The Mushroom Hour Podcast

Latest Episodes:

Ep. 72: Porcini, Systematics of Family Boletaceae & Fungus Farming Ants (feat. Bryn Dentinger PhD) Mar 01, 2021

Show notes

Today on Mushroom Hour we are joined by the distinguished Bryn Dentinger, Curator of Mycology at the Natural History Museum of Utah and Associate Professor in the Biology Department at the University of Utah. Bryn hails from Minnesota and attended the University of Minnesota for his PhD, where he studied the molecular systematics of clavarioid and porcini mushrooms. He has carried out fieldwork all over the world, including exciting collecting trips to Vietnam, Brazil, and Cameroon. He spent years in the UK as the Head of Mycology at the world-renowned Kew Gardens and since 2003 has published dozens of research papers in respected scientific journals around the world. Now running the Dentinger lab in Utah, he continues to pursue molecular systematics research on mushrooms and other fungi around the world, combining fieldwork, collections, and modern genomic tools, while maintaining a keen interest in home-brewing and whisky. Bryn’s work has overlapped with many other guests on the Mushroom Hour and has been one of the most recommended guests.
Topics Covered:

Early Inspirations to Study Fungi
Introduction to Porcini
Definition of Porcini (Species), Boletus (Genus), Boletaceae (Family)
Family Boletaceae Phylogeny & Radiative Evolutionary Event
Evolutionary Biology Behind Physical Characteristics of Fungi
World’s Most Comprehensive Genetic Analysis of Family Boletacae
Beyond PCR - Emerging Frontiers of Genetic Sequencing
Importance of Citizen Scientists in Biodiversity Research
Sequencing Existing Fungarium and Herbarium Collections
Species of Fungus Farming Ants
"Microbial Garden" Ant/Fungus/Bacteria Ecosystems
Divergent Evolution of Fungus Farming Ants
Evolutionary Significance of the Chemical Psilocybin
Current and Future Research at the Dentinger Lab

Episode Resources:

Dentinger Lab Website: https://dentingerlab.org/
Bryn Dentinger Faculty Page: https://faculty.utah.edu/u6007810-BRYN_DENTINGER/hm/index.hml
Bryn Dentinger IG: https://www.instagram.com/nhmumycology/
Boletaceae (Family): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boletaceae
Boletus (Genus): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boletus
Boletus Edulis (Species): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boletus_edulis
David McLaughlin (Inspiration): https://cbs.umn.edu/contacts/david-j-mclaughlin
Tom Bruns (Inspiration): https://plantandmicrobiology.berkeley.edu/profile/bruns
Charles Peck (Inspiration): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Horton_Peck
Heimioporus (Mushroom Genus): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heimioporus
Leaf Cutter Ants: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leafcutter_ant
Rhodotus palmatus: https://www.mushroomexpert.com/rhodotus_palmatus.html

Ep. 71: Wild Food Girl - Wild Food Cultures, Indigenous Agro-ecology & Foraging in Colorado (feat. Erica Davis) Feb 21, 2021

Show notes

Today on Mushroom Hour we’re excited to speak with Erica Davis, founder of Wild Food Girl. Erica started writing her adventures with wild food back in 2009 at her blog, and later in a monthly magazine called “Wild Edible Notebook.” She teaches a course on useful plants at Colorado Mountain College and conducts plant walks around the state. She is also a regular presenter at the Midwest Wild Harvest Festival in Wisconsin. Erica’s educational background includes a BA in archaeology, an elementary school teaching credential, and an MA in technology-based education. Today she maintains an active Facebook community and is hard at work on her first book about edible wild plants in the West. Her incredible body of work is carefully compiled and she has worked diligently to provide accurate, useful, safe—and whenever possible, lesser known—information.
Topics Covered:

Introduced to Foraging Through the Work of Yule Gibbons
Learning Through Books
Foraging Hobby vs Lifestyle
Foraging Seasons in Colorado
Wild Seed Foraging
Indigenous Agro-forestry
Agricultural Systems from an Ecological Perspective
Co-evolution of Human Tenders and Wild Edibles
Integrating Wild Foods into Your Diet
The World’s Best Dandelion Preparation
Wild Mustards
Wild Food Recipes and Preparations Across Cultures
Sustainable Foraging
Erica's Book Planned for 2022

Episode Resources:

Wild Food Girl Website: https://wildfoodgirl.com/
Wild Food Girl Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wildfoodgirl/
Euell Gibbons (Inspiration): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Euell_Gibbons
Cattail Bob Seebeck (Inspiration): https://www.rrcc.edu/outdoor-education/faculty/cattail-bob
Samuel Thayer (Inspiration): https://www.foragersharvest.com/#/
"Tending the Wild" (Book): https://www.amazon.com/Tending-Wild-Knowledge-Management-Californias/dp/0520280431
Yampa (Plant): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perideridia
Goosefoot (Plant): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chenopodium
Pinus edulis (Tree): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinus_edulis
"Mushrooms of Colorado and the Southern Rocky Mountains": https://www.amazon.com/Mushrooms-Colorado-Southern-Rocky-Mountains/dp/1565791924
"Mushrooms of the Rocky Mountain Region": https://www.amazon.com/Mushrooms-Rocky-Mountain-Region-Timber/dp/1604695765

Ep. 70: Mycelium Coffins, Living Homes & Building with Bio-Materials (feat. Bob Hendrikx) Feb 14, 2021

Show notes

Today on Mushroom Hour we are blessed by the presence of inventor & bio-designer Bob Hendrikx, coming to us all the way from the Netherlands. Through his work at Studio Hendrikx, Bob strives to restore the parasitic relationship between humanity and its environment by expanding the horizon of human imagination and exploring living materials. His Living Cocoon project has captured headlines around the world with a coffin made from mycelium that helps bodies decompose faster while improving the surrounding soil. Through all of his design endeavors Bob embraces the notion that current way we build and produce materials must change fundamentally. I’m excited to hear from this visionary designer how we may be able to shift humankind's 200,000-year model of parasitism and extraction by taking a cue from Mother Nature who has been leading the way for 3.8 billion years by growing materials in ecological harmony.
Topics Covered:

Becoming a bio-based designer
Living vs Dead Materials
Free Technology Found in Nature
What is “Homo Natura”?
Listening to Nature Helps us Listen to Each Other
Inspiration for the Mycelium Coffin
Becoming Compost, Not Waste
Facing our Collective Fear of Death
Living Homes Made of Mycelium
Self-Healing T-Shirts
Bioluminescent Streetlights
Smashing the System vs. Growing a New One
Growing Our Way to a Better Society
Future Projects for Studio Hendrikx

Episode Resources:

Bob Hendrikx Website: https://www.bobhendrikx.com/
Bob Hendrikx IG: https://www.instagram.com/studiohendrikx/
Genus Ramaria (Mushrooms): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ramaria

Ep. 69: Mushroom Mountain - Change the World with Fungi, Think Like a Mushroom (feat. Tradd Cotter) Feb 10, 2021

Show notes

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

Ep. 68: Learn Your Land - Connecting to Natural Spaces, Finding a Sense of Belonging (feat. Adam Haritan) Feb 01, 2021

Show notes

Today we are blessed by the presence of Adam Haritan, founder of Learn Your Land. Adam started the famous Learn Your Land platform in 2014 out of a desire to connect naturalists with people who wanted to learn from naturalists. Learn Your Land is an advertisement-free media channel, helping people to improve their nature skills one species at a time. He spends most of my days either looking for mushrooms/plants/trees, researching mushrooms/plants/trees, filming mushrooms/plants/trees, or editing videos and content around mushrooms/plants/trees. Before his life became dedicated to this project, Adam studied classical piano and euphonium, toured as a drummer with a heavy metal band until his academic pursuits led him to study nutrition and dietetics at the University of Pittsburgh. I’m excited to probe the depths of a naturalist who has dedicated so much time and effort to help us all learn more about the land under our feet.
Topics Covered:

Charting a New Life Course Through Nutrition
Learning from Mentors and Naturalist Groups
Western Pennsylvania Mushroom and Wild Food Community
Finding Purpose in Sharing Information About Nature
Foraging in Western Pennsylvania
Connection with Land as Essential to Human Health
Tips for Other Educators
Content Creation as a Disciplined Learning Process
Foraging Wild Water, Medicine and Food
Land and Belonging
Transcending Dystopian Futures
Significance of Land Trusts & Giving Back to Natural Spaces
Learning Each Mushroom that Crosses Your Path
Future Projects for “Learn Your Land”

Episode Resources:

Learn Your Land Website: https://learnyourland.com/
Learn Your Land YT: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcbf8wnyVJl631LAmAbo7nw
Learn Your Land IG: https://www.instagram.com/learnyourland/
Western Pennsylvania Mushroom Club: https://wpamushroomclub.org/
Echinoderma asperum (Fungus): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Echinoderma_asperum

Ep. 67: Tiger Mushroom Farms - Working to End Hunger, Growing A New Future (feat. Te'Lario Watkins II) Jan 26, 2021

Show notes

Today on Mushroom Hour we are excited to have a conversation with Te’Lario Watkins II, founder of Tiger Mushroom Farms. Te’Lario started his mushroom farm at the age of 7 on the heels of a Cub Scout Project. Now at age 12, Te’Lario is a speaker, author, Hunger Hero and nonprofit Founder. He grows shiitake mushrooms in his basement and oyster mushrooms in a spare bedroom. Te’Lario sells them at a farmers market and local restaurants. Te’Lario’s mission is to help end hunger and encourage kids to eat healthier. He has worked with No Kid Hungry to raise awareness and funds to end hunger. He volunteers with Food Rescue US and delivers unsold food from restaurants to food pantries. Te’Lario recently started his own nonprofit “The Garden Club Project” to help his mission to end hunger. This summer, Te’Lario’s nonprofit delivered over 2,000 pounds to a local food pantry in his community. Te’Lario was recently “gifted” a microgreen business and plans to donate some of the proceeds to his nonprofit to help his community even more.
Topics Covered:

Inspired by the Cub Scouts
Discovering Mushrooms for Winter Growing
"Back to the Roots" Grow Kits
Birth of Tiger Mushroom Farms
The Rise of Kid-preneurs
Writing a Children's Book
Making Healthy Delicious & Famous Shiitake Bacon
Te’Lario’s Mission to End Hunger
No Kid Hungry, Food Rescue & the Garden Club Project
Future Plans for Te’Lario and Tiger Mushroom Farm

Episode Resources:

Te'Lario Watkins II IG: https://www.instagram.com/telariowatkinsii/
Tiger Mushroom Farms IG: https://www.instagram.com/tigermushroomfarms_/
Tiger Mushroom Farms Website: https://www.tigermushroomfarms.com/home.html
"Te'Lario's Amazing Mushroom Farm": https://www.amazon.com/TeLarios-Amazing-Mushroom-TeLario-Watkins/dp/1975604741
Back to the Roots Grow Kits: https://backtotheroots.com/
No Kid Hungry: https://www.nokidhungry.org/
Food Rescue: https://foodrescue.us/
Worthington Farmer's Market: https://www.worthingtonfarmersmarket.com/
Sassafras Bakery: https://www.sassafrasbakery.com/

Ep. 66: Madagascar's Marasmius & the Ecology of Monkeyflower Endophytes (feat. Jackie Shay) Jan 20, 2021

Show notes

Today on Mushroom Hour we have the pleasure of learning from Jackie Shay. Jackie is a fungal evolutionary biologist and microbial ecologist fascinated with the intimate history and future significance of symbiotic relationships between plant hosts and their microbial communities. Her goal is to use integrative techniques to explore these interactions in the natural world and learn how we can apply these partnerships to promote conservation and resilience through climate change. Jackie received a master's in Ecology, Evolution, and Conservation Biology from the Desjardin lab at San Francisco State University studying the evolution of wood decaying mushrooms (Marasmius) from Madagascar. She is currently a Ph.D. student in the Sexton and Frank labs in the Quantitative and Systems Biology Program at the University of California, Merced. This interdisciplinary team has set out to uncover the mystery behind the Monkeyflower microbiome and discover whether these microbes influence their plant hosts across its range.
Topics Covered:

From Urban Dweller to Forest Lover
Desjardin Lab at SFSU
Marasmius Research in Madagascar
Unseen Ecological Importance of Saprobic Fungi
Fungal Genetics
Importance of "ITS" Region in Fungal Gene Sequencing
Discovering New Species of Marasmius
Monkeyflower Microbiome
Bioinformatics
Endophytes Defined
Endophytes and Climate Change
Mysteries of "Dark" Endophytes
We Need More Mycologists!
New Pedagogic Career Path & Future Plans

Episode Resources:

Jackie Shay Website: https://www.jackieshay.com/
Castilleja miniata: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Castilleja_miniata
Marasmius (Fungi Genus): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marasmius
Desjardin Lab SFSU: http://biology.sfsu.edu/people/dennis-desjardin
Mimulus "Monkeyflower" (Plant Genus): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mimulus
Sexton and Frank labs UC Merced: http://sextonlab.ucmerced.edu/
Merced Center for Engaged Teaching and Learning: https://cetl.ucmerced.edu/
Cordyceps (Fungi Genus): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cordyceps

Ep. 65: Forage Colorado - Finding Wild Food & Connection in the Rocky Mountains (feat. Orion Aon) Jan 14, 2021

Show notes

Today on Mushroom Hour we are privileged to get to speak with Orion Aon, founder of Forage Colorado. Orion is a Colorado transplant with a lifelong passion for the outdoors and anything there is to do in them. He loves to hunt, fish, forage, camp, wander and wonder, look at trees, you name it! Orion grew up in Santa Fe, NM where he first started mushroom hunting with his family looking for king boletes, chanterelles, and hawk's wings - like a treasure hunt in the woods that got him hooked. In 2008, he moved to Colorado to attend CSU where he would study Natural Resource Management and Fisheries Biology. In 2015 Orion started Forage Colorado as a place where he could share his passion for Colorado foraging with others. His first big project was writing a series about Colorado morels, which has helped a lot of people who didn’t even know there were morels in Colorado to find their first ones. He now offers private foraging classes and does talks, events, and leads forays for his local mycological society.
Topics Covered:

Family Tradition Becomes a Passion for Foraging
Colorado Mycological Societies
Unique Mushroom Habitat of the Southwestern US
Mysteries of Colorado Morels
Finding Mushroom Spots on the Rocky Mountain range
Foraging as a Source of Connection
Wild Food Sustainability
"Forage Colorado" Passion Project
Cooking with Foraged Finds
Educating Through Social Media
Studies in Natural Resource Management
Career with Colorado State Seedling Nursery
Treatise on Dandelion
Foraging Books and Future Plans

Episode Resources:

Forage Colorado Website: https://www.foragecolorado.com/
Forage Colorado FB: https://www.facebook.com/foragecolorado/
Forage Colorado IG: https://www.instagram.com/foragecolorado/?hl=en
Colorado Mycological Society: https://cmsweb.org
Fort Collins Mycological Society: https://www.facebook.com/FoCoMycoClub/
Pikes Peak Mycological Society: pikespeakmyc.org
Colorado State Seedling Nursery: https://csfs.colostate.edu/seedling-tree-nursery/
Samuel Thayer Website (Inspiration): https://www.foragersharvest.com/
Briana Wiles (Inspiration): https://www.instagram.com/rootedapothecary/?hl=en
Erica Davis: https://wildfoodgirl.com
Mushrooms of the Rocky Mountain Region (Book): https://www.amazon.com/Mushrooms-Rocky-Mountain-Region-Timber/dp/1604695765
Rocky Mountain Mushrooms by Habitat (Book): https://www.amazon.com/Essential-Guide-Mountain-Mushrooms-Habitat/dp/0252081463

Ep. 64: Magdalena - Anthropology, Ethnobotany & Colombia's River of Dreams (feat. Wade Davis) Jan 06, 2021

Show notes

Wade Davis is Professor of Anthropology and the BC Leadership Chair in Cultures and Ecosystems at Risk at the University of British Columbia. Between 2000 and 2013 he served as Explorer-in-Residence at the National Geographic Society and was named by NGS as one of the Explorers for the Millennium. He has been described as “a rare combination of scientist, scholar, poet and passionate defender of all of life’s diversity.” His work has taken him to unique biomes across the world including East Africa, Borneo, Nepal, Peru, Polynesia, Tibet, Mali, Benin, Togo, New Guinea, Australia, Colombia, Vanuatu, Mongolia and the high Arctic of Nunuvut and Greenland. An ethnographer, writer, photographer and filmmaker, Davis holds degrees in anthropology and biology and received his Ph.D. in ethnobotany, all from Harvard University. Through the Harvard Botanical Museum, he spent three years in the Amazon and Andes as a plant explorer, living among 15 indigenous groups in eight Latin American nations while making some 6000 botanical collections. Davis is the author of 320 scientific and popular articles and 23 books and as a professional speaker for 30 years, has lectured at over 200 universities and 250 corporations and professional associations. One of only 20 Honorary Members of the Explorers Club, his incredible list of awards, medals and accolades would warrant its own podcast. We’ve connected here today to introduce our audience to this incredible explorer, give some of his background and dive into his newest work about one of the most biodiverse and culturally relevant countries in the world – Colombia and it’s great river the Magdalena.
⚠️ There were some issues with audio capture at certain points in the interview. After 12 minutes you get through the roughest patches, but I encourage you to listen in even to the rough bits! There is gold here 💛
Topics Covered:

Anthropological and Ethnobotanical Influences at Harvard
Richard Evans Schultes & David Maybury-Lewis
Cross-Disciplinary Importance of Anthropology
Emergence of Concepts of Conservation & Biodiversity
Magical, Animated Worldview vs. Inert, Material Worldview
Indigenous Shaman as Natural Philosopher
Psychedelic Renaissance
Colombia & the Magdalena River
Scale & Impact of Cocaine Trade on Colombia
Colombia's Ongoing Civil War
Enshrining Indigenous & Environmental Rights
Coca - Divine Leaf of Immortality
Colombia’s Outrageous Biodiversity
Resiliency of Colombian People
Hopes for the Book & Future of Colombia

Episode Resources:

Wade Davis Website: https://daviswade.com/wade
Wade Davis Teaching Website: https://anth.ubc.ca/profile/wade-davis/
Wade Davis IG: https://www.instagram.com/wadedavisofficial/
Magdalena: River of Dreams (Book): https://www.amazon.com/Magdalena-River-Dreams-Wade-Davis/dp/0375410996
Richard Evans Schultes: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Evans_Schultes
David Maybury-Lewis: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Maybury-Lewis
Franz Boas: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franz_Boas
Timothy Plowman: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timothy_Plowman

Ep. 63: Marin Mushrooms - Macro Photography, Myxomycetes (Slime Molds) & Tiny Fungi (feat. Alison Pollack) Jan 02, 2021

Show notes

Today on Mushroom Hour we are fortunate to be joined be Alison Pollack. Alison is a photographer specializing in making large the diminutive dwellers of the forest - Myxomycetes (commonly referred to as slime molds) and tiny fungi. Her passion is finding, photographing, identifying and sharing these miniature worlds to bring awareness to the fascinating organisms that exist right at our feet in the forest but are largely hidden to the naked eye. Alison has always had a casual interest in photography, but when she retired from the field of air quality consulting she upgraded to a DSLR and began shooting landscapes at home and while traveling - hiking with her husband throughout the world. It wasn’t until she found and photographed her first slime mold, however, that she got serious about mushroom and myxo photography. Alison’s photographs have been featured in numerous publications, including Colossal, Bored Panda, MyModernMet, the German National Geographic magazine GEO, Der Spiegel, and the Sunday New York Times Magazine. Known as “Marin Mushrooms” on Instagram, her widely shared posts have inspired people to slow down on their hikes to search for these tiny life forms that she loves.
Topics Covered:

Alison’s Discovery of Slime Molds
Searching vs. Foraging
How to Find Myxomycetes and Ascomycetes
Cultivating Myxomycetes
Capturing the Miniature World of Myxos
Photography in the Wild and in a Studio
Evolution as a Photographer
Equipment for Ultra-Macro Photography
"Focus Stacking"
Microscopic Captures
Myxobacteria
Power of Fungi Community
Breaking Through Internationally
Future Events and Exhibitions

Episode Resources:

Alison Pollack (IG): https://www.instagram.com/marin_mushrooms/
Alison Pollack (FB): https://www.facebook.com/AlisonKPollack
FB Slime Mold Identification and Appreciation: https://www.facebook.com/groups/SlimeMold/
Sarah Lloyd: https://www.instagram.com/sarah.lloyd.tasmania/
Leah Mycelia: https://www.instagram.com/leah_mycelia/
Raynox Add-On Lens for Macro Photography: https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/275182-REG/Raynox_DCR_250_DCR_250_2_5x_Super_Macro.html
Focus Stacking Software: https://zerenesystems.com/cms/stacker
Myxomycetes - A Handbook of Slime Molds (Book): https://www.amazon.com/Myxomycetes-Handbook-Steven-L-Stephenson/dp/0881924393/
Fungi of Temperate Europe (Book): https://www.amazon.com/Fungi-Temperate-Europe-Thomas-Laessoe/dp/0691180377

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