The Mushroom Hour Podcast

Latest Episodes:

Ep. 132: Community Assembly, Plant-Fungal Associations and Mycorrhizal Ecologies (feat. Dr. Kabir Peay) Aug 14, 2022

Show notes

Today on Mushroom Hour we are host to the distinguished Dr. Kabir Peay – head of Stanford University’s Peay Lab. Dr. Peay completed a master’s degree at the Yale School of Forestry and Environment Science (F&ES) in 2003 and obtained a PhD in 2008 from UC Berkeley’s Dept. of Environmental Science, Policy and Management (ESPM) in Matteo Garbelotto's lab. He completed postdoctoral training at UC Berkeley in the Dept. of Plant & Microbial Biology with Tom Bruns, and at Stanford in the Dept. of Biology with Tadashi Fukami. He was an Assistant Professor in the Dept. of Plant Pathology at the University of Minnesota from 2011-2012 before coming to Stanford in 2012 to join the Dept. of Biology in his current position. The Peay lab studies the ecological processes that structure natural communities and the links between community structure and the cycling of nutrients and energy through ecosystems - focusing on fungi! Much of the research focuses on plant-fungal root associations, better known as mycorrhizas, which constitute one of the most pervasive mutualisms in terrestrial ecosystems. By integrating their lines of research, they hope to weave together a 'roots-to-biomes' understanding of plant-microbe symbiosis.
TOPICS COVERED:

A Love of Nature, Inspiration in the East
From Environmental Consulting into Ecological Understanding
Discovering Fungal Symbioses
Defining Ecology & Community Assembly
Understanding Scale in Community Ecology
Embracing Fungi in All of Their Ecological Roles
Facultative Capacities of Fungi
Mycorrhizal Lessons in Community Ecology
Broadening Ecological Perspectives Beyond Purely Competitive Frameworks
MISSPs & Mediating Mycorrhizal Interactions
Fungal Biogeography
Ecological Succession & Stages of Community Assembly
Future of Mycorrhizal Research
Mapping Fungal Genes to Ecological Functions

EPISODE RESOURCES:

Peay Lab Academic Website: https://mykophile.stanford.edu/
Dr. Peay Google Scholar: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=E6GRsP4AAAAJ&hl=en
Dipterocarpaceae - tree family: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dipterocarpaceae
Chytrids: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chytridiomycota
Pinus ponderosa (tree species): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinus_ponderosa
Suilllus pungens (fungus species): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suillus_pungens

Ep. 131: Temptress Truffles, Fruiting Bodies Collective & Compassionate Upliftment (feat. Elan Hagens) Jul 29, 2022

Show notes

Today on Mushroom Hour we have the honor of being joined by Elan Hagens. Elan Hagens is a native Oregonian who has been playing in the woods, wildcrafting and going to outdoor education classes her entire life. Her passion for everything animals and the outdoors led her to working with dogs in in her early 20s. Following that path landed her an opportunity to participate in a dog based reality show on CBS! Later work at an Iditarod sled dog kennel and training her dogs how to forage for native Oregon truffles further deepened her love for everything outdoors and led to her creating Temptress Truffles a decade ago. Temptress Truffles is all about wild foraging, wildcrafting and connecting people to the outdoors. Elan loves watching people learn how to engage with nature in different ways besides technical outdoor sports and activities. She teaches classes in mushroom foraging, food Justice and nature crafting. In January 2021 she cofounded a new business called Fruiting Bodies Collective. Through an excellent podcast show, a growing facilitator training program and other projects, the Fruiting Bodies Collective hopes to destigmatize psychedelics and serve marginalized groups. All of Elan’s projects seem to stem from a deep-rooted passion for sharing her lifelong love of everything outdoors and helping everyone, no matter their background, to appreciate the natural environment as she does.
TOPICS COVERED:

Nature-Loving Tagalong with a Mother Who Loves Fresh Food
Becoming a Reality TV Star
Intentional Choices of Sponsors and Partnerships
Truffle Fundamentals
The Secret to Truffle Hunting - Habitat
“Raked Truffles” vs Dog-Found Truffles
Running a Foraged-Goods Business
Indigenous Land Acknowledgement
BIPOC Representation in the Outdoors
Mycological Elitism
Harvesting Wild Clay, Building Community
Fruiting Bodies Collective
Engaging and Educating as Psilocybin Emerges into the Mainstream
Black and Indigenous Representation in Psychedelic Spaces

EPISODE RESOURCES:

Temptress Truffles IG: https://www.instagram.com/temptresstruffles/
Fruiting Bodies Collective IG: https://www.instagram.com/fruitingbodiesco/
Danner - Elan Hagens: https://vimeo.com/551545643
Sparassis crispa (fungus): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sparassis_crispa

