Today on Mushroom Hour we are grateful for the opportunity to interview biologist Nelson Dueñas who is a founding member of the MycoMaker project in Ecuador. Mycomaker is an organization that was born in the minds of biology students in late 2016 and was founded by Nelson in early 2017. The group has undertaken keystone fungal projects including promoting mushroom cultivation, researching mycelium as a building material, and even researching potentials of mushroom grafting! Touching down on the ...
Sep 09, 2020•1 hr 3 min•Transcript available on Metacast Today on Mushroom Hour we are honored to be joined by Terry Henkel, Professor of Botany at Humboldt State University. Terry boasts a Masters in Botany from the University of Wyoming and a PhD in Botany from Duke University. Terry’s main body of research investigates macrofungal biodiversity and ecological relationships in the remote tropical rainforests of South America's Guiana Shield and the Guineo-Congolian region of Central Africa. We venture to the heartland of Ohio and find young Terr...
Sep 02, 2020•2 hr 59 min•Ep 36•Transcript available on Metacast Today on Mushroom Hour we are excited to have the chance to hear from our guest Christian Schwarz. Christian is a Research Associate at the Norris Center for Natural History and he is coauthor of "Mushrooms of the Redwood Coast" – the bible for California mushroom foraging. Christian Schwarz has been intrigued by fungi ever since he inherited his first mushroom guidebook from his brother. That guide turned out to be irrelevant to his area and so his first year of foraging was spent usi...
Aug 21, 2020•1 hr 23 min•Transcript available on Metacast Today we are graced by the presence of Dr. Roo Vandegrift - queer scientist, illustrator and producer of the forthcoming documentary film Marrow of the Mountain . Roo received his doctorate in mycology from the University of Oregon’s Institute of Ecology and Evolution, doing much of his dissertation work on the ecology of fungi at Los Cedros, in Ecuador. Please support Roo's documentary "Marrow of the Mountain": https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/werdnus/marrow-of-the-mountain-t...
Aug 19, 2020•2 hr 57 min•Ep 33•Transcript available on Metacast Today on Mushroom Hour we are honored to be joined by Indy Srinath. Indy is a forager, educator, gardener, mushroom cultivator, and steward of both her environment and her community. Her work brings many of the principles that we discuss on Mushroom Hour - wild food, mycology, permaculture, environmentalism - into urban settings and into a relational context with BIPOC communities. Please support Indy's campaign to create a BIPOC community farm! https://www.gofundme.com/f/community-urban-fa...
Aug 12, 2020•1 hr 18 min•Ep 32•Transcript available on Metacast Today on Mushroom Hour we are graced by the presence of John Michelotti. John is the founder of Catskill Fungi and past President of the Mid-Hudson Mycological Association (MHMA). His goal is to inspire people to partner with fungi to improve their health, communities, and the environment. Our journey takes us to the Catskill Mountains in New York state where we find a young John spending the summer on his grandfather's farm - whose grounds were some of the favorite mushroom foraging spots ...
Aug 05, 2020•1 hr 25 min•Ep 31•Transcript available on Metacast Today on Mushroom Hour we are graced by the presence of Leah Bendlin AKA Leah Mycelia. For anyone on Instagram or Facebook, you will know Leah for her near-encyclopedic knowledge of wild macrofungi, some of their underappreciated fungal brethren and even their distant cousins, the infamous slime molds. On our way to visiting her myceliated domain of Portland, OR we make a stop in Leah's home state of Wisconsin to learn a little from Leah's Dad - a biology teacher who was a huge early i...
Jul 29, 2020•1 hr 21 min•Ep 30•Transcript available on Metacast Today on Mushroom Hour we are honored to be joined by Professor Tom Bruns of the UC Berkeley Dept. of Plant & Microbial Biology. Tom’s primary focus has been fungal ecology, and most of his work in this area has been at the community ecology or autecology levels. The Professor breaks down some fundamentals about the study of ecosystems before he pushes us into the deep end or exploring one of his most researched subjects and one of the most ecologically relevant organisms on the planet - myc...
Jul 22, 2020•1 hr 6 min•Ep 29•Transcript available on Metacast This week on Mushroom Hour we are grateful for the opportunity to speak with our guest Giuliana Furci. Giuliana is founder and president of the Fungi Foundation and has been the greatest advocate for the study and protection of the Fungi Kingdom in recent decades in the country of Chile. She managed to make Chile the first country in the world to include fungi in its environmental impact assessment legislation. Giuliana's upbringing took her across the Atlantic as her family fled political ...
Jul 15, 2020•1 hr 10 min•Ep 28•Transcript available on Metacast Today on Mushroom Hour we are blessed to have the opportunity to interview Daniel Winkler. Daniel has been organizing mushroom focused eco-adventures across the world since 2007. His research on different species of Cordyceps has been featured in The Economist, National Geographic, New York Times, Washington Post, NPR, BBC World Service and more. Emerging from the deep, Bavarian forests we meet a young Daniel who was foraging steinpilz (boletus edulis) when he was only 3-years-old! His academic ...
Jul 08, 2020•1 hr 13 min•Transcript available on Metacast Today on Mushroom Hour we have the pleasure of speaking with Merlin Sheldrake, author of the groundbreaking fungal narrative, Entangled Life. Merlin is a biologist and a writer with a background in plant sciences, microbiology, ecology, and the history and philosophy of science. He received a Ph.D. in tropical ecology from Cambridge University for his work on underground fungal networks in tropical forests in Panama. Our voyage begins in the fertile jungles of Panama, teeming with biodiversity o...
Jul 01, 2020•1 hr 1 min•Ep 26•Transcript available on Metacast Today on Mushroom Hour we are excited to interview Saga Mariah Sandberg. Saga Mariah is an accomplished artist whose work focuses on mushrooms and other natural subjects. Her work has been described as authentic, beguiling, captivating and, perhaps above all, a beautifully curated celebration of Sweden’s natural systems. In this second part of our two-part interview, Saga will be our guide through the folklore, myths and legends of Sweden. This epic journey starts with a brief introduction to th...
Jun 26, 2020•2 hr 30 min•Ep 25•Transcript available on Metacast Today on Mushroom Hour we are excited to interview Saga Mariah Sandberg. Saga Mariah is an accomplished artist whose work focuses on mushrooms and other natural subjects. Her work has been described as authentic, beguiling, captivating and, perhaps above all, a beautifully curated celebration of Sweden’s natural systems. In this first part of our two-part interview, we travel to the beautiful Varmland region of Sweden, the land that our artist Saga Mariah calls home. We'll experience life o...
Jun 24, 2020•2 hr 36 min•Ep 24•Transcript available on Metacast Today on Mushroom Hour we have the blessing to interview Benjamin Lillibridge. Benjamin is the founder of Big Island based Mālama Mushrooms, a business focused on bringing superfood mushroom extracts to the masses for immunity, brain health, and energy support. This week's journey takes us to the Big Island of Hawaii - one of the most unique biomes on the planet. With Ben as our guide, we'll take a tropical tour through the fungal landscape of the Big Island, including a look at some o...
Jun 17, 2020•1 hr 5 min•Transcript available on Metacast Today on Mushroom Hour we are excited to interview Oliver Merivee. Oliver is the co-founder of the Fungi Academy, a paradigm-shifting community and a sacred mycology school in Guatemala, located on the magical Lake Atitlán. Pack your bags and open your mind as we go on a world-spanning journey from Oliver's native Estonia over to Australia, hitchhiking across Mexico and winding up in Guatemala. His travels have given him a unique perspective on the human experience and the value of service ...
Jun 09, 2020•1 hr 23 min•Ep 22•Transcript available on Metacast Today on Mushroom Hour we have the extraordinary honor of interviewing William Padilla-Brown. Founder of MycoSymbiotics, William is a social entrepreneur, citizen scientist, mycologist, amateur 'phychologist', urban shaman, writer, you-tube vlogger, contributing editor for Fungi magazine, researcher, poet, and father. Venturing into the woods of Pennsylvania, we'll train our eyes to go foraging for wild cordyceps with a man who has played a major role in popularizing the cultivati...
May 27, 2020•1 hr 4 min•Ep 21•Transcript available on Metacast Today on Mushroom Hour we have the pleasure of speaking with Rachel Zoller. Under her moniker, Yellow Elanor, she has become a pillar in the online mushroom education community. She teaches classes and speaks at mycological events across the Pacific Northwest. We trek up to the wilds of BZ Corner, Washington to start exploring the forest floor with our master myco-educator! Rachel will guide us through the basics of mushroom identification, including the importance of engaging all of our senses ...
May 20, 2020•1 hr 13 min•Ep 20•Transcript available on Metacast Today on Mushroom Hour we have the honor of speaking with the distinguished Dr. Gordon Walker. Gordon boasts a Ph.D. in Biochemistry, Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology from UC Davis and has had a passion for wild mushroom hunting that began at the tender age of 5. Traveling to Napa County California, the heart of US wine country, we'll learn about the amazing powers of yeast, a fungi you may not even know is a fungi! We'll get a window from an expert into the complex, hidde...
May 13, 2020•1 hr 17 min•Ep 19•Transcript available on Metacast Today on Mushroom Hour we have the wonderful occasion of speaking with Anna Henning. She has been hunting fungi in the woods of central Massachusetts and eastern Connecticut for over 5 years, gathering edible and medicinal mushrooms along with knowledge, and friends along the way. In the sleepy town of Cape Cod we'll meet a passionate self-taught mycology, taxonomist and etymologist named Anna, but you can call her "Breakfast". We wander the forests, with plenty of canine company,...
May 06, 2020•1 hr 22 min•Transcript available on Metacast Today on Mushroom Hour we are excited to chat with Chris Adams - illustrator & print-maker from Corvallis, Oregon. Chris is the driving force behind Corvidopolis, an art & apparel company, and he is the creator of The Mushroom Tarot. We'll gather our gear and hike through vast tracts of old-growth forests in the Pacific Northwest to see how Chris transformed from an aspiring architect into a mushroom-obsessed artist. His own personal journey into mycology became an inspiration for t...
Apr 29, 2020•1 hr 4 min•Transcript available on Metacast Today on Mushroom Hour we have the wondrous opportunity to interview Leanne Townsend. Leanne is the founder of Wild Food Stories which sees her leading a variety of courses, workshops and events throughout the year in Aberdeenshire, and throughout Scotland. Let's travel to rural Scotland and hop from birch tree to birch tree finding beautiful golden chanterelles. We'll experience living and foraging in rural Scotland and then look more broadly at the wild food landscape across the UK. ...
Apr 22, 2020•1 hr 19 min•Transcript available on Metacast Today on Mushroom Hour we chat with my good friend, talented artist and fellow mycophile Michael Campbell. Michael is a sculptural artist based in the San Francisco bay area whose work explores our connection to the mysterious fungi kingdom. Be sure to visit the links below for information on his upcoming shows! Join us as we enter the mind and studio of Michael Campell. Michael's fungi sculptures are colorful and mysterious, centering around mushrooms like amanita muscaria and psilocybe cu...
Apr 18, 2020•57 min•Transcript available on Metacast Today on Mushroom Hour we have the privilege of interviewing William Goss. William graduated with a B.S. in Plant Genetics from UC Davis, with a Fungal Biology and Ecology minor. He has taken a passion for mycology and turned it into an impressive and multifaceted career. In this interview, we focus on his efforts as an activist leader for the "Decriminalize California" organization. If you live in California, please see the links below to support Decriminalize CA and/or support their ...
Apr 15, 2020•1 hr 29 min•Ep 14•Transcript available on Metacast Today on Mushroom Hour, we have the exciting opportunity to chat with Ashley Granter, ecological designer and co-founder of Natura Design. Let's hop into Ashley's mobile mycology lab and get out in the woods. We'll got foraging for mushrooms, but instead of edibles we'll be looking for specimens that show potential to be used as a myco-material. Mushrooms are like witches & wizards of the forest, spewing forth an incredible array of chemicals that give them amazing proper...
Apr 08, 2020•1 hr 18 min•Ep 13•Transcript available on Metacast Today on Mushroom Hour we have the wonderful opportunity to interview Jme Bonfiglio, medicinal mushroom evangelist and founder of Wholesun Wellness. Our conversation begins as Jme lifts the veil and leads us through the vast landscape of medicinal mushrooms. Her own journey began with powerful healing experiences using chaga mushrooms. She soon found herself working with Paul Stamets himself in the heart of the US medicinal mushroom industry. We'll ask some big questions at the center of th...
Apr 01, 2020•1 hr 22 min•Ep 12•Transcript available on Metacast On this episode of Mushroom Hour, we have the honor of interviewing Craig Trester of MYC.NYC. Strap yourself in for a mind-blowing conversation as Craig walks us through a veritable masterclass in soil biology and the soil food web, including the interactions of fungi and other microorganisms. He shares the secrets of working with the passive systems of nature to regenerate our environment through bio-remediation and myco-remediation. The constant theme is that everything starts with the cultiva...
Mar 25, 2020•2 hr 41 min•Transcript available on Metacast Today on Mushroom Hour we have the joy of interviewing Mandie Quark AKA Mushroom Madman. Mandie is an intriguing blend of artist and scientist who has been completely taken over by mushrooms. Our journey takes us to the temperate rainforests of North Carolina - one of the only rainforests in North America. We start our chat with a brief history of Mandie Quark. Her impressive academic career saw her explore pharmacognosy, ethnobotany and eventually receive a Masters Degree in Biochemistry. Mandi...
Mar 24, 2020•1 hr 9 min•Ep 10•Transcript available on Metacast Today on Mushroom Hour we have the privilege of interviewing Mr. Neil Thenier of Wild Kingdom Extracts. Neil is a life-long forager, musician, and an IIN ( Institute for Integrative Nutrition ) health coach. Our chat starts with an exploration of the compounds that make both medicinal and gourmet mushrooms such nutritional powerhouses. What are polysaccharides and terpenes and why are they good for us? Neil’s team at Wild Kingdom creates amazing medicinal mushroom extracts that are optimized to ...
Mar 18, 2020•1 hr 3 min•Transcript available on Metacast Today on Mushroom Hour we have the joy of interviewing Jess Starwood. Jess is a master forager, plant-based chef, teacher, and herbalist with a Masters of Science degree in Herbal Medicine from the American College of Healthcare Sciences. She hosts wild food workshops in Southern California as well as other sites in the Western US and Mexico. We kick things off with our own observations on how a connection to the natural world aids in balancing in our spiritual, mental and physical health. Then ...
Mar 11, 2020•1 hr 8 min•Ep 8•Transcript available on Metacast Today on Mushroom Hour we have the privilege of interviewing the distinguished Tugrul De Luce, or “Tug” for short. For the last 12 years of his life, he has ventured on an epic journey into the world of fungi. He has traveled into the wilds of North and South America with world famous mycologists, and has explored the frontiers of mushroom identification. We start our conversation with the principles of wild mushroom identification. How important is a knowledge of trees when foraging and identif...
Mar 04, 2020•1 hr 4 min•Ep 7•Transcript available on Metacast 
