you know, shiitakes not from here. Reishi is. But, it [shiitake] does quite well in the in the woods here. B 24:58 But then you know, we're going to markets and there are these other growers that are growing indoors and you have a bunch of mushrooms, and they're selling, you know, they're selling as much as they possibly can get out into the market. And for us, we're like, "Oh, shit, we don't really have that much to offer this Spring," because we're more at the whim of what's going on in the world around us than if we were operating in an indoor space, which like, it makes sense that people would choose that because it's...it's a lot...It's something you can count on. And especially if you're counting on it for your survival or your your livelihood, then like, it does make sense if you have that startup capital that you would decide to do it that way inside. Inmn 25:46 Yeah, yeah. If y'all didn't like...Like, if someone were growing, or cultivating shiitake or like reishi logs in the forest where they lived, what can the yields be like, on that? Like, if someone was just growing mushrooms for their own consumption? Like, what would that be like for someone? M 26:13 So, I think that there's a really good PDF online from Cornell, that--I think he's named Steve Gabriel--put out. He's a professor there with the [undecipherable] there. And it has...Like, if someone is getting involved in growing on logs, specifically, it's kind of like "the book." It's like a 40 page PDF, and it has so much good information. But, I think you'll see there and many other places, a claim that each log per year will produce about a pound of shiitakes. That's just for shiitake. I think we've found that to be fairly accurate. And in some cases, low. But, for instance, reishi, it's going to be much lower. And Reishi, as you grow it in on the ground, it loves...like it wants like 90% humidity, 95% humidity. The longevity of the log is up for question in terms of like, do you get termites. We get termites here. So, the longevity is up for question. But what we've found is, depending on the size of the log, you can get quite large flushes. I'm not sure if we've ever actually weighed them because we don't...we don't take those to market. We mostly just get them out to friends to make medicine with. But, I would say even with one log...Yeah, without being able to quantify it--and partially not really wanting to mediate everything through like a measurement--it's absolutely worth it. Even if you only have one reishi log, you can make quite a lot of tincture or tea with what that would produce for one year. You can probably expect a couple of caps minimum. They might be quite large caps. Yeah, I personally haven't found a rhyme or reason to why they're bigger or smaller. B 28:17 Yeah, it's really fun. Like, even if you're not interested in growing on a bigger scale or like feeding your family or whatever it is and you just want to try it because you're simply interested in it. I think that it's so worth it to invest in the startup costs of getting yourself a drill bit, or something that goes on an angle grinder, and inoculating a couple logs, putting them in the shade and looking at that PDF, and just getting going on it because yeah, it's just it's a really interesting thing to take part in. And it's so fun, and it can be really rewarding. And it might lead you to starting to connect with your local mycological club or connecting with other people that are growing mushrooms. And yeah, it can be really rewarding. So yeah, I just, I'd like to encourage people that maybe they're listening to this, and they're like, "Oh, well, I wouldn't want to do that on like a large scale or maybe it just seems like too complicated." It's pretty simple. M 29:31 Yeah, I would, in terms of like investment, I would definitely say that--and we had the experience in New Orleans, specifically, where this worked very well--would be to team up, you know. There's other people out there, either through a local mycological club. Some regions have like really robust robust ones and might, you know, likely have people who are already growing. So you wouldn't have to buy any kind of drill or drill bit or the like plunger things. And doing it together, it's like a really great social activity. We do kind of like a festival of sorts every year when we do the inoculation time, and people kind of look forward to it, and we're all like working together and not too hard, you know, just like, it's a...it's a really fun time. And I would encourage, especially like, building a culture around that can be really rewarding. And if you are just on your own, listening to the podcast, and really want to grow mushrooms, but you don't know anyone who's interested in it, that's...I mean, that's how I started. Me and my roommate were the only two people I knew that were interested in it. And there's like...they sell inoculated dowel rods online, which, you just basically just drill into logs, and you hammer into the log. So, it doesn't...you don't need like a whole gang of people inoculating, you know? You can absolutely do it on your own as well. Inmn 31:06 Cool. I know there's this book/PDF, that y'all reference that lays out the process probably pretty pretty well, but would you mind kind of just breaking down like what the process is like? Like, how would you set up a like a log for growing mushrooms. Just like the kind of like a breakdown of the steps. M 31:33 So first, you're sourcing your log. So that could look like a lot of different things. You could be felling the tree your yourself, you could be maybe talking to a tree company that sometimes has extra logs. There could be a storm and you just find a log on the side of the road. Any of those are fine. The recommendation is--and we have found this to be true--that you want the tree to be dormant and already healthy. You wouldn't want it to be already infected with some other fungal pathogen. Like if it's living, it already has something some other mycelium running through it. [Interrupted] B 32:18 Because that would out compete what you're trying to inoculate it with. M 32:24 So, you want something healthy. So let's just go with from felling, which is what we do. Fell the tree. Buck it up, so like cut it into like a manageable size. So, for shiitakes, for instance, we find that somewhere between like, four inch and eight inch diameter [log]. I feel like once it gets wider than that it's starts to get cumbersome because you have to move them around if you're forcing them. But, if you're leaving them just in your backyard and not not ever touching them, you don't have to worry about that quite as much. But just you don't want to like, you know, hurt your back when you're working on them. So, you cut them up into what's called bolts. Then you let them sit. This is something that's a kind of debated, some people will tell you that you need to inoculate the next day or as soon as humanly possible from felling. Some people will tell you three to four weeks waiting, to basically let the tree kind of fully die and make it so it's it's not going to challenge your mycelium that you're putting into the log. I tried kind of all of that. And it doesn't seem to matter in our case, dealing with oak and sweet gums. We've inoculated the next day and we've inoculated four weeks later. So long as it's not fully...you're starting to see like other fungal growth on the log, you'll be good. And even if you do have a log that has, like, you know, like we were saying, already has fungal pathogen in it, or you fell it and then you wait too long and you see that like on the edge, often you'll see like where you cut the log start to become black. Even if that's happening, it will probably be fine. You just might not get as long of a yield because basically after you inoculate them, they're competing for space inside the log. So, inoculation looks like you basically either produce or order spawn. Likely if you're listening to this, you're ordering spawn. There's a number of good places to order from. We use Field and Forest, for what it's worth. I don't necessarily endorse them, but what's cool about them is on their website, they have a ton of information about each of their strains and how it performs. And...[interrupted] B 35:07 And like what temperatures it does well in. M 35:11 Yeah. They're like, kind of like...The US shiitake industry was kind of built around what they started in the 70s. But, there's also, if you're in the South, there's Mushroom Mountain, run by Tradd. Cotter. But, so you put the spawn into the log by drilling and then plunging in the spawn and then sealing it in. Inmn 35:42 What is the spawn? M 35:43 The spawn is either sawdust or grain that the company, in this case Field and Forest or Mushroom Mountain, has inoculated with a strain of a fungus. B 35:58 So ,it comes in a bag. And they're plastic bags. And they...they sort of they seal them. But Okay, start that one over. They come in these bags, these plastic bags, and you just...It looks sort of like a brick, like a fuzzy, creamy brick. That's all of the mycelium that's colonized that sawdust or brand or whatever it is. Grain. And so you just open up your bag, and you take a handful of it, and you break it up so that it's sort of mixed up, and then you'll take your plunger, which is just...it's like a handheld...it looks like a short dowel, and you plunge it and it captures the spawn in a compartment that is at the base of the plunger, and then pull it up--It's sort of like the way a syringe works or something--so you pull it up, and then you put it on your hole that you've drilled out of your log, and then you plunge it into the hole. And then once you've plunged it into that hole, it fills up the whole hole. And you'll sort of like tap the top of it to make sure that it's all the way full because sometimes your plunger might not capture all of the amount of space that's like the compartment at the end of the plunger. And so it might be kind of loose at the top. So, you just kind of like tap it to make sure it's all the way full. And then what we do is we heat up golf wax in a crock pot and we use these little foam applicator brushes, you know, like the kids arts and crafts ones. We have found that those are the best to seal plugs because they capture a lot of wax that we're going to be using to seal the hole. And, you can just kind of dab it and then the wax comes out really well. And, you want to make sure the wax that you're using is hot enough. We use golf wax. But, it's hot enough that it's clear when you're applying it to your hole to seal it up. Because if it's not clear, it'll it will be opaque. And it just means that it's not hard enough. And so it sometimes works. But, often what happens is you put it on opaque and it kind of seems like it's done the job, but then you wait a few hours or a couple of days and that whole piece that you sealed up will just kind of crack and pop off. So, you just want to make sure it's hot enough that it penetrates that hole and makes a good seal. And you just kind of dab on your little applicator and then seal it up. Inmn 39:08 Okay, and what is the wax? Like? What is it keeping in? Like what's happening inside that hole? M 39:17 So, it protects the spawn from drying out is probably the primary thing that it's doing. And, it protects from fungal competitors. So, one that we often are concerned with is Trichoderma which is like a blue green mold. And also, it will to some extent protect from getting predated on by birds and rodents. But, I think that they eventually will get through it. The goal is to basically...You're giving your team, you know, your your fungus, the best chance at it digesting the log, or what a lot of people called colonizing the log. Basically, as soon as you put the spawn into the log, it's going to start moving through the wood and digesting wood. And, once it has completely taken up the wood, or, again, fully colonized the wood, that's when it's ready to start fruiting. Inmn 40:27 Okay, so it's like...And, you know--maybe everyone who's listening knows this--but it's like the fruiting body or like the piece that we eat is like very...Like, what is the the body of the fungus? Like, like, what's it like? What's it like inside there? M 40:49 Yes, so it's, it's mycelium. People are probably familiar with this. I think oftentimes people assume that mycelium is just like in the forest floor like the mycorrhizal network. But, it's also the body of the fungus that...In this case, we grow what's called saprobic mushrooms or saprobic fungi. They eat dead stuff. And they also are made up of mycelium. And then you're right, the mushroom is the fruiting body, the sexual organ, and what produces the spores, which will then go on to germinate on whatever surface that species requires. B 41:40 Yeah, and so, when you're getting those bags in the mail, you know, and you're breaking up the spawn to inoculate with your plunger, that's the body. That's...You're breaking up the body, basically, and you're putting it in the log, and then it's doing the same thing that it did to the sawdust or the grain where it's moving through the log. And so, I guess to be able to picture it, you'll see it sort of when you get it. If you get it in that bag form, you can sort of see how it moves through and clumps in that particular strain anyway. Inmn 42:23 That is very weird and freaky. B 42:27 Yeah, you should, if you're interested, I highly recommend trying to, or getting some and, you know, breaking it up with your your fingers is a really interesting sensation. It's sort of like cool and smooth but also has a lot of texture to it. And the way it breaks apart is sort of fibrous, Inmn 42:51 Cool. Yeah, that sounds that sounds like a freaky texture experience. I want to try it. Cool. And so then like once the logs are fully colonized, they start producing these fruiting bodies. What like...What...Or I feel like I always ask funny leading questions because I like vaguely know the answers, but like what kind of conditions do they then need to produce fruiting bodies? Like, I imagine a lot of moisture. Or do you have to water them? Or? B 43:30 Yeah, so it depends on your climate. But you have to keep a certain level of shade and humidity in the fruiting yard. And so for us, we've had to experiment with shade cloth and trying to grow up certain trees to make more shade or less shade. And so that's something that folks who are listening would have to figure out based on where they're at and their particular climate and situation. But, if you want, for us, before we're about to go to a market, about 10 days prior to wanting a fully formed mushroom to take to market, we do what we call force fruiting. Also we call it dunking. So, we have a cattle trough, and we put--we have what we call groups--so every year we'll label group one, group two, group three, and it will help keep organized to know which groups that we've brought in or which ones we haven't. And so let's say we have group one. So, let's say it's 12 logs. And so we put all of our logs that we've stacked in like log cabin style stacks...Is that we you call it? [M makes an affirmative noise] And so that's just to maintain aeration and make it so that they don't get too crowded out. And so we'll take each one of those, put them in our cattle trough that's filled up with water. And then we sort of weigh it down because once the mycelium moves through them, the logs start to get more pithy because the mycelium are eating through that wood. And so the logs will get lighter and lighter weight as you go on. But also wood floats in general, so we just have to weigh those down. And then we keep them in overnight, usually around 24 hours. And they have to be--they don't have to be like totally fully submerged--but generally, yes, like submerge them. And then we take the weight off. And some people will do it and really like cute ways where they have like...What does that guy do where he puts them in some.... [Interrupted] M 45:55 There's a few places where they're like super picturesque, you know. Yeah, they'll put them in a creek and they'll have a little section, roped off or whatever. And it's just like it...which is actually, you know, if you have that, that is the perfect place because if you think about how shiitake evolved, you know, that we're basically mimicking like a cool spring flood or rain, you know, a heavy rain event. Like actually one of the heaviest fruitings we've had was, like, the week after Hurricane Ida because it was such a disturbance event. And that's basically what we're trying to mimic. So, you have these these people that have these gorgeous farms, they put them in the creek or a pond or something sometimes, yeah. B 46:45 But so, we'll take them out 24 hours later. And then we lean them up against sort of a makeshift shelf type thing and make it so that there's enough space between each of them so they're not fruiting into each other. And we just wait about 10 days and sometimes the individual mushrooms will go at different timescales, but generally they'll all fruit around the same time and they'll all be developed around the same time. And then we harvest and go to market and then we put in the next group. Inmn 47:24 Cool that..I mean, that whole process sounds kind of like wacky and ridiculous but in you know, like a really fun way. Like, I could grow them like inside where I live, but I live in a desert so we we...It'd be pretty hard to. Although, we do... So, it's wild. We do have these like during the monsoons, if you go hiking up in like really rocky mountains the like, all of the dried lichen, because there is dried lichen, and it will like flesh out and get like carpet-y and like poofy for like a day or two and then it like dries up again. It's weird. [Everyone goes "Whoa."] B 48:09 Yeah. Also, I was just thinking of your cave...I feel like I've heard of these caves in Tucson. Yeah. Okay, good. Yeah. Inmn 48:30 Cool. So, the other thing that I wanted to have y'all talk about is y'all put out an Almanac, right? M 48:42 Yeah, so we're part of the group Lobelia Commons, which puts out...or, some members of that group put out the Earthbound Farmers Almanac. And we are going into our fourth year doing that. Inmn 48:57 Cool, what like...What kind of Almanac is it? Like, does it have specialized information? Or like what information is in this? M 49:07 So, it's primarily land-based knowledge would be kind of like what it specializes in. It's like not necessarily focused on farming, per se, but more skills and thoughts around being on land and what that means in our current climate. And I think pulling on a urge to build new cultures of being land. Kind of like, obviously there's a legacy of radicals getting back to--of course with the 60s with Back To the Land--but trying to forge something that grapples with the world we're in today. Of course of climate change, trying to sharpen a anticolonial...While also simultaneously trying to build this culture that would sort of fill a void in some ways because there's been so much damage done by genocide and just colonization and settler shit. So, people might not have something like a knowledge base to pull from, whether or not they're indigenous, settler, Black, or what have you, living on Turtle Island. We are, unfortunately fairly dispossessed in a fairly general way from ecological knowledge that is really critical for the world we're entering. Inmn 51:11 Yeah, cool. What would be kind of like a sample of like information that, or like kinds of information that might might be in there? B 51:26 So, something to note is that we're...we just put out our 2023 Almanac. And we can like link in the show notes, where to get that. Emergent Goods is distributing it for us. But we also are putting a call out for submissions for 2024. And, I feel like this is a good moment to sort of list the kinds of submissions that we're looking for. And it also summarizes past editions and the kind of content that is in there. So, anticolonial histories and features, critical agri-ecology, recipes from the land, stories from your neighbors, climate change noticings, traditions to uplift or destroy, farm notes, and just I mean, really whatever you feel like is relevant and close to you in this time and what would ring true for others and inspire and uplift others In the moment that we're in. M 52:40 Oh, yeah, but the entire first three, and for the future, everyone we put out in the feature, can be found at Earthbound.farm. A lovely collected member just made this site today. You can just look at them online and get tons of examples. If people are listening to this because they're interested in mushrooms, particularly, they might be curious to check out the 2021 issue which has some, like a detailed how to grow mushrooms using coffee grounds, growing oyster mushrooms on coffee grounds. And this is something that the person who wrote this, who also is the person who made that lovely website, actually, they were growing quite a lot of oyster mushrooms. She has coffee grounds that they were keeping from their coffee habit. And there's also in that one a nice introduction to foraging to try and kind of abate the general mycophobia that exists in our culture. But there's all kinds of stuff. There's recipes. Like, I think that one has like a recipe for a fig cake, which I've never had but sounds really really good. There's cool like almanac-y information like, you know. For those outside of the Gulf Coast, New Orleans area, some of the almanac information isn't quite as pertinent, but I think it's maybe an inspiration for people to start noticing those types of things in their life on that almanac, those almanac pages, the monthly kind of like phase of the moon, day length, that types of things. Also we include each year, farm notes from a different farm or nursery projects or what have you. The most recent one, I'm a big fan of, it's someone who doesn't have...He doesn't like own land, doesn't have like a cool urban farm, but is really just like in love with the world and loves noticing birds and, you know, goes hunting and so is, you know, following elk and, you know, is trying to grow things and moves all over. It's like a dispossessed person that just rents, you know, where they can. And there's there's a piece in the 2023 Almanac about basically how to develop this type of practice. And it's very witty, and I just really love that piece that came in at like, the 11th hour. And yeah, really appreciate these. Recommend. Inmn 55:44 Cool. Yeah, that sounds great. I'm definitely going to check out the old Earthbound Almanacs. Cool. Well, that brings us about to our time for the day. Is there any anything else you want to plug before we go? Or any last minute thoughts on on things that we didn't cover that you'd love to mention? M 56:09 No, yeah, I think I would just, once again, encourage people, if you're a writer, or like, don't fashion yourself a writer, but might have some thoughts about growing or whatever. Just like really, really, really feel free to send us a pitch. Doesn't have to be very long. Just give us like an idea of what you want to write. You know, worst case we're like can you flesh this out a little bit more and tell us what you're thinking. But you can email us LobeliaCommons@protonmail.com. And if you're not inclined to write or anything like that, but maybe you're a photographer, or illustrator, send us some examples that, you know, we would love to include. We like always need illustrations and photos. And none of the above, but you are really interested in it as project, we send copies of the almanac, like entire boxes, to groups, all over the place. And we just ask that people cover the shipping and the cost of the printing. And then in good faith, we let people sell it for, you know, to benefit, whatever cause that they are like locally interested in supporting. So, this oftentimes is like a local food autonomy project, maybe like a pipeline resistance, the campaign to Stop Cop City. Can be all kinds of stuff. Inmn 57:52 Cool. Great. Well, we will we'll link to all those things in the show notes. And thanks, y'all so much for coming on and teaching us about mushroom farming. B 58:04 Thanks for having us. Inmn 58:05 Thanks so much for listening. If you enjoyed this podcast, please go grow some mushrooms and then tell us about it. But also tell people about the podcast. You can support this podcast by telling people about it. You can support this podcast by talking about it on social media, by rating and reviewing, doing whatever the nameless algorithm calls for. Feed it like a hungry god. And you can support us on Patreon at patreon.com/strangersinatangledwilderness. Our Patreon helps pay for things like transcriptions, or our lovely audio editor, Bursts, as well as going to support our publisher Strangers in a Tangled Wilderness. We put out this podcast and a few other podcasts including my other podcast Strangers in a Tangled Wilderness, a monthly podcast of anarchist literature, and the Anarcho Geek Power Hour, which is the podcast for people who love movies and hate cops. And we would like to shout out some of those patrons in particular. Thank you Trixter, Princess Miranda, BenBen, Anonymous, Funder, Jans, Oxalis, Janice & O'dell, Paige, Ali, paparouna, Milica, Boise Mutual Aid, theo, Hunter, Sean, S.J., Paige, Mikki, Nicole, David, Dana, Chelsea, Cat J., Staro, Jenipher, Eleanor, Kirk, Sam, Chris, Michaiah, and Hoss the Dog. We seriously couldn't do this without y'all. I hope everyone is doing as well as they can with everything that's happening and we'll talk to you soon. Find out more at https://live-like-the-world-is-dying.pinecast.co