Ep. 130: Fungal Systematics, Mushroom Ancestry & Recognizing Patterns (feat. Dr. Andrew Wilson) Jul 17, 2022

Show notes

Today on the Mushroom Hour we are honored to be joined by Dr. Andrew Wilson - Assistant Curator of Mycology in the Sam Mitchel Herbarium of Fungi at Denver Botanic Gardens. For Dr. Wilson the discovery of mycology began back in the late 90’s at San Francisco State University in taking classes from world renown mushroom taxonomist, Dr. Dennis Desjardin. Working with Dennis, Andrew earned a Masters degree studying the mushroom genus Gymnopus from Java and Bali. He later went on to earn a PhD in the lab of Dr. David Hibbett at Clark University. His project took him back to Southeast Asia, this time to study the ecology and evolution enigmatic puffball genus Calostoma and their relatives. In 2009, Andrew graduated and began a postdoc with Dr. Gregory Mueller at the Chicago Botanic Garden where he explored the systematic evolution of the Cantharellales and the model ectomycorrhizal mushroom genus Laccaria. He also did a one-year postdoc at Purdue University, in the lab of Dr. Cathie Aime, teasing apart the complex evolution of plant pathogenic rust fungi. At Denver Botanic Gardens, Dr. Wilson is working on a regional contribution to the Fungal Diversity Survey (FunDiS) that encompasses the state of Colorado, with a focus on the Southern Rockies. In this effort he is training students on how to study biodiversity using natural history collection and DNA sequence analysis. He is also working on new tools in DNA sequencing to better sample and study fungal diversity.
TOPICS COVERED:

Formed in a Family of Biologists
Intellectual Explorations at San Francisco State University
Genus Gymnopus
Expeditions to Southeast Asia
What are Systematics?
Genus Calostoma
Role of Isotopes in Understanding Fungal Ecologies
Biogeographic Histories of Fungi
Interpreting Ancestry and Evolution in Phylogenetic Data
Gondwana Supercontinent
Finding a Living, Ancient Ancestor on the Lacarria Family Tree
Denver Botanic Gardens & Sam Mitchell Fungi Herbarium
New Methods of High-Throughput DNA Sequencing
Biodiversity & Evolutionary History of Southern Rocky Mountain Fungi

EPISODE RESOURCES:

Dr. Andrew Wilson - Denver Botanic Gardens: https://www.botanicgardens.org/team/profile/andrew-w-wilson-phd
Dr. Dennis Desjardin (Mentor): https://biology.sfsu.edu/faculty/desjardin
Dr. David Hibbet (Mentor): https://www2.clarku.edu/faculty/facultybio.cfm?id=355
Gymnopus (Genus): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gymnopus
Calostoma (Genus): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calostoma
Laccaria (Genus): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laccaria
Calostoma cinnabarinum: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calostoma_cinnabarinum
Colorado Mycological Society: https://cmsweb.org/
Colorado Mycoflora Project: https://coloradomycoflora.org/

Ep. 129: Regenerative Soil Microscopy: the Book, Course & Database (feat. Matt Powers) Jul 09, 2022

Show notes

**Support the Kickstarter and be part of the sea change in understanding soil health!**
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/mattpowers/regenerative-soil-microscopy-the-book-courses-and-database
(Campaign ends 7/17/22)
Today on Mushroom Hour we're grace by the presence of Matt Powers (M.Ed) - author, educator, citizen scientist, entrepreneur, and family guy who teaches people all over the world how to live more regeneratively. Personally driven by a deep desire to have the best food possible for his wife and cancer-survivor, Adriana, and their two boys. Matt, a former public high school teacher with a Masters degree in Education, is creator of over a dozen online courses and author of over 20 books on permaculture and regenerative soil science - The Permaculture Student series and the Regenerative Soil Trilogy are just a couple examples. Matt is also the host of A Regenerative Future, the podcast and Youtube show, where he interviews leaders in the regenerative space and shares his own work and insights. I'm excited to learn all about the soil ecosystem, regenerative soil microscopy and more!
TOPICS COVERED:

Searching for Health in the Soil
Horizontal Gene Transfer in Soil Microbes
Hallmarks of Soil Health
Importance of Bacterial & Fungal Endophytes
Critical Role of E. Coli in Soil Ecosystems
Rhizophagy
Microbes Shaped by and Shaping Their Surrounding Ecology
Developing an Open-Source Soil Health Database
Organic Matter in Soil and Nutrient Density in Plants
Advantages of Farms and Producers Sharing Markers of Soil Health
Process of Performing Soil Microscopy
Dark Field and Epifluorescence
Regenerative Soil Microscopy Kickstarter
Community-Based Tools, Knowledge and Solutions
Power Found in Understanding Soil

