163 episodes

Hi there...welcome to Mushroom Hour. Listen in as we venture into kingdom fungi with unique and beautiful humans who all share a passion for mushrooms. We'll go forage for wild mushrooms, explore their potency as nature's medicines, become citizen mycologists, transform human consciousness and learn how mushrooms inspired art, spirituality and culture throughout our history. There are so many ways that mushrooms can benefit (wo)mankind - we just need to tap into the mycelium network and let them share their gifts. Excited to have you along for the journey! Mush Love

The Mushroom Hour Podcast Mushroom Hour

    • Science
    • 4.8 • 192 Ratings

Hi there...welcome to Mushroom Hour. Listen in as we venture into kingdom fungi with unique and beautiful humans who all share a passion for mushrooms. We'll go forage for wild mushrooms, explore their potency as nature's medicines, become citizen mycologists, transform human consciousness and learn how mushrooms inspired art, spirituality and culture throughout our history. There are so many ways that mushrooms can benefit (wo)mankind - we just need to tap into the mycelium network and let them share their gifts. Excited to have you along for the journey! Mush Love

    Ep. 165: Hongos in Patagonia - Pedomorphosis & Rethinking Evolution (feat. Dr. Francisco Kuhar)

    Ep. 165: Hongos in Patagonia - Pedomorphosis & Rethinking Evolution (feat. Dr. Francisco Kuhar)

    Today on Mushroom Hour we have the pleasure of interviewing Dr. Francisco Kuhar. Dr. Kuhar is a Mycologist specialized in the fungal diversity of gasteroid and ectomycorrhizal fungi and biotechnological applications of fungal enzymes. He has a special interest in the evolutionary biology of sequestrate forms of fungi. Dr. Kuhar is an Associate researcher at CONICET in the Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biologia Vegetal (IMBIV - UNC), curator of Fungi at the CORD Herbarium and one of the leaders of Inommy Labs helping to pioneer a new fungi-based product platform.   

    TOPICS:    
    Freud, Linguistics and Life Sciences   Hongos in Patagonia   See the Future in a Spore   Hypogeous & Sequestrate Fungi   Pedomorphosis    Mutations Happening too Fast in the Evolutionary Record   Are We Too Obsessed with Adaptation in Evolutionary Biology?   The Story of Rhizopogon and Suillis     Alan Turing Equations Predicting Biological Forms   Approaching Scientific Questions with an Open Mind   Burning Questions on Underground Fungi   Matching Genetics to Traits in Fungi   Inommy Labs   Fungal Bioprospecting    LINKS:   
    Francisco Kuhar IG: https://www.instagram.com/franfungi   Innomy Labs: http://innomylabs.com/index.html   Hongos De Argentina: https://hongos.ar/   "Ontogeny and Phylogeny": https://www.hup.harvard.edu/catalog.php?isbn=9780674639416   Turing pattern: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turing_pattern   Geastrum genus: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geastrum   

    • 1 hr 20 min
    Ep. 164: Which Fungi - The Edibles, The Deadlies, The Wild Ones (feat. Elise Rothman)

    Ep. 164: Which Fungi - The Edibles, The Deadlies, The Wild Ones (feat. Elise Rothman)

    Hi there…welcome to Mushroom Hour. Today on Mushroom Hour we are graced by the presence of author, researcher, and mycological maven Elise Rothman. Coming to us from her hideaway in the woods and wilds of France, Elise is here to share her newest creation – a set of mushroom identification card decks that have been lovingly crafted with beautiful artwork and thoughtful graphic design elements that will help mycologists and ordinary folk alike to identify common edibles, deadly toxic and psychoactive mushrooms in North America and Europe. And I’m excited to learn everything about this project including a brand-new form of mushroom identification methodology.   

    TOPICS:   
    Entering St. George’s Fairy Ring   Mushroom Identification Cards   Deck 1 – The Edibles   Collaborating with Scientific Advisors    Deck 2 – The Deadlies   Artistic License and Composite Mushroom Artwork   Features of a Mushroom   The Twins – Separating Edible from Deadly   What is a “Lookalike”?   A New Methodology for Mushroom Identification   Deck 3 – The Wild Ones   Rethinking Identification with Psychoactives   Mushrooms in France   Breaking the Publishing Mold   EPISODE RESOURCES:   
    WhichFungi website: http://whichfungi.com/   WhichFungi IG: https://www.instagram.com/p/CufBjBDMxwL/   Russula cyanoxantha: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russula_cyanoxantha

    • 1 hr 11 min
    Ep. 163: Fruits of the Forest - Pacific Northwest Edible Mushrooms (feat. Daniel Winkler)

    Ep. 163: Fruits of the Forest - Pacific Northwest Edible Mushrooms (feat. Daniel Winkler)

    Today on Mushroom Hour we have the honor of being joined once again by mycological legend Daniel Winkler. A mushroom educator, trained ecologist and award-winning photographer, he grew up collecting mushrooms in the Alps. Daniel has been foraging for more than 25 years in the Pacific Northwest, in addition to South America and High Asia, where he is involved in ethnomycological fieldwork. He served as vice president of the Puget Sound Mycological Society, who recognized his lifetime of service with their Golden Mushroom Award. Through his travel agency, Mushroaming, Daniel runs mushroom-focused eco-tours to Tibet, Bhutan, the Amazon, Colombia and the Austrian Alps as well as in the Pacific Northwest. Today we’re going to dive into his newest field guide “Fruits of the Forest” – A Field Guide to Pacific Northwest Edible Mushrooms.   

    TOPICS:    
    Mushroaming Tours & Book Deals   Creating a Mushroom Guide Focused on Edibility   Lobsters, Scaberstalks and Wooly Chanterelles   How You Prepare Your Mushrooms Makes a Big Difference   Under-Researched Compounds in US Common Mushrooms   Old Mushrooms, Rotten Proteins and Stomach Upset   Gyromitra Controversy   Mitigating Toxicity When Eating Wild Mushrooms    Getting Comfortable with Bugs in Your Wild Mushrooms?   Shaggy Parasols   Nutritional Value of Mushrooms   Diversify Your Fungal Portfolio   Grounded Approach to Medicinal Mushrooms   Wild Mushroom Recipes   EPISODE RESOURCES:   
    BOOK LINK: https://www.mushroaming.com/node/253   Mushroaming Website: https://mushroaming.com/   Daniel Winkler IG: https://www.instagram.com/themushroamer/   "All the Rain Promises and More": https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/All_That_the_Rain_Promises_and_More...   Chlorophyllum genus: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chlorophyllum   Russula brevipes: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russula_brevipes   Leccinum scabrum: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leccinum_scabrum   Turbinellus floccosus: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turbinellus_floccosus   Laccaria amethystina: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laccaria_amethystina   "Mushrooms Poisons and Panaceas": https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6387576-mushrooms   

    • 1 hr 37 min
    Ep. 162: The Flowering Wand - Rewilding the Sacred Masculine (feat. Sophie Strand)

    Ep. 162: The Flowering Wand - Rewilding the Sacred Masculine (feat. Sophie Strand)

    Today on Mushroom Hour we join in communion with the overflowing font of mythos, play and animated everything Sophie Strand. Sophie is a poet and writer with a focus on the history of religion and the intersection of spirituality, storytelling and ecology. Her poems and essays have appeared in numerous projects and publications, including the Dark Mountain Project, poetry.org and the magazines Unearthed, Braided Way, Art PAPERS and Entropy. Their newest book “The Flowering Wand – Rewilding the Sacred Masculine” is a potent retelling of classical European myths and masculine characters like Dionysus, Merlin, Jesus that encourages men to put down the iron sword and pick up a myceliated, vegetal thyrsus.   

    TOPICS COVERED:   
    Staying Alive by Exploring Ecology   Mediterranean Religions & Arthurian Myths    Myths as Vessels of Environmental Information   Replanting Myths - Reroot, Rewild, Retell    Polyphonic Iconography   Partnership Cultures and Dominator Cultures   Medusa & Mothers Turned into Monsters    Symbiosis & Synchronism    The Rebellion of Dionysus   Gender as a Morphic Field & a Mycelial Web    The King Becomes the Kingdom   Expanding Masculinity   Jesus the Magical, Nature-Loving Rabbi   Returning to the Compost Heap    EPISODE RESOURCES:    
    "The Flowering Wand": https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/The-Flowering-Wand/Sophie-Strand/9781644115961   "The Madonna Secret": https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/The-Madonna-Secret/Sophie-Strand/9781591434672   Sophie Strand Substack: https://sophiestrand.substack.com/   Sophie Strand IG: https://www.instagram.com/cosmogyny/   "Bitch": https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/lucy-cooke/bitch/9781541674905/?lens=basic-books   Microanimism: https://www.microanimism.com/   Chlorophyllum molybdites: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chlorophyllum_molybdites   "Enlivenment": https://mitpress.mit.edu/9780262536660/   "An Immense World": https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/616914/an-immense-world-by-ed-yong/

    • 1 hr 16 min
    Ep. 161: Minnesota's Mushroom Valley - Mushroom Caves & the Unexplored Underworld (feat. Dr. Greg Brick)

    Ep. 161: Minnesota's Mushroom Valley - Mushroom Caves & the Unexplored Underworld (feat. Dr. Greg Brick)

    Today on Mushroom Hour we are going spelunking with the gracious Dr. Greg Brick. Dr. Brick has worked as a hydrogeologist with environmental consulting firms, at the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, and has taught geology at local colleges and universities. He has edited the Journal of Spelean History for the past 20 years. He has published more than 200 articles about caves and was the recipient of the 2005 Cave History Award from the National Speleological Society. His has written for books including his most recent, "Minnesota Underground", co-authored with Doris Green and released in 2019. He served as co-editor of "Caves and Karst of the Upper Midwest", a textbook covering Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, and Iowa. His work has been featured in National Geographic Adventure magazine as well as on the History Channel. He has led guided tours of caves for the Minnesota Historical Society and the University of Minnesota College of Continuing Education. Today he is taking us on a subterranean journey into the centuries-old caves of Mushroom Valley near St. Paul Minnesota!   

    TOPICS COVERED:   
    Caves, Karsts and Crevices   Natural Caves, Artificial Caves, Anthropogenic Caves   Exploring Caves & Claustrophobic Limitations   US Geography of Caves & Karsts   Human Cultures & Caves – Lore and Culture Around Caves    Hollow Earth Theory   The Underexplored Underground    Minnesota’s Mushroom Valley    Mole People of the NY Subway   Mushroom Farming from the Paris Catacombs to Minnesota     Economic Ecosystem that Supported Mushroom Farming in Caves   Subterranean Nightclubs - Mystic Caverns & Castle Royal    Conservation & Biodiversity in Cave Systems     LIDAR & Future of Exploring the Underworld    EPISODE RESOURCES:    
    Website: https://drgregbrick.com/   YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@GregBrick   Carver's Cave: https://drgregbrick.com/carvers-cave-wakan-tipi/   David J. Weary & Daniel H. Doctor's Cave Map of the US:  https://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2014/1156/pdf/of2014-1156.pdf   Mystic Caverns & Castle Royal: https://twincitiesmusichighlights.net/venues/castle-royal/   

    • 1 hr 35 min
    Ep. 160: Osmose Studio - Biomaterials Reimagined, Mycelium Futures & Regenerative Design (feat. Ashley Granter & Aurelie Fontan)

    Ep. 160: Osmose Studio - Biomaterials Reimagined, Mycelium Futures & Regenerative Design (feat. Ashley Granter & Aurelie Fontan)

    Today on Mushroom Hour we are blessed once more by the presence of Mycomaterial Specialist Ashley Granter. Along with Biofashion Designer Aurelie Fontan, Ashley is a founder of Osmose Studios - a multidisciplinary design studio dedicated to exploring how society should draw inspiration and processes from Mother nature. Working with mycelium as well as natural dyes and fabrics, they aim to bring forward beautiful design that doesn’t cost the planet and actually fosters the regeneration of lost ecosystems.   

    TOPICS COVERED:   
    Birth of Osmose Studios    Working with Classic Biomaterials in New Ways    Fashion, Materials, Regenerative Design    Future of Biomaterials Rooted in Technologies of the Past?   Product Design Grounded in Consumer Experience    Dresses Made with Kombucha & Mycelium Leather   Interior Design made with Mycelium    Diverse Landscape of the Biomaterials Industry    Scaling Sustainably and Decentralized – like a Fungus   Integrating Waste Streams into New Materials    Genetic Modification vs Directed Evolution    Business’ Role in Preserving Ecosystems and Biodiversity   Biomaterials as a Craft vs Mass Production   Working with Your Life Partner as a Business Partner    EPISODE RESOURCES:   
    Osmose Studio IG: https://www.instagram.com/osmose_labs/   Armillaria (fungal genus): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armillaria   Cantharellus (fungal genus): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cantharellus   Francis Crick's books: https://www.thriftbooks.com/a/francis-crick/219274/   "Synthetic Aesthetics" by Alexandra Daisy Ginsberg: https://www.daisyginsberg.com/work/synthetic-aesthetics-book    

    • 1 hr 5 min

Customer Reviews

4.8 out of 5
192 Ratings

192 Ratings

Nickmo720 ,

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

My favorite mushroom podcast by a long shot!!

shyborg.madrobot ,

Platformed someone who spreads eco-fascist propaganda

it’s possible that this podcast just doesn’t vet their guests but it’s also possible they platformed Olga from smugtown mushrooms specifically because she’s spread eco-fascist propaganda on social media,particularly Michael Moore’s planet of the humans documentary which talks about human overpopulation being the major concern for climate change and also has links to anti-semitic conspiracy theories. In my community she has a reputation that leads people to avoid working with her but she’s treated like an ‘expert’ in some circles for being a business owner, lending her credibility even when she spreads fascist takes online

Ohla00 ,

Nerd it!

This is one of my favorite science podcasts out there (ok it is my favorite, but I really like learning about mushrooms). This one is top notch. I also listen to Allie Ward and Talk Nerdy To Me.

Every time I listen I feel like my brain is exploding with so much information. It weaves organic chemistry, culture, botany, community, food, foraging, medicine, bioremediation, cultivation… all of this into the realm of fungi. I love this podcast.

The host does a phenomenal job asking questions and you can tell he’s engaged and just as curious as the listener. He’s great. Thank you for all your hard work and getting really thoughtful and smart, so smart, guests. It’s been such a pleasure getting to listen to this gem of a podcast!

My world is brighter because of it. Thank you 🍄

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