Why Mushrooms?

Surprisingly, its the most common question i get. My answer is: "Why not?" There are specialists of unbelievably odd things whether it be jellyfish, plant pathogens, the human nervous system, insects, single-celled organisms, quantum physics; YOU NAME IT! There are enough people on this planet for anyone to specialize in even the oddest of things. So mine happens to be fungi, but even beyond that edible fungi. And even beyond that: healthy/medicinal mushrooms that can be cultivated to help prevent or heal illness. That is one of my deepest passions. It is this way because of what the mushrooms have done for me (as i can not speak for others, only myself). The effects are extremely potent, and not just physically, but spiritually as well. For example one of my favorite mushrooms, Reishi or Ling Zhi, is also known as "the herb of spiritual potency". The ancients who consumed reishi, called it this because they felt the mushrooms effects on spirituality such as increased levels of awareness or consciousness. Many yogis and meditation masters use this mushrooms in their spiritual practices. Now this is not to say that they didnt receive and feel physical effects, but that there was also something more... I constantly feel that something more, but not just with reishi, with all the gourmet/healing mushrooms. I want to share this feeling, and make eating mushrooms something to talk about, something to directly benefit from, and something to learn from. Research has indicated that Lions Mane mushrooms have the potential to make someone smarter(through its nerve regenerating properties), just by eating them.  There is so much to learn about and to experience with the healing effect of mushrooms.

It's also the mystery; fungi are mysterious. We probably know the least about the fungal kingdom than any other kingdom. For example we know why plants use light; to photosynthesize, to make energy. We even know how to describe it in molecular terms : CO2 + H20 + light = C6H12O6 + O2. Now for most mushrooms species light is necessary or they wont grow properly. The interesting thing is they dont photosynthesize like plants. We actually have no idea what they do with the light, or why they need it; but they need it. Another mystery is how mycorrhizal fungi(fungus that lives symbiotically with tree/plant roots) interact with their hosts. For example, in a forest there are 2 trees. Both these trees are actually connected by fungi living on their roots. If one of these trees has a deficiency of nitrogen, and the other tree has excessive nitrogen, it will actually transfer that nitrogen from the tree that has too much to the tree that does not have enough. Why would it do this? Im sure there are tons of reasons, but couldnt the fungus in this situation be considered a healer? It was only able to heal what it was connected to. Ever heard "You are what you eat?" I beleive that by eating gourmet/healing mushrooms we are able to connect with the mushrooms and they can heal us.

I have been taught by the mushrooms from growing them as well as eating them. They have taught me how to not give up, to try new things, to work hard. They made me realize how important a proper environment is for an organisms growth. They made me realize i do not grow mushrooms, they grow themselves. I am the caretaker of the environment they grow in. Like a snake charmer: you dont make them grow, you coax them to grow. They showed me how talking about it is one thing, but getting your feet wet is another. They taught me how one single cell can end up as trillions of cells, given the proper resources. They showed me how meat isnt the only "meaty" thing out there. Meat and mushrooms both contain a flavor profile called umami; giving them taste similarities. They gave me hope after i took some bad turns in life, sometimes feeling like i could never recover. They made me a smarter, harder, and more efficient worker, but also a more emotional, introspective, and caring person. They taught me about sacrifice. On a friday evening I might be in the lab making spawn to grow mushrooms. Why? Because the seeds of sacrifices will be harvested, and it wont be just me who reaps the benefits; it will be: my family, my customers, the community, the environment, etc. It taught me that working hard to attain a goal is healthier than just receiving the goal with minimal effort. I could go on for pages like this; but I dont want to bore you :) These are just some of my answers to: Why mushrooms?

Here are some pictures of shiitake we grew last year.  

Thanks for being here, being here right now. 

"And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom."
~Anais Nin~