EPISODE RESOURCES:

Regenerative Soil Microscopy Kickstarter: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/mattpowers/regenerative-soil-microscopy-the-book-courses-and-database
Matt Powers Website: https://www.thepermaculturestudent.com/
Bill Mollison: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Mollison
Dr. James F. White: https://plantbiology.rutgers.edu/faculty/white/James-White.html
Saccharomyces cerevisiae (Yeast fungus): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saccharomyces_cerevisiae
Purple Sulfur Bacteria: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Purple_sulfur_bacteria
Bionutrient Meter: https://bionutrient.net/site/bionutrient-meter
Zach Bush: https://zachbushmd.com/
Arbuscular mycorrhiza: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arbuscular_mycorrhiza

Ep. 128: NYC Mycology, Greenwood Cemetery & DIY DNA Sequencing (feat. Sigrid Jakub) Jul 01, 2022

Show notes

Today on Mushroom Hour we are humble hosts to the talented Sigrid Jakob, President of the New York Mycological Society. Sigrid only discovered fungi within the last several years, but her intense passion quickly catapulted her into the forefront of citizen mycology. She has played a leading role in rebooting the North American Mycoflora project and transforming the national organization into the Fungal Diversity Survey known as FunDiS. She is an accomplished citizen science facilitator, providing resources for at-home genetic sequencing to allow those with no background in biochemistry to successfully extract and amplify DNA. In her non-mushroom life, Sigrid is a 55 year old independent brand strategist who lives in Brooklyn, is mother to a 17 year old and holds degrees in philosophy, psychology and photography. A modern Renaissance woman who shares the tools with which to examine fungal diversity for the laymen, I am excited to learn about how we all can contribute to putting together the seemingly endless tree of fungal diversity.
TOPICS COVERED:

Growing up with Hunters, Gardeners and Woodsy Folk
Fungal Diversity in NYC
Role of Community Mycology in Mapping Biodiversity
Fungal Diversity Survey
Observational Data Fueling Conservation
Conservation Framework Around Fungi in the US vs Europe
Getting Deeper into Fungal DNA
Developing Fungal DNA Sequencing Protocols
Sourcing Tools and Reagants for At-Home Sequencing
Impact of Amateur Sequencing Data
Greenwood Cemetery Fungal Diversity Project
Findings and Future of the Greenwood Cemetery Project
Presiding over the New York Mycological Society
Future Plans for NY Mycological Society

EPISODE RESOURCES:

Sigrid Jakob IG: https://www.instagram.com/greenwoodzombie/
Sigrid's Dung Fungi IG: https://www.instagram.com/dung_fungi/
Fungal Diversity Survey: https://fundis.org/
New York Mycological Society: https://newyorkmyc.org/
Green-Wood Cemetery: https://www.green-wood.com/
Youtube Series "Fungal PCR at Home": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qyaNM6lJmGo
NY Times Article: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/15/style/greenwood-cemetery-mushrooms.html
Sporormiella (Genus): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sporormiella

Ep. 127: Culinary Mushroom Magic & Commercial Foraging Anarchy (feat. Graham Steinruck) Jun 24, 2022

Show notes

Today on Mushroom Hour we have the privilege of speaking with chef, forager, and biology geek Graham Steinruck. Graham has worked in the restaurant industry in with many of Colorado’s most talented chefs and was the former owner of a wild mushroom distribution company called Hunt & Gather that supplied wild harvested ingredients to chefs in the Rocky Mountain region and beyond. He was also the host of a podcast called ‘A Fermented Affair’ where he discussed fermented food and drink as well as mushrooms. He served as the 2012 editor of SporesAfield, the newsletter for the Colorado Mycological Society, as well as the vice president of the club in 2011. He is a presenter and chef for the Wild Mushroom Dinner at the Telluride Mushroom Festival. Recently his recipes were featured in the cookbook ‘Wild Mushrooms: A Cookbook and Foraging Guide’ and will be featured in the new ‘Fantastic Fungi Cookbook’ scheduled to be published later this year. Graham is a Colorado Department of Health and Environment Wild Mushroom Identification Expert and continues to teach courses on mushroom identification and foraging, cooking, and cultivating various culinary and medicinal fungi.
TOPICS COVERED:

Discovering Mycology in Denver, a Formative Moment with Porcini
Balance Between Permissive & Prohibitive Philosophies Around Commercial Foraging
Forest Management Practices
Foraging Permits – the Good and the Bad
Wild Mushroom Licenses
Liability in Commercial Foraging
Legal Frameworks Around Foraging
Advice to Find Legal, Abundant Forage Grounds
Making Mushrooms the Star of the Culinary Show
Porcini Mushroom Bisque, Chanterelle Succotash
Underappreciated Hawk’s Wings and Snow Fungus
Mollusks and Mushrooms
The Genius of Simple Culinary Preparations
Mycouprrhizal Mushroom Farm

EPISODE RESOURCES:

Graham Steinruck IG: https://www.instagram.com/instantgrahamster/
Myco-Uprrhizal Mushroom Farm: https://www.instagram.com/myco_uprrhizal/
Wild Mushrooms Cookbook and Foraging Guide: https://islanderbookshop.com/products/wild-mushrooms-a-cookbook-and-foraging-guide-by-kristen-and-trent-blizzard
Fantastic Fungi Community Cookbook: https://bookshop.org/books/fantastic-fungi-the-community-cookbook/9781647222956
Psilocybe azurescens (fungus): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psilocybe_azurescens

Ep. 126: The Art in Mushroom Cultivation & Embracing the Unknowable (feat. Sam Shoemaker) Jun 15, 2022

Show notes

Today on Mushroom Hour we are excited to interview mushroom cultivation artist Sam Shoemaker. Sam is an interdisciplinary artist and mycologist based in Los Angeles, California. Sam's recent artistic work stems from an ongoing collaboration with rare, native, and medicinal fungi. After receiving his MFA from Yale University in 2020, Sam founded the urban mushroom farm Myco Myco from his underground laboratory in Los Angeles. His obsession with mushrooms led Sam to some unconventional cultivation projects. These projects produced interesting results which led him to ask questions about how mushrooms can be used and when nobody seemed to be able to answer his questions he just kept going - doing more experiments, taking the science as far as he could, and trying things for himself. Approaching mycology through the lens of an artist, Sam explores the tremendous amount of creative opportunity surrounding mycology right now. His aim is simple and beautiful: making mycology accessible to all and encouraging people to embrace the unknowable!
TOPICS COVERED:

Grandma's Artistic Influence
An Obsession with Mushrooms is Born
Mushrooms and Modern Art
Replacing Single-Use Plastics in Cultivation
Mushroom Chia Pets
Blending Boundaries of Art and Science
Public Reception to Sam’s Artwork
Practicality of Substrates from Waste Streams
Myco Myco Mushroom Farm
Advice for Making Mushroom Cultivation into a Living
Changes in Mycophile Culture as Mushrooms Go Mainstream
Future of Mushroom Cultivation
Leading with Reciprocity
Future Educational Projects

EPISODE RESOURCES:

Sam Shoemaker Website: https://www.samkshoemaker.com/
Sam Shoemaker IG: https://www.instagram.com/samkshoemaker/
Myco Myco Farm Website: https://mycomyco.farm/
Myco Myco Farm IG: https://www.instagram.com/mycomycofarm/
Candace Lin: http://ghebaly.com/work/candicelin/
Ganoderma (genus): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ganoderma
Fomitopsis (genus): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fomitopsis
Marasmius plicatulus (species): https://www.mykoweb.com/CAF/species/Marasmius_plicatulus.html

Ep. 125: Community Assembly & Fungi that Live in Flower Nectar (feat. Prof. Tadashi Fukami) Jun 08, 2022

Show notes

Today on Mushroom Hour we have the distinct pleasure of being joined by Professor Tadashi Fukami – head of Stanford University’s Fukami Lab. Professor Fukami is an expert on community ecology and along with supporting his students and lab members, his primary interest is to understand historical contingency in community assembly. He is broadly interested in how species interact with one another in ecosystems and enjoys working with other lab members on the variety of projects that they bring to the lab. He earned his PhD at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, with Jim Drake and Dan Simberloff. He was then a postdoctoral fellow at Manaaki Whenua - Landcare Research in New Zealand and Assistant Professor at the University of Hawaii at Manoa before joining the Stanford faculty in 2008. He sheds light on how communities assemble, even at microbe-sized ecologies, and has revealed amazing insights about fungal ecologies and interactions with other organisms that many of us have never even heard of.
TOPICS COVERED:

Embracing Nature Outside Tokyo
Coming to America
Fundamentals of Community Assembly
Historical Contingency in Community Assembly
Isolating Ecological Islands
Microbial Community Ecology
Rules of Community Assembly?
Understanding Community Assembly in Restoring Ecosystems
Flowers, Fallen Logs and the Human Body as Ecological Communities
Yeast Fungi Living in Flower Nectar
Monkeyflower Nectar Biome
Plant Pollinator Mutualistic Interactions
Applied Agricultural Uses of Understanding Nectar Microbiome
Metacommunities

EPISODE RESOURCES:

Prof Tadashi Fukami Staff Page: https://profiles.stanford.edu/tadashi-fukami
Fukami Lab Website: https://web.stanford.edu/~fukamit/
Prof. Tad Fukami Research: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Tadashi-Fukami
Prof. James Drake Research: https://www.researchgate.net/scientific-contributions/James-A-Drake-2044716847

Ep. 124: Ali the Fungi Guy - Mushrooms, Joy & Wellbeing (feat. Ali McKernan) May 30, 2022

Show notes

Today we are blessed by the presence of Ali McKernan, a self-professed Mycophile who is also known as 'The Fungi Guy' on Instagram and Youtube. Ali is a mushroom educator who uses humor and enthusiasm to get the message of the mushrooms to the masses. He was a member of the Education and Outreach Committee for the British Mycological Society and has helped to organize and promote UK Fungus Day among other outreach programs. Alongside his work with organizations like BMS, Ali makes “daft” Youtube and Instagram videos showcasing his fungal finds and organizes Fungi ID walks in his local area. I’m excited to learn how Ali became the Fungi guy and what it means to him to share his love of mushrooms.
TOPICS COVERED:

Foraging Tutelage from Jesper Launder
Role as an Educator Supporting Emotional Needs of Children
UK Fungus Day
British Mycological Society
Navigating Social Media
Choosing Joy
Fungi & Wellbeing
Fungi a Lifelong Passion
Five Threads of Wellbeing
Accessibility of Fungi
Mushrooms in Urban Edgelands & Green Spaces
Advice to Share a Love of Fungi with Kids
Annual Stinkhorn Race
UK Myco Heroes

EPISODE RESOURCES:

The Fungi Guy IG: https://www.instagram.com/the.fungi.guy/
The Fungi Guy YT: https://www.youtube.com/c/theFUNgiguy
British Mycological Society: https://www.britmycolsoc.org.uk/
North West Fungus Group: https://northwestfungusgroup.com/
UK Fungus Day: https://www.ukfungusday.co.uk/
Jesper Launder: http://www.jesperlaunder.com/
Geoffrey Kibby: https://www.mykoweb.eu/catalog/geoffrey-kibby
Roger Phillips: https://rogersmushrooms.com/
Liz Holden: https://www.researchgate.net/scientific-contributions/Liz-Holden-2021164358
Prof. Lynne Boddy: https://fungalecologycardiff.com/the-team/professor-lynne-boddy/
Andy Overall: http://www.fungitobewith.org/
Brian Douglas: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Brian-Douglas

Ep. 123: Mushlabs - Fermentation, Fungi & Foods of the Future (feat. Dr. Mazen Rizk) May 20, 2022

Show notes

Today on Mushroom Hour we are blessed to be joined by Dr. Mazen Rizk, one of the founders of Mushlabs. Dr. Rizk is originally from Lebanon but completed his PhD in Hamburg, Germany. He began developing the concept for his food technology company, Mushlabs, at the Technical University lab but has since expanded and now is gearing up to launch the company’s first product. Mushlabs is a team of 40 people from 18 different countries with the shared goal of building a better food system with the help of fungi and fermentation. Their first product concept is created through an incredible fermentation transformation of mycelium. This creates a food product that is truly novel because unlike other companies using a mold strain of fungus, their chosen mycelium is from a strain of mushroom that produces edible fruiting bodies. The potential for this technology to bring reliable, sustainable food to countries effected by war and climate change is quite motivating on a personal level for Dr. Rizk and I think is a potent example of how mushrooms can help us save the world!
TOPICS COVERED:

Growing Up in Lebanon
To Hamburg in Pursuit of Solutions Through Biotechnology
Fundamental Change in Food Systems
Fungi & Fermentation
Effect of Prebiotic Fibers on Human Health
Selecting a Strain of Edible Mushroom Mycelium for Making Products
Systematic Approach to Selecting Growth Parameters
Using Agricultural “Sidestreams” as Inputs for Mycelium Cultivation
Creating Circular Food Systems
Scaling Mushlabs’ Mycelium Production
Partnering with Major Food Producers
What is Mushlabs’ Fermentation Process?
Critical Importance of Finding a Diverse Team
Beyond Burgers – Worldwide Mycelium-based Cultural Foods

EPISODE RESOURCES:

Mushlabs Website: https://www.mushlabs.com/
Mushlabs IG: https://www.instagram.com/mushlabs/

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