In this episode, we're tuning in to Thriving Farmer Value-Added Summit speaker Anne-Marie Bilella, aka the Forager Chick, of Bella Vista Farm, located in Monroe, Georgia. Bella Vista is a local, private farm that specializes in herbal products and remedies and homemade breads.  Anne-Marie is the farmer, baker, and medicine maker of the farm. Anne-Marie helps homesteaders and preppers identify and use wild plants and mushrooms for food and medicine.  She spent most of her career as a self-taught professional, until 2014, when she attended a 10-month intensive herbal studies course at the BotanoLogos School of Herbal Studies. Additionally, she is the author of Wild Eating With The Forager Chicks.  We'll discuss her work with herbs, mushrooms, berries, and more in this segment of the Value-Added Summit! You'll hear: How Anne-Marie got into the herbal world 3:53 What Goldenrod flowers are used for 11:03 The kinds of oils used to infuse Goldenrod 11:49 Cost of getting to the end product 14:00 What Anne-Marie is doing with Hawthorn berries/sumac 15:58 What she's doing with mushrooms 19:06 How Anne-Marie implements seasonings 25:05 The inspiration that led Anne-Marie to write her books 33:21 How she preserves excess stock 36:52 The first thing someone getting started in foraging needs to learn 37:58 Anne-Marie's biggest surprise in her foraging journey 39:53 About the Guest: Anne-Marie is the farmer, the baker and the medicine-maker at Bella Vista Farm in Georgia. She is skilled in herbal medicine, wild weeds, mushrooms, and products made from herbs and mushrooms. Anne-Marie was self-taught in her herbal studies until 2014 when she completed a 10-month hands-on intensive herbal course with Patricia Kyritsi Howell of BotanoLogos School of Herbal Studies. She is certified as a Wild Mushroom Forager and Seller as well as an instructor for the Wild Mushroom Safety Course with Mushroom Mountain. Currently, Anne-Marie creates her own herbal products with her Forager Chick line and teaches homesteaders and preppers about herbal medicine, medicinal mushrooms, and wild plant identification. She is a homesteader, book author, and writer for her own blog and has written articles for other blogs. Resources: Value Added Summit: https://www.farmsummits.com/ Website: https://www.foragerchick.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BellaVistaFarmInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/foragerchick/ The Thriving Farmer Podcast Team would like to thank our amazing sponsors!   Steward is transforming agriculture by equipping regenerative farms and food systems with the capital they need to grow. As a mission-driven financial partner, Steward works closely with agricultural businesses to scale their operations, improve the health of their lands and waters, and bolster local-to-regional food systems. To date, Steward has provided over $15M in business loans to fund 75 unique projects, backed by more than 1,500 participating lenders. Steward is proud to be a Certified B Corp. Seek financing or support a loan campaign at gosteward.com     GrownBy is the farmer-owned online marketplace. In the last three years, their 200 farmers have sold over $2M of products to shoppers on the GrownBy app. GrownBy works for all scales and types of farm sales. Spring Plant Sale? Yup. Annual Freezer Meat Emptying? Check. Multi-season, multi-farm 300 member CSA operation? Absolutely. GrownBy supports it all. As a cooperative, farmer success is our #1 priority. We are the first farmer-owned cooperative ecommerce platform in the world. With auto-payments, built-in customer notifications, CSA subscriptions and customers helping to pay site fees, GrownBy is a tailored fit for your farm's online sales. Upcoming, GrownBy will be the first online platform accepting SNAP/EBT with authorized farms. Startup is free, and our pricing is transparent and affordable. Our cooperative collects 2% of each transaction, but customers often contribute to this fee and bring down farmer costs significantly. Listeners to the Thriving Farmers Podcast get 50% their first three months on GrownBy. Just email us at Grow@farmgenerations.coop to get this offer. You can learn more at GrownBy.com, or download the app on the Google Play or Apple App stores. 

Welcome to another episode of the Pantry Chat. This week we're discussing the importance of homestead planning in the new year, along with our weekly chit-chat and answering your questions!For more information, to listen to the podcast, or for links mentioned, visit the blog post here: https://homesteadingfamily.com/pantry-chat-1-7-2023TIME STAMPS:0:00 - Chit Chat5:15 - Joel Salatin5:44 - Modern Homesteading Conference9:15 - Everything Worth Preserving10:30 - In the Homestead Kitchen Magazine16:15 - Cider Bottles21:45 - Dehydrating vs Freeze Drying22:00 - Growing Mushrooms25:58 - Congestion Remedy~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Links Mentioned:- Joel Salatin, The Lunatic Farmer: https://www.thelunaticfarmer.com/- The Modern Homestead Conference: https://modernhomesteading.com/- Dehydrating vs. Freeze Drying: https://homesteadingfamily.com/freeze-dried-vs-dehydrated-foods/- Congestion Remedy: https://youtu.be/8qgFQ9s_YAs~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Shop This Video:- Everything Worth Preserving book by Melissa K. Norris: https://melissaknorris.com/book/everything-worth-preserving/- In the Homestead Kitchen Digital Magazine: https://homesteadingfamily.com/silver-membership-ad- Cider Bottles (Amazon): https://www.amazon.com/Bottles-Airtight-Brewing-Kombucha-Beverages/dp/B094HTD1R9- Tradd Cotter, Mushroom Mountain: https://mushroommountain.com/tradd-cotter/~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~MORE ABOUT US!WELCOME! We're so glad you're here! We are Josh and Carolyn Thomas. Together with our nine children, we are The Homesteading Family where we're living a self-sustainable life in beautiful North Idaho. Let us welcome you and show you a bit about us here: http://bit.ly/HFWelcomeVideoGrow, Preserve & Thrive with us!Visit us on our blog: https://www.homesteadingfamily.comFacebook at https://www.facebook.com/homesteadingfamilyInstagram: https://instagram.com/homesteadingfamilyRumble: https://rumble.com/HomesteadingFamilyA few highlights you don't want to miss are our FREEBIES!!Healthy Healing at Home – Learn how to confidently use herbal medicine in your home with this FREE 4 video workshop: https://homesteadingfamily.com/HHHytYour Best Loaf – A Free 4 video workshop teaching you how to make great bread at home, every time, regardless of the recipe you are using: https://homesteadingfamily.com/free-bread-workshopMeals on Your Shelf – Can along with me!  Learn to can and put jars of a delicious meal on your pantry shelf with this FREE video series: https://homesteadingfamily.com/MOYS-free-workshopFREE PDF DOWNLOADS:- 5 Steps to a More Self-Sufficient Life - Simple steps anyone can take wherever they are to start a more self-sufficient lifestyle. https://homesteadingfamily.com/5StepsYT

My guest for this episode is Tradd Cotter, a microbiologist, and mycologist who, along with his wife Olga, owns and operates Mushroom Mountain near Greenville, South Carolina. He is also the author of the book Organic Mushroom Farming and Mycoremediation from Chelsea Green Publishing. In this interview, we talk about his book, the science of microbiology and mycology, entrepreneurship, and also touch on the power of mushrooms for remediation.

John Saba is the developer of Mushroom Mountain, a brand new PICO-8 game. PICO-8 is a fantasy concolse for sharing and playing tiny games and computer programs. Mushroom Mountain is a very clever and deep puzzle game with cute pixel art graphics. You can find Mushroom Mountain within the PICO-8 console, as well as on John's itch.io page. This is John's second time on IGI.  In this episode we will discuss the PICO-8 virtual console, cutting features, developing with intentional constraints, puzzle design, themes applied to puzzle mechanics, attention economies, and more. John Saba on itch.io: https://itch.io/profile/sabajt Mushroom Mountain on itch.io: https://sabajt.itch.io/mushroom-mountain John on Twitter: @sabajt Check out the PICO-8 fantasy console IGI on Twitter: @IndieGameINTL Consider becoming an IGI Patron: https://www.patreon.com/indiegameINTL IGI is a production of Su Madre Podcasts: https://sumadrepodcasts.com/  

In this intereview, Olga and Billie Katich share their experience and expertise in strating and growing a mushroom business from scratch and how to begin with mushrooms as home to create food, medicine, soil building, and persticide and chemical remediation.

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

We are happy to be with you again! You'll notice a huge upgrade to our videos so go check them out! :) https://youtu.be/ed_w_cTPzv8 This episode holds wonderful truths, a weed review and thoughts from the valuable nature of psychedelics. Thank you for listening! Tune into the podcast for a new episode every week at friday est 7pm. https://anchor.fm/disciplinedstoners Catch us on IG https://www.instagram.com/disciplinedstoners Become an official supporter of the show by joining out www.patreon.com/disciplinedstoners Get Ellevan's book here: STFU: Thoughts and Feelings https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B099833V9Y/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_i_20EC65YBVRG8KVS2SMAK Share our www.youtube.com/winnyclarke with a friend and make sure to subscribe! Support us monthly for additional perks and exclusive community benefits at www.patreon.com/disciplinedstoners #podcast #mindfulness #honestconversation #mindfulpodcast #podcast #comedy #fun #podcasting #wellness #meditation --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/disciplinedstoners/message

Papa Bear speaks with Basheer Bergus on the topic of mycology. Basheer has successfully completed an in-depth mushroom identification and safety program conducted for the authorized State Health Department or Department of Agriculture approved certifying agency Mushroom Mountain, LLC, a mushroom cultivation and research facility located in Easley, South Carolina. Netflix documentary 'Fantastic Fungi' explores the many magical properties of mushrooms (sfgate.com)

Eric is welcomed back and the three "Brokeback Boys" go on a wild journey while discovering themselves. The crew recap Mushroom Mountain again, but with Eric's point of view. Afterwards, they talk about Lil Nas X again and then do a food review of KFC's new Chicken Sandwich. The rest is... unexplainable.The introductory song is "Yonkers" by Tyler, the Creator.Sponsored by Alternative Original Clothing. Visit [https://www.alternativeoriginal.com/] and use Promo code TBVPodcast for 20% off your entire order.Brought to you by Broot's World, LLC.Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/tbvpodcast)

Jon and Ruben kick off this week by recapping their visit to Mushroom Mountain. Afterwards, they discuss Lil Nas X, society, COVID testing, Justice League, Rick N' Morty, relationship stories and of course the wildest theories we can think of.The introductory song is "Purple Pills" by D12.Sponsored by Alternative Original Clothing. Visit [https://www.alternativeoriginal.com/] and use Promo code TBVPodcast for 20% off your entire order.Brought to you by Broot's World, LLC.Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/tbvpodcast)

Journey to Mushroom Mountain - enough said. Enjoy!

Today on Mushroom Hour we are graced by the presence of Tradd Cotter, coming to us from Mushroom Mountain. Tradd Cotter is a microbiologist, professional mycologist, and organic gardener, who has been tissue culturing, collecting native fungi in the Southeast, and cultivating both commercially and experimentally for more than twenty-five years. In 1996 he founded Mushroom Mountain, which he owns and operates with his wife, Olga, to explore applications for mushrooms in various industries and currently maintains over 200 species of fungi for food production, mycoremediation of environmental pollutants, and natural alternatives to chemical pesticides. His primary interest is in low-tech and no- tech cultivation strategies so that anyone can grow mushrooms on just about anything, anywhere in the world. Mushroom Mountain is currently expanding to 42,000 square feet of laboratory and research space near Greenville, South Carolina, to accommodate commercial production, as well as mycoremediation projects. His masterwork and must-own mycology reference - "Organic Mushroom Farming and Mycoremediation" had a huge impact on my own relationship with mycology. Topics Covered: The Journey to Founding “Mushroom Mountain” Applied Mycology as a Multi-Generational Project of Discovery Pillars of Mushroom Mountain’s Business and Research Mushroom-Based Solutions in the Developing World Putting Myco-remediation Theory into Action The Key Concepts of Mycofiltration Future of Fungi in Medicine & Truly Personalized Treatments Reducing Pesticide Use with Fungal Solutions Patenting Ideas to Defend from the Dark Side Educating the Next Generation Disrupting the System, Waking People Up! Power of Growing Your Own Mushrooms “Blue Portal” Psilocybin Therapy in Jamaica Future of Mushroom Mountain Episode Resources: Mushroom Mountain website: https://mushroommountain.com/ Mushroom Mountain FB: https://www.facebook.com/MushroomMountainFarm Mushroom Mountain IG: https://www.instagram.com/sporeprints/ "Organic Mushroom Farming & Mycoremediation": https://www.amazon.com/Organic-Mushroom-Farming-Mycoremediation-Experimental/dp/1603584552 Mauritius Islands: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mauritius Cordyceps (Mushroom): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cordyceps

Mushrooms, Molds and Mycorrhizae: Down the Rabbit Hole with Tradd Cotter.Today we are joined by an innovative, charismatic mycophile and good friend, Tradd Cotter. We talk about the many fungal projects going on at Mushroom Mountain, the comical stories throughout Tradd's journey, fungal antibiotics, fungal insecticides, psilocybin mushroom therapy, growing mushrooms in third world countries, foraging and IDing mushrooms, online mushroom education, mushroom spore ink, mycoremediation, a bit about his upcoming book and so mush more..Tradd Cotter is a microbiologist, mycologist, and organic gardener. He has been cultivating commercially and experimentally for over 28 years and in 1996 he founded Mushroom Mountain where he and his team cultivate fungi for food production and explore various applications for mushrooms. He is primarily interested in low-tech and no-tech cultivation strategies so that anyone in the world can grow mushrooms! 

Tradd Cotter of Mushroom Mountain explores the untapped potential of mushrooms. Danny Fingeroth reflects on the life of Stan Lee, a true legend in the world of comic books. Sebastian Alvarado brings superheroes to the screen with cutting-edge science.

Episode 112. Tonight's episode is not for the faint of heart. It was just another night in the woods on Mushroom Mountain; two park rangers playing that classic park ranger game. "Throw the dart at the owl." Little did they know... They would become embroiled in the darkest game of all. A game that would test the very limits of their humanity. Improvised March 3, 2019 at Poppa Squash Studios, NYC.

Tradd Cotter of Mushroom Mountain explores the untapped potential of mushrooms. Danny Fingeroth reflects on the life of Stan Lee, a true legend in the world of comic books. Sebastian Alvarado brings superheroes to the screen with cutting-edge science. Chip Walter shares the new advances in technology that might stop aging altogether. Ben Novak explains how scientists are using genetics to help combat the threats that many ecosystems are facing.

Author Richard Preston is an extreme tree climber and describes discoveries in the canopy. Author and journalist Adam Minter claims that the changing face of the second-hand market reflects shifting values. Author Paul Kahan recounts the revolutionary vision behind the famous and infamous Eastern State Penitentiary. Tradd Cotter of Mushroom Mountain explains the surprising uses of fungi. Roger Clemens of USC explains "fortified" food.

Listen as we discuss Mushroom Mountain, which Tradd Cotter owns and operates with his wife Olga, to explore applications in various industries including food production, mycoremediation of environmental pollutants, and natural alternatives to chemical pesticides. About Tradd: Tradd Cotter is a microbiologist, professional mycologist, and organic gardener, who has been tissue culturing, collecting native fungi in the Southeast, and cultivating both commercially and experimentally for more than twenty-two years. In 1996 he founded Mushroom Mountain, which he owns and operates with his wife, Olga, to explore applications for mushrooms in various industries and currently maintains over 200 species of fungi for food production, mycoremediation of environmental pollutants, and natural alternatives to chemical pesticides. In 2014 Tradd published the best-selling book Organic Mushroom Farming and Mycoremediation (2014), that is still one of the top ten releases with the publisher, Chelsea Green. Tradd has won numerous awards for his work including the prestigious Clemson University Entrepreneur of the Year Award (2013), the EPA GRO-U Fellowship Award (2011), and an expert lecturer on all topics related to fungi in agriculture and medicine. His primary interest is in low-tech and no-tech cultivation strategies so that anyone can grow mushrooms on just about anything, anywhere in the world. Mushroom Mountain is currently expanding to 42,000 square feet of laboratory and research space near Greenville, South Carolina, to accommodate commercial production, as well as mycoremediation projects. In 2018 Mushroom Mountain started a daughter company, MYCOMATRIX, that develops novel medicinal extracts for consumers and cobranding into consumer products. Currently the Cotters have opened Blue Portal, a psilocybin research and mediated session center, that is available in Jamaica and soon Costa Rica. Tradd, Olga, and their daughter, Heidi, live in Liberty, South Carolina. Links: Website: https://mushroommountain.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MushroomMountainFarm/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sporeprints/

Physicist and tech scientist Seamus Blackley visits with us about making bread from ancient yeast. Sheena Iyengar of the Colombia Business School discusses with us the downsides of having too much choice. Tradd Cotter of Mushroom Mountain and Mycomatrix visits with us about the many different uses of mushrooms. Frank Abagnale, author of "Scam Me If You Can," teaches us how we can recognize scams and avoid becoming victims.

In this episode, Joe and Kyle sit down to have a conversation about the 39th Annual Telluride Mushroom Festival, Healing the Mind, Healing the Planet. Joe attended the conference and heard from many amazing speakers. 3 Key Points: Joe attended The 39th Annual Telluride Mushroom Festival last weekend, a festival and conference that celebrates all things fungal and brings together a cohort of enthusiasts, experts, and scientists. There was a lot of talk on the topic of microdosing. Opinions ranged from the feeling that there isn't enough valid data to prove that microdosing is effective, to some testimony on how microdosing has helped relieve cluster headaches or help with traumatic brain injuries. There was some exciting news on innovative ways that mushrooms can be used medically to help fight disease or agriculturally to fight insects without using pesticides. Support the show Patreon Leave us a review on iTunes Share us with your friends – favorite podcast, etc Join our Facebook group - Psychedelics Today group – Find the others and create community. Navigating Psychedelics Trip Journal                                               Integration Workbook Show Notes The Telluride Mushroom Festival took place August 14th - 18th This festival is is a placeholder Psychedelic conference In the mycology world, the psychedelic topic isn't typically included in events Attendees and Talks Brick Bunyard, who runs psychedelic magazine Tradd Cotter of Mushroom Mountain, an excitable mycologist Larry Evans of Blue Portal Teresa Egbert of Herbal Visionz, a Psychedelic enthusiast Peter Hendrix and Sara Lappan spoke on a study for using psychedelics to curb cocaine use David Nichols, chemist, was pretty optimistic about where the psychedelic movement is heading He gave a super scientific talk around receptor sites and LSD Music and Psychedelics Joe says that there is a long history of music and psychedelics Kyle mentions a podcast he listened to about someone bringing in their own music for a Ketamine therapy session Psychedelic Therapy There was someone at the conference that said psychedelic therapists should have psychedelic experiences and should be open about it It was an interesting conversation at the conference Joe says, “you don't need PTSD to treat someone with PTSD, it's not the most important factor. The most important factor is safety.” Scientist Conference Joe mentions a conference coming up in the fall in New Orleans that is a Scientist only conference If a scientist has published serious, quantitative data they are invited It'll be the first gathering of its kind where there is finally enough data Microdosing David Nichols shared his opinion on microdosing, that there isn't real data on it and that importance should be put toward medical uses Folks in the audience were making claims about microdosing for migraines and traumatic brain injuries, etc Are people taking sub-perceptual doses or a threshold dose? Joe says a macro dose is a dose you can see (maybe the size of an ant), micro dose is something you need a microscope to see The majority of people microdosing aren't educating themselves on dose size Interesting Moments from the Conference Joe was surprised was how charismatic Tradd Cotter was Tradd has plans to do mushroom retreats in Jamaica The most exciting news is a new method of pulling out the antibiotic resistant ‘stuff’ in a person, culturing it out and introducing it to sterilized/colonized grain bag and then reintroducing it to the person so they aren't antibiotic resistant anymore This would be a mushroom bi-product that fights disease in humans in less than 24 hours This same model could be used in cancer treatments or even agricultural applications, using mushrooms to fight disease or bugs that kill plants, etc There were mushroom foraging walks and mushroom identification tables at the festival Vendors included mushroom kombucha, mushroom jerky, festival clothing, etc There was a guy from outside of Arizona who casts real psilocybin mushrooms and makes detailed metal jewelry out of them The town is small and surrounded by super tall mountains, and the festival is dispersed around the town It's a small festival and a great way to make connections “This is where you quit your job and dedicate your life to mushrooms” - Tradd Cotter Mushroom farming is one of the few businesses you can start with under $5,000 Links Website About Kyle Kyle’s interest in exploring non-ordinary states of consciousness began when he was 16-years-old when he suffered a traumatic snowboarding accident. Waking up after having a near-death experience changed Kyle’s life. Since then, Kyle has earned his B.A. in Transpersonal Psychology, where he studied the healing potential of non-ordinary states of consciousness by exploring shamanism, plant medicine, Holotropic Breathwork, and the roots/benefits of psychedelic psychotherapy. Kyle has co-taught two college-level courses. One of the courses Kyle created as a capstone project, “Stanislav Grof’s Psychology of Extraordinary Experiences,” and the other one which he co-created, “The History of Psychedelics.” Kyle completed his M.S. in clinical mental health counseling with an emphasis in somatic psychology. Kyle’s clinical background in mental health consists of working with at-risk teenagers in crisis and with individuals experiencing an early-episode of psychosis. Kyle also facilitates Transpersonal Breathwork workshops. About Joe Joe studied philosophy in New Hampshire, where he earned his B.A.. After stumbling upon the work of Stanislav Grof during his undergraduate years, Joe began participating in Holotropic Breathwork workshops in Vermont in 2003. Joe helped facilitate Holotropic and Transpersonal Breathwork workshops while he spent his time in New England. He is now working in the software industry as well as hosting a few podcasts. Joe now coordinates Dreamshadow Transpersonal Breathwork workshops, in Breckenridge, Colorado.

Today we chat with Tradd Cotter from Mushroom Mountain about Mushrooms in Soil Building.  In this episode we cover topics such as How Mushrooms Build Soil Best Edible Mushrooms for Garden The Importance of Mycorrhizae Fungi in seed starting Using mushrooms in your Orchards and Forest Gardening Should you use mushrooms that are NOT edible in your landscape? Gardening Practices to avoid Tradd Cotter and his wife Olga have taken their immense love and knowledge of mushrooms and made it their life goal to share it with the world as well as provide very high quality mushroom spore collected and cultivated at their own mushroom research facilities.  They are involved in all areas of fungi including fungal solutions for pest control, disease, plant health, restoring degraded land, and increasing fertility to the soil.  Tradd has also written an excellent book called Organic Mushroom Farming and Mycoremediation that gives an in-depth look at practical cultivation how-to's, strategies for mycoremediation, and fungi identification.  Mushroom Mountain offers online classes, consulting, onsite mushroom tours and trails, and workshops.  You can find them at a variety of speaking events as well as online at www.MushroomMountain.com.  Additionally, you can purchase a wide variety of mushrooms and medicinal tinctures (mycomatrix)  from their online store. Additional Show Notes: Mother Earth News Podcast, episode #60 Chickens in Permaculture To purchase Mushrooms discussed in this episode go to MushroomMountain.com 

In this Best of DFB we dive into the archives for an episode that holds so much wisdom on how humans can partner with fungi to transform the world for the better. Get ready to get majorly inspired! We’re talking with mushroom whisperer Tradd Cotter of Mushroom Mountain. Tradd reveals how mushrooms and fungi are seemingly miraculous powerhouses that can solve some of the world’s most pressing problems. We talk about how to understand the needs and wants of organisms that use non-verbal language, and Tradd shares how he is growing mushrooms in a way that more closely mimics their natural environment while using less energy than traditional cultivation techniques. In this episode you’ll learn: The difference between a mycelium and a mushroom - and why it matters How we can work with fungi to reduce our waste as a society How fungi can play a key role in providing food, clean water and protection from mosquito-borne diseases in war-torn areas or in the aftermath of a natural disaster A couple of fun ways you can start partnering with fungi and mushrooms in your own backyard (using birds as stealth bombers) How commitment, observation and constant learning provide a solid foundation for your intuition to guide you in your life’s work "Think like a mushroom." -Tradd Cotter Links: Learn more about Tradd and growing mushrooms at www.mushroommountain.com Connect with Mushroom Mountain on Facebook. Watch Tradd's videos about mushrooms on Youtube. Learn more about what a spitzenkorper is here. Learn how to make a spore print here. Check out this photo of a "gladiator" match between fungi and a fire ant.   [gallery size="medium" ids="493,492,490,489,488,487"]

In this Best of DFB we dive into the archives for an episode that holds so much wisdom on how humans can partner with fungi to transform the world for the better. Get ready to get majorly inspired! We’re talking with mushroom whisperer Tradd Cotter of Mushroom Mountain. Tradd reveals how mushrooms and fungi are seemingly miraculous powerhouses that can solve some of the world’s most pressing problems. We talk about how to understand the needs and wants of organisms that use non-verbal language, and Tradd shares how he is growing mushrooms in a way that more closely mimics their natural environment while using less energy than traditional cultivation techniques. In this episode you’ll learn: The difference between a mycelium and a mushroom - and why it matters How we can work with fungi to reduce our waste as a society How fungi can play a key role in providing food, clean water and protection from mosquito-borne diseases in war-torn areas or in the aftermath of a natural disaster A couple of fun ways you can start partnering with fungi and mushrooms in your own backyard (using birds as stealth bombers) How commitment, observation and constant learning provide a solid foundation for your intuition to guide you in your life’s work "Think like a mushroom." -Tradd Cotter Links: Learn more about Tradd and growing mushrooms at www.mushroommountain.com Connect with Mushroom Mountain on Facebook. Watch Tradd's videos about mushrooms on Youtube. Learn more about what a spitzenkorper is here. Learn how to make a spore print here. Check out this photo of a "gladiator" match between fungi and a fire ant.   [gallery size="medium" ids="493,492,490,489,488,487"]

Hi citizen! Welcome back to Fungi Town!  This week, we focus on the amazing ability some fungi have to clean our environment. Lots of people enjoy growing and eating oyster mushrooms, but did you know that they can also clean diesel fuel and motor oil out of the soil? They're not the only species of fungi skilled at breaking down toxic materials. Since fungi don't have mouths and stomachs, they have to digest their food outside of their bodies and then reabsorb the nutrient soup that results. These digestive secretions, known as enzymes, are great at breaking big molecules (like petrochemicals) down into smaller, digestable ones. Join me as I talk to two mycoremediation experts about the great possiblilites and the challenges of cleaning our Earth with fungi. To read about how brown rot fungi can be used in the biofuel industry, go here. To learn more about dog waste and waterways, check out this pamplet by the Athens-Clarke County Transportation and Public Works Department. To find out more about Athens' chicken laws, check out this article in The Flagpole. Special thanks to my guests: Tradd Cotter of Mushroom Mountain in South Carolina.  His book is Organic Mushroom Farming and Mycoremediation, published by Chelsea Green, contains several remediation projects you can do at home with a limited budget. And to Levon Durr of Fungaia Farm. If you like this podcast, please consider becoming a patron. To get access to special mini episodes and a sweet vinyl sticker, just visit www.fungitown.com and click the green "become a patron" button in the upper right corner of your screen. How about leaving a review? Leaving a review on Apple Podcasts will go a long way toward helping other listeners find their way to Fungi Town. New episodes are released every two weeks. Join me next time, when we talk about the fascinating relationship between fungi and orchids. Fungi Town is written, directed and produced by Jen Parrilli and hosted on Podbean. Theme Music was created using the Bandimal App from Yatatoy. Defunked theme music is Fminor_Funk_BassGroove_100bpm by GRD-music, sound effects were Chopping Onion by ObieDaz and Butter Sizzling by hmoosher, all used via Creative Commons license through Freesound. You can find Fungi Town on Facebook. Twitter, and Instagram: @fungitownpod or email at fungitownpod[at]gmail[dot]com.

TRADD COTTER‘S Mushroom Mountain is the coolest and largest privately owned mushroom research facility. It focuses on the needs of the planet, developing the possible uses for fungi; mycoremediation, medicinal, filtering water and antibiotics to name a few. Tradd’s 20 years collecting and cultivating mushrooms is shared in his book, Organic Mushroom Farming and Mycoremediation. […]

This week the guys open the show with news of continued GameStop woes as well as a discussion of why retro games are awesome and how indie devs have embraced a retro gaming aesthetic. Up next, it's this week's rapid fire news including Super Mario Run on Android devices, Bioware responds to harassment of a former employee following uproar over Andromeda's whacky animations, Frank West's story continues in April's Dead Rising 4 DLC, the director of Overwatch hints that a map editor may be on the way at some point in the future, Nintendo claims the left JoyCon issues were caused by manufacturing variation and promise swift repairs if necessary, April 2017 Xbox Games with Gold have been revealed and this week's video game releases are discussed. Finally, Adam wraps up the show with a review of the somewhat controversial Mass Effect: Andromeda, available now on PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC.

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TRADD COTTER‘S Mushroom Mountain is the coolest and largest privately owned mushroom research facility. It focuses on the needs of the planet, developing the possible uses for fungi; mycoremediation, medicinal, filtering water and antibiotics to name a few. Tradd’s 20 years collecting and cultivating mushrooms is shared in his book, Organic Mushroom Farming and Mycoremediation. […]

On this week’s episode we’re talking with mushroom whisperer Tradd Cotter of Mushroom Mountain. Tradd reveals how mushrooms and fungi are seemingly miraculous powerhouses that can solve some of the world’s most pressing problems. We talk about how to understand the needs and wants of organisms that use non-verbal language, and Tradd shares how he […]

On this week’s episode we’re talking with mushroom whisperer Tradd Cotter of Mushroom Mountain. Tradd reveals how mushrooms and fungi are seemingly miraculous powerhouses that can solve some of the world’s most pressing problems. We talk about how to understand the needs and wants of organisms that use non-verbal language, and Tradd shares how he […]

Tradd Cotter, author of Organic Farming and Mycoremediation: Simple to Advanced and Experimental Techniques for Indoor and Outdoor Cultivation In this episode we discuss Mushroom Production, Tradd's business Mushroom Mountain, and much more. Enjoy! View the Show Notes on Small Farm Academy Support the show on Patreon

Donate to The Permaculture Podcast Online: via PayPal Venmo: @permaculturepodcast Enjoy this episode? Become a Patron. Today I look at my recent visit to the Mother Earth News Fair in Seven Springs, PA. As I was only able to attend the event for one day, I didn't grab any live interviews this time around. Rather, I spent my time looking at the exhibitors on display, talked with folks along the way, and sat down to catch up with Tradd Cotter at the end of the day. Last year when I attended this event with Photographer John and his assistant Layne the focus was squarely on farm and family. This year the tone had plenty on farming and agriculture, but also included more related to the small homestead, prepping and off-grid living. Though I don't cover those last two topics much on the show, having a social-permaculture and re wilding bent lately, those are the places I came from when I first discovered ecological design and was looking for ways to weather the potential for both systemic and small-scale disasters. So when I saw many of the exhibitors for this year, a couple in particular grabbed my eye. The first was L.T. Wright Handcrafted Knives. Whatever we do, wherever we go, having a good sharp edge on hand is useful for a number of tasks, even in everyday work removed from field or forest. We cut food for dinner. Open packages. Cut string. Trim threads. Peel fruits and vegetables. As you spend more time wandering you are likely to use a knife to prepare game, breakdown larger pieces of wood into kindling or tinder, or shape materials into useful tools. Whether a folder in your pocket, a fixed blade on your hip, or a chef's in the kitchen block, having a dependable knife, or several, on hand is invaluable for making tasks easier around the house and homestead. L.T. is making some of the most durable knives available. I know that from personal experience, as I own a Woodsman Pro made from his first knife company, Blind Horse Knives. From the pieces I handled this weekend that quality not only continues, and for a price that represents a great value on a knife crafted by hand in Wintersville, Ohio from American steel. If you are in the line for a good knife, definitely check out his site, ltwrightknives.com. Another item in the preparedness vein are the range of solar rechargeable flashlights and lanterns from Hybrid Light. The light that stood out was the Journey 160, a 160 lumen waterproof flashlight that provides up to twelve hours of light and also includes a 5 volt, 2 amp USB port that allows you to recharge most cell phones and some tablets while on the go from the internal 2400mAh battery. I don't expect to rely on technology in the long run, but at the same time I don't see it going away anytime soon, and products like this can provide a sense of normality in time of crisis, allowing a family to use see, but also to recharge some of the common features of life and use them to maintain a sense of normality during a short-term disaster, such as a weather related power outage, but looking beyond the moment they allow us to choose how we transition away from the traditional grids of civilization and prepare for a smooth, soft energy descent. hybridlight.com The next exhibitor to catch my eye was Container Homes of Maryland, which hails from my hometown of Hagerstown, They are taking shipping containers and converting them into tiny homes. What stood out for me is that they are offering turnkey,off-grid solutions. The model on display used a 20' container and provides just under 150 sq ft of living space. This included a closet; a bathroom with stand-up shower and composting toilet; a kitchen area that included a sink, two-burner gas stove, and a small refrigerator; on the wall hung a high efficiency mini-split air conditioner and heat pump; two person dining-bar; and built-in full-size bed. As part of the display they also had two solar panels out front which were actively charging the included power system. To reduce the need for electricity and lights, there was also a large skylight. When the representative, Jon Gandy, was showing me around he turned all the light off to show the effectiveness of this feature, but also saw me cringe at the thought of a skylight. In my world, skylights leak, and Jon could tell I'd had that experience, so went on to describe how they install this giant, covered, hole in the roof, which they accomplish by creating a three layer roof system that fully and securely seals the skylight in place. For off-grid application they include six solar panels plus batteries for energy storage, and a water collection and filtration system. You can be completely off-grid with everything you need, based on the 20' design, for $60k. The same model, placed on a foundation and tied to the grid, is $35k. If you need some more space, there is a grid tied 40' model for $60k, though they do not have an off grid-model for this size at the moment due to the extra requirements for heating, cooling, and resource storage. As a custom container home builder, they are also able to design and build to suit your specific needs. They can be found at containerhomesofmaryland.com. Going with that idea of being off grid and supplying our own energy, I also spent some time talking with the folks from Three Rivers EVA, a chapter of the Electric Auto Association. In addition to all of the electric and plug-in hybrids on display, including a pair of Tesla sedans which one of the members said he charges regularly from home using roof installed solar panels, there was also an e-bike making trips around the fairgrounds, which is where I spotted the bright yellow frame and big tires rolling around. This model, from Sondors, was rather popular from all the people who gathered around it, including myself. Joining the circle the owner shared some information about the bike, which I was then able to fill in from some research on the web. Using a 36v battery and a 350watt motor mounted in the rear hub, the bike is capable of up to 20 miles an hour and has a range of 30 to 50 miles. Though the MSRP is around $1,200, the owner of this particular bike paid a bit over $1000 shipped from finding one on eBay, and Sondors is currently running a crowdfunding campaign on a new model allowing anyone to purchase a bike for a total price of $693, $499 for the bike and $194 for shipping. Compared to the cost of a new moped or scooter, even the full retail price is a pretty good value. Tack on the cost of a small solar system at your home and you have a vehicle that costs very little to operate after the initial investment and is just right for a short commute or heading around town when the distances are a little far to walk, and this bike fills the gulf between a cruiser and something that is fully powered all the time, giving you choices between pedaling all the time, using the motor for a boost, or just letting the battery power your whole journey. After seeing all the smiles when people saw this particular bike and interacted with the owner asking questions, I see E-Bikes like this and other innovations in this sphere as a viable way to bridge the gap where many might use a car, but not see a road bike as the way to get from one place to another, and provide security for those who would still like to use a bike, but for whatever reason no longer feel comfortable doing so over a longer distance. Even in the area where I live, that is relatively rural at 20 minutes from everywhere, this e-bike would meet the majority of my regular, personal, commuting needs in the area. While browsing the bookstore at Mother a listener, Eric, saw my badge and said hello. While we chatted for a few minutes he mentioned his daughter was showing her rabbits at the fair, so I went down and visited Elizabeth and we talked about what it was like breeding American Rabbits and helping the breed to recover from being at risk of going away. A delightful knowledgeable young woman, when Elizabeth handed me her card I realized we live fairly close to one another, so I want to grab photographer John and go record an interview with her live. At the moment she would be the youngest guest to appear by themselves on the show and, thanks to ongoing conversations with to Jen Mendez at PermieKids, I would like to include more young adults and teenagers on the podcast. Let me know if you aware of anyone under the age of 18 doing good work related to permaculture. One other younger person I ran into at Mother is a member of my local permaculture community, William Padilla-Brown. A budding mycologist quickly expanding his knowledge of how to identify, grow, and process mushrooms, he runs his business, Mycosymbiotics in Camp Hill, Pennsylvania. He's one to watch, including his YouTube channel Apex Grower, as I expect in a few years to hear some interesting developments come out of his world and work. Speaking of mushrooms brings us back around to Tradd Cotter, mycologist and researcher at Mushroom Mountain in South Carolina, and author of the excellent book from Chelsea Green on all things fungi, Organic Mushroom Farming and Mycoremedition. I caught the end of his , which relates to his revelation this year. Last time I saw Tradd at Mother he shared with us his research into how he could use mycelium to create medicines against human pathogens. The conversation this year expanded on that with his latest exclusive: he discovered a mycelial metabolite capable of killing methicillin-resistant Staphlococcus aures, better known as MRSA. How incredible is that? If you get a chance go to an upcoming Mother Earth News Fair and meet the people and exhibitors in attendance. Check out some lectures, workshops, and demonstrations. There is a ton of opportunities to expand your knowledge and inspiration at these events. The next one is coming up in Topeka, Kansas, October 24-25, 2015, and then Belton, Texas, February 20-21, 2016. Expect to find me in Seven Springs next year, sometime in September. Along the way and until those events, if there is any way I can help you on your journey, get in touch. Give me a call: or email: The Permaculture Podcast. Next up Jason Godesky joins me discuss collaborative storytelling, culture, and myth-making in the context of his role playing game, The Fifth World. Until then, take care of Earth, your self, and each other.

For more than twenty years, Mushroom Mountain’s Tradd Cotter has been working to think like a mushroom as he worked to build a business based on his mycological adventures. Since 1996, South Carolina’s Mushroom Mountain has produced edible mushrooms and served as a laboratory for Tradd’s explorations into the use of mushrooms for everything from mycoremediation to personalized antibiotics. Tradd and Chris explore Tradd’s low-tech and no-tech strategies for growing mushrooms, including the fundamentals of mushroom production and strategies for fitting mushrooms into a vegetable operation, getting into the psychology and physiology of the fungal kingdom. The Farmer to Farmer Podcast is generously supported by Vermont Compost Company.

Donate to The Permaculture Podcast Online: via PayPal Venmo: @permaculturepodcast This episode is a look forward to 2015 and where things are going. All in all 2014 was a pretty incredible year for this podcast. Over fifty interviews and fifty shorter episodes produced and released. In addition to that I took the show on the road to the Mother Earth News Fair in Seven Springs, PA, CHABACON in New Jersey, the Finger Lakes Permaculture Tour in New York, and a permaculture farm tour through Virginia. Yes, there were some rough spots in the beginning of the year, but things picked up and got flowing smoothly as time went on. As this year draws to a close, what is in store for the year ahead? First, on a personal level with some impact on the show, I'll be completing graduate school in May, 2015. As this episode goes up I am in the middle of my internship which wraps up my course of study. To finish out my education strong I need that to be main professional priority. I'm interning with a local non-profit as a grant writer and event organizer which in turn I want to bring to the permaculture community once I'm done. In order to focus on that I am going to continue with the current schedule of releasing one interview a week until such time as I am no longer a formal student, and to have a bit of downtime to enjoy the accomplishment of earning my Master's degree. Then in June I'll move to two shows a week on an ongoing basis, organized so that we have a better balance between practical, “how to practice permaculture in the landscape?” episodes and others that examine the more philosophical questions like, “how does all this fit together in a larger context?” Thanks to all the responses to a recent post on Facebook asking for guest suggestions, I have enough potential interviews to see us through until August or September if everyone says “Yes”. To keep that list growing please let me know if you have anyone in mind who you would like to hear on the show, including follow-ups with past guests. Second, I plan to continue to take the show on the road to tour sites and perform more in-person interviews. Tradd Cotter invited John, Layne, and I down to tour Mushroom Mountain so that is definitely on the list, as is going to Philadelphia to sit down with Pandora Thomas of EarthSeed Consulting and Robyn Mello of the Philadelphia Orchard Project. I am always looking for additional ideas of places to visit, as my time and budget allow, so let me know if you have any suggestions. Something else I really want to do is to sit down and record more round table discussions with groups of permaculture practitioners. Travel to a town, sit down with three or four people from the region or an organization and have a conversation that can later be released as an episode of the podcast. That could be something we do in front of a live audience, or as a fundraiser if you wanted to by collecting donations at the door. Let me know if you would like to host such an event and we can work out the details. Third, I'm moving my online permaculture work towards a gift economy, not just for listener support of the podcast proper, but also for sponsorships, class announcements, and any other service I can provide to the community. I feel that in order for others to know that a different way is possible we must try another way and show that the system that exists isn't the only way for us to live productive lives. I know for many of the permaculture courses and projects out there money is a barrier and a burden for many, so I want to lend a hand. We all have surpluses beyond the financial that can make a big difference in the world and I'd like to have those be a larger focus of my work moving forward. Let's work together and make something happen. More talking. More collaborating. More action. This idea of using a gift economy and more talking moving forward also applies to the online Permaculture Design Course I've been running over the last year and a half. I've been contacted by a number of individuals who want to take a PDC, but who do not, for whatever reason, have the financial means to do so. Through my own personal journey I have also discovered that I work best with small groups and one-on-one so am focus my educating of others through direct interaction via email, phone, and online meeting spaces. If you are interested in this kind of PDC experience, please let me know. That spirit of collaboration includes that thought of editing a 21st Century Designers' manual. I don't want to write it, but rather organize the collection of materials to go into it, perhaps as an annual digest. I've received feedback from several folks interested in the idea and want to hear from you if you want to get involved or know someone who you feel should contribute materials. I'm still setting up the ideas for this, and look to the fall of 2015 as the time when I put together the formal proposal, but would like input now so that the idea can mature with multiple inputs rather than just my own. With the idea of doing, one of my personal goals is to share more of my personal projects with you whatever those may be. As I work in an incremental fashion, picking away at something in pieces, we can explore different ideas as they develop over time. Another goal, that is a mix of personal and professional, is that I am looking to acquire several acres of land in 2015 that I can begin converting into a private permaculture center in central Pennsylvania to show working models of the different ideas we talk about grounded in a sense of place. I'd like use that space to host ongoing, regular events and gatherings for the community where we can come together and have face time in a place that embodies the work that we are doing. I find that time together, in person, really helps to build community. In turn we can get to know one another and work together to create solutions and try out different things. Some questions that come to mind that I would like to explore include: What is it like to coppice with a billhook or a pull saw? What about recharging batteries with a solar panel for an electric chainsaw? What are the best methods for establishing and raising mushrooms off the grid? What does a human scale site without heavy equipment look like? Because I have a particular bent when it comes to permaculture my thoughts on a human scale are not large like Mark Shepard, but also not totally without electricity or petrol like Ethan Hughes. Together we can ask and answer our own questions, add to the body of permaculture knowledge, and walk away with additional skills to take back to our own lives and communities. Get in touch with me of anytime along the way there is any way I can help you. I am here to assist you on your path in whatever way possible. Email: The Permaculture Podcast You can also send me a letter: The Permaculture Podcast The Permaculture Podcast And, as I wrap things up, if you are able, please support the podcast through a one-time or ongoing monthly gift so I can continue to release material openly for anyone to find and listen to. Find out how at: www.thepermaculturepodcast.com/support. Until the next time, take care of your self, the earth, and each other.

Mycologist Tradd Cotter. Go deep into the incredible world of fungi on a brand new episode of Sharp & Hot! Emily Peterson is joined by mushroom expert and author of Organic Mushroom Farming and Mycoremediation, Tradd Cotter. Tradd is a microbiologist, professional mycologist, and organic gardener, who has been tissue culturing, collecting native fungi in the Southeast, and cultivating both commercially and experimentally for more than twenty-two years. In 1996, he founded Mushroom Mountain, which he owns and operates with his wife, Olga, to explore applications for mushrooms in various industries and currently maintains over 200 species of fungi for food production, mycoremediation of environmental pollutants, and natural alternatives to chemical pesticides. This program was brought to you by Whole Foods Market. “When you put a mushroom outdoors and give it everything it wants and it gets rained on – it responds.” [11:00] “Mushrooms can stay alive for a year — dried!” [20:00] –Tradd Cotter on Sharp & Hot

Donate to The Permaculture Podcast Online: via PayPal Venmo: @permaculturepodcast Photographer John, Layne, and I had an incredible time at the Mother Earth News Fair. Thankfully we had three days to enjoy ourselves, from Friday, September 12th to Sunday September 14th, 2014, or we might have been a little overwhelmed, there was so much going on. During our time there we had a chance to meet with or talk to a number of people. If you have a chance to attend one of the Mother Earth News Fairs, as they are held in multiple locations throughout the country, please do. They are well worth your time. Here are some of, but by no means all, of the highlights. First up was Michael Judd, author of Edible Landscaping with a Permaculture Twist. We had a chance to interview him and hang out some throughout the show. Michael was very generous with his time and even more dynamic in person than when we sat down an interviewed in the past. If you are near Frederick, Maryland, he is someone worth looking up. As I live not too far from Michael, I want to go visit again and do another formal interview. You can checkout his design company and find more information at: Ecologia Design. Next we sat down with Tradd Cotter who was just as engaging in person as he was in the interview that came out in early September. We sat down for a while and talked about medicinal mushrooms, which was the second of our videos from the fair. Once the camera was shut off he hung out with us for another hour talking mushrooms and we dug deeper into why it's important for people to own the knowledge to change the world. He also joked with Layne and John when they showed up to photograph one of his presentations. If you get a chance to take a class with Tradd or see him speak at a conference, do it. It's well worth your time. John, Layne, and I also have an invitation from Tradd to go visit him in 2015 and tour the facilities at Mushroom Mountain. There were also Jason and Sera Drevenak of the North American Bushcraft School. Located in Hedgesville, West Virginia, they are not too far from my hometown of Hagerstown, Maryland. Together they offer a number of primitive skill workshops and classes which are right in line with the re-wilding that Ben Weiss and Wilson Alvarez advocate. Jason is a gifted and engaging teacher who lives this. Jason and Sera tan their own hides from road kill, and forge their own bushcraft knives. Of all the workshops I saw, Jason's on primitive firemaking drew one of the largest crowds I of any of the non-keynote events. People stood around the edges of the stage area four and five deep. I'm planning to go down and take some classes at the North American Bushcraft School sometime, or at least go visit. I also spoke with Matthew Goldfarb of Fruition Seeds. He and Petra Page-Mann (no relation to me that I know of), have one of the coolest plant breeding programs around that I know about. I heard about their work when talking with Matt Stillerman and Michael Burns at the Fingerlakes Permaculture Site Tour, and after seeing their company in the program wanted to grab them for a few minutes. Matthew and Petra are working to create open-pollinated heirloom varieties that are adapted and resilient in local conditions, unique to the bioregion in which they are developed. I purchased several packets of the Insectary Blend of seeds to plant next year as part of our 2015 garden. Three Rivers EVA – The Western PA Chapter of the Electric Auto Association – had a variety of electric vehicles on-site ranging from custom built cars, trucks, and bicycles, as well as factory products including a Tesla Model S. Sitting up near the electric vehicles was Tara Whitsitt of Fermentation on Wheels. This is a food and fermentation education project that travels the country teaching people about nutrition in a converted bus. If you've read any of the books by Sandor Katz, you have an idea of the jars and crocks filling the bus. She had kimchi, kombucha, water and dairy kefir grains, and many many others in a well-designed stable rack allowing everything to remain in the open and on display. Once she's settled into an area for a few days I want to sit down and have a chat with her. Uncle Mud was running ongoing cob and plaster natural building workshop that was very hands-on and kid friendly. One of the pictures I took here was of a small girl putting plaster on the wall. The man speaking to those around him encouraged her to pull and play while he talked with the other people around him. As a parent I liked the openness and willingness to allow her to learn and experiment. I also met some others folks along the way who are doing good work and I've reached out to them for interviews, including Dan Chiras, of The Evergreen Institute and author of the Natural Home, and Lloyd Kahn, author of numerous books on tiny houses and hand built homes, including the incredible Shelter. While at the fair I also had a chance to sit down with Jen Mendez of PermieKids.com and we talked about permaculture, education, and podcasting for a while. She'll be joining me on the show as a guest. Some interesting products and organizations from the event. Airhead Composting Toilet. I liked this unit for the small size and easy to empty liquids container. Compared to some other companies the price was rather reasonably at under $1,000. If I were going to purchase something for a tiny-home installation, of what I saw at the show, this is the one I'd go for. Brooder Bottle Cap. This is a simple ball valve design that fits to a plastic soda bottle, whether 20oz or 2 liter, to water chickens and other animals. It strikes me as an appropriate technology because of the simplicity and durability, I also have been reading about a move in commercial chicken operations to move towards bottle feeding and this is an inexpensive way to do so. Al, the owner, was generous with his time explaining the idea behind the products as well as how to train your chickens to use them. He also wants to create a 501©3 that can produce these watering bottle caps for distribution to developing countries and disaster areas. Retail at the show was $5.95 for a pair. Chatham University, located in Pittsburgh, PA, was onsite and handing out information regarding two interesting degree programs. A Bachelor and Master of Sustainability. If you are involved in permaculture and would like some additional education to support your work, something I've found useful in the credentialed society in the United States, this is a direction worth investigating. Another suggestion for a program is the one I'm enrolled in, which is a Master of Park and Resource Management at Slippery Rock University. Patrick and Matthew of Go Sun Stoves were there demoing products. I'd talked to Patrick last year so it was good to see him there and to meet Matthew. They both met at a Permaculture Design course and worked on developing their innovative solar oven. I want to pick one of these up and spend a year cooking with it through all seasons and conditions and see what living with this type of solar cooker is really like. With the idea of using natural and renewable resources, an interesting wood splitter onsite was the WoodOx Woodsman. Having watched my father put an axe into his foot, twice, as well as splitting wedges fly when struck off center, these three and four way splitters are tools that safely handle the task of preparing firewood for a self-sufficient homestead. Mushroom Sources: At the event were two purveyors of mushroom spawn and supplies. One was mentioned by Michael Judd when we sat down and spoke, which is Smugtown Mushrooms out of Rochester, NY. The other was Back Bone Food Farm in Oakland, MD. If you'd like to try someone else, here are other options. Finally, I'd like to give a personal thanks to Brandy Ernzen, the PR Manager for Ogden Publications. She made the entire experience of working the Mother Earth News Fair easy and simple. That ends the report from the Mother Earth News Fair by the crew at The Permaculture Podcast. We shot some other video along the way, which I'm working on as time allows. Keep checking out the YouTube channel for the show, as well as the Facebook page. If you enjoyed this type of show, help us create more like it by supporting the podcast. Find out how to make a one time or ongoing contribution by going to www.ThePermaculturePodcast.com/support. Until the next time, create a better world each day by taking care of Earth, your self, and each other. Get In Touch E-mail: The Permaculture Podcast The Permaculture Podcast with Scott Mann The Permaculture Podcast Facebook: Facebook.com/ThePermaculturePodcast Twitter: @permaculturecst (Episode: MENF2014)