Can Mushrooms Save the World?

Mushrooms are amazing that’s for sure, but saving the world?  

Paul Stamets is a dedicated mycologist and has spent over 35 years developing cultivation techniques and researching medicinal, culinary and psychoactive mushrooms. In his inspiring TED talk Stamets presents mind boggling examples of just what mushrooms and mycelia can do for the earth from cleaning polluted soils, disease treatments, creating pesticides and even alternative fuel generation.

Here at Ragmans besides being partial to tasty mushrooms we have been dazzled by facts about mycelium:

*            Animals are more closely related to fungi than to any other kingdom

*            The oldest known mushroom is 92-94 million years old

*            Fungus-plant partnerships deliver nutrients to trees

*            The largest mycelium organism is reputed to be 2,400 acres and 2,200 years old!

 As organic farmers we are keen to create vibrant living soils for healthy plants by growing and introducing mycelium to the soil and plants. We have been using aerated compost teas on our organic orchards – as foliar feeds, soil improvers and pest inhibitors. These compost teas are host to thousands of fungi, protozoa and bacteria. See Teeming with Microbes for more about living soils.

In 1998 we started producing mushroom logs to grow shiitake and oyster mushrooms.  This time-honoured method for growing mushrooms is favoured in Japan where the mushrooms particularly shiitake are highly valued. We use oak for our shiitake mushroom logs and poplar for our oyster mushroom logs. Different trees support different mushrooms, these varieties work well for us. Getting hold of oak is more and more difficult as fire wood prices rise – connected to rising oil prices, connected to peak oil. That’s another important story.

We take strong strains of mycelium cultured on grain in laboratories and bulk this out with sterilised sawdust. We then inoculate the logs with the mushroom sawdust spawn, put wax plugs over the holes and leave the mycelium to colonise the logs over a period of up to 2 years. Our green, shady ‘Ragmans Lane’ is the perfect place to do this. When the mycelium is ready to fruit it produces the mushrooms – we sell logs so that you can fruit them yourself. Mushroom logs kept in the right conditions will fruit twice a year for 3 years. The logs appeal to gardeners and foodies – and are suitable gifts for the person who has everything!

Shiitake and oyster mushrooms are both delicious. They have different flavours and textures but are both good added to soups and stews. Shiitake are often used in oriental dishes – a simple stir-fry with a few shiitakes is delicious. Oyster mushrooms are lovely fried in butter with garlic and served with crusty bread. Shiitake mushrooms are also reputed to have health giving properties and are said to boost the immune system.

We have just introduced Oyster Mushroom Log Inoculation Kits to our range of shop products so you can have a go at creating your own mushroom logs. Have a look at our shop for more details.

I’ll leave you with a quote from Paul Stamets … ‘When we irresponsibly exploit the Earth, disease, famine and ecological collapse result. We face the possibility of being rejected by the biosphere as a virulent organism. But if we act as a responsible species, nature will not evict us. So knowing how to work with fungi… is critical for our survival.’

        

Reference: Mycellium Running How Mushrooms Can Help Save the World by Paul Stamets published 2005 Ten Speed Press