thanks to permacultureprinciples.com for the amazing resources
Annotated Bibliography
"About the WMS." Wisconsin Mycological Society. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Jan. 2015.
Bassett, Douglas. The What and Why of Polypore Study. Rep. no. 4. N.p.: Letchwork State Park, 1990. Print.
"Biodiversity of Macrofungi in Northern Door County, WI." Biodiversity of Macrofungi of Northern Door County – Cofrin Center for Biodiversity – University of Wisconsin Green Bay. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 Feb. 2015.
This website resource was referenced a lot when I was actually mushroom hunting. It helped identify specific mushrooms and their vegetation needs.
Bridges, Gabriel. "OP 3 - Appendix - GEL E-portfolios." OP 3 - The Great Mushroom Book. Mahara, n.d. Web. 15 Jan. 2015.
Bridges, Gabriel. "Mushrooms." Telephone interview. 15 Jan. 2015.
Heiber-Cobb, Kate. "Social Permaculture and Mushroom Hunting." Personal interview. 09 Oct. 2014.
"Home - Moonwise Herbs." Moonwise Herbs. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 Feb. 2015.
Holmgren, David. Permaculture: Principles & Pathways beyond Sustainability. Hepburn, Vic.: Holmgren Design Services, 2002. Print.
Milius, Susan. "They're All Part Fungus." Science News 169 (2004): 231-32.Science News. Web. 10 Oct. 2014.
"North American Mycological Association." North American Mycological Association. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Jan. 2015.
"Permaculture Principles - Thinking Tools for an Era of Change."Permaculture Principles. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Jan. 2015.
"Radical Mycology Convergence." Radical Mycology Convergence. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Jan. 2015.
Stamets, Paul. Mycelium Running: How Mushrooms Can Help save the World. Berkeley, CA: Ten Speed, 2005. Print.
Paul Stamets has been in the Mycological world for over the last 40 years. He is a dedicated mycologist and has written six books on mushroom cultivation, use and identification. Stamets is focused on ecological restoration and has been recognized for his efforts.
This book, Mycelium Running, has been a book that I have gone through for many years. I feel like each time I read the book I learn something new. This is a very dense book and is filled with the powers of mushrooms. I also specifically like this book because of the subtle links to permaculture within the context.
Stern, Kalvin. "Wild Foraging." Personal interview. 15 Nov. 2014.
Tzolgas, Olga. "Fungal Biology, Taxonomy & Ecology 101." Radical Mycology Convergence. Illinois, Orangeville. 10 Oct. 2014.
Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 31 Jan. 2015.
I usually don't like to reference wikipedia but I think it is good practice to use it and take note of the references that are being used in the article. If the references seem to be from good sources I tend to believe the article more. I used wikipedia specifically when I shared my wild edible mushroom types to give a quick visual and description of each mushroom.
Support and or Collaborators:
Kate H-C
Kalvin & Rachel
Gabriel Bridges
Cassie B.
Anthony H.
Radical Mycology Convergence 2014
A few months ago I attended the Radical Mycology convergence in Illinois. It was a five day convergence but I was only able to attend for three days. The convergence had a sliding scale so it was made to be affordable for everyone. It was a very intimate setting with camping, cooks, and small class sizes. There were about 10 classes being held at the same time. The event attracted a variety of people from all over the midwest. The event was held at someone's land in Illinois and it was very private.
The classes I attended were...
1 hour Spore prints/ the science and the art
2.5 hours Fungal biology, taxonomy/ecology 101: I think this course was the most informative and I took the most away from it. I learned about the fungi kingdom and mushrooms that are in the specific kingdoms and I thought that was pretty neat because I hadn't ever looked at mushrooms in that perspective. The teacher was also really mellow and fluid with her lecture that even though the information was heady and intense, I absorbed it really well because of how she taught it.
2 hours Starting a small scale mushroom farm: I am happy that I went to this course because it is something I have thought long and hard about and have wanted to incorporate into my life. I really just connected with some