Forager's Radio

This week on Forager's Radio, I had the immense pleasure of speaking with Adam Haritan of Learn Your Land.
For the past eight years, Adam has cultivated an exceptional Youtube Channel dedicated to educating people on the wonders of nature. Furthermore, he eloquently expresses the importance of establishing a fulfilling connection with your local natural landscapes. With over 500,000 subscribers, Adam's Youtube channel serves as a plentiful source of information and inspiration for foragers, nature enthusiasts, and conservationists alike.
Topics Covered:

• Why Should People Learn Our Land?
• The Truth About Commercial Mushroom Products
• What Caused "The Shroom Boom?"/ Why Is Fungi So Fascinating?
• Fungi As An Accessible Entry Point To Connecting With Nature
• The Spirituality Of Hunting
• Adam's New Project of Studying Ecosystems
• The Serpentine Barrens of Pennsylvania
• Adam's Online Course Offerings
• The Importance of Nature Mentors
• The Endeavor Of Being A Genuine Educator
• A Deep Look Into Current Land Conservation
• Connecting Foraging To Land Conservation
• Love, The Glue Of Life And Nature
• Rewilding Your Lawn
• Chicken Of The Woods: Delicious Or Disgusting?

Episode Resources

• Learn Your Land Youtube Channel
• Learn Your Land Website
• Learn Your Land Instagram Page

This week's episode features a ''myco-entertaining'' conversation with the founders of Florida Mushroom Company. Pat, Jesse, and Deeley are on a mission to bring gourmet and medicinal mushrooms to their friends, family, and community in the sunshine state.
They open up about the founding of their company and where they're headed. Along the way we dive into a host of fun topics related to mycology, foraging, and mushroom cultivation.
Topics Covered:

• How Florida Mushroom Co Was Founded
• Kennet Square Mushroom Festival
• Becoming A Mushroom Entrepreneur
• The World Of Gourmet Mushrooms
• Mycophobic Vs Mycophilic Societies
• Creating A Vertically Integrated Mushroom Company
• Fungal Intelligence & Medicinal Compounds
• Florida Mushroom Co's Mission & Future

Episode Resources:
-Florida Mushroom Company
- @flmushroomco

In this episode, I had the pleasure of speaking with Devin Hilty of Mind Over Mycology. Devin has extraordinary skills in the world of mushroom identification, photography, and discovering new species. In our conversation, he shares his knowledge, techniques, and stories around discovering controversial mushrooms in unexpected places.
Topics Covered:

• Wild Mushroom As A Sustainable Food Source
• Resources & Techniques For Identifying Wild Mushrooms
• Photographing Microscopic Slime Molds
• Exploring Connectedness Through Mycelium
• Contributing To Citizen's Science & Mycoblitz 2023
• How Mushroom Sometimes Find US (Forager's Intuition)
• Finding Psilocybe ovoideocystidiata In A Camp Playground
• Tips On Finding & Identifying Cordyceps Militaris
• Nutrient Transfer Between Tress Through Mycelium
• Chicken Of The Woods, Delicious Or Gross?

Episode Resources:
Devin Hilty- Mind Over Mycology

Have you ever wondered, what are the easiest mushrooms to grow at home?
Like so many people becoming more interested in mycology and self-reliance, I sat down with my best friend and co-founder, Brian Davis, to learn both beginner and expert methods for growing mushrooms right in your own home.
After of only a few minutes into our conversation, I realized that dialing in your own method and cultivating mushrooms for personal use is so much easier than I thought. What's more, Brian explains the various levels of entry into the world of mushroom growing.
For those with little time or knowledge of mushrooms, purchasing a pre-made mushroom grow kit might be the most fun and beginner friendly option to enjoy cultivated mushrooms.
For those looking for a more scientific approach, Brian explains how to grow oyster mushrooms at home from a starter culture. From the culture, you can inoculate a mushroom spawn for the mycelium to become activated and later expand them to a substrate. From there, you are only one step away from harvesting mushroom fruiting bodies and cooking them up in your favorite dish!

On this week's episode of Forager's Radio, I'm joined by licensed social worker and founder of Fire Moon Medicines, Katrina dela Cruz.
Together we delve into the importance of time spent in nature as a foundational pillar in every health journey. As descendants of wild humans, our bodies are hardwired to soak up the sun, plant our bare feet onto the earth, and take in big breaths of fresh air.
Katrina shares her experiences of how something so simple as spending time in nature can help improve the mind, body, and spirit. Katrina also shares personal stories from her fully indigenous Philippine roots and ways she incorporates alternative healing modalities into her social working practices.
Happy listening,
Neil Thenier
Episode Resources:
Fire Moon Medicines On Instagram
Fire Moon Medicines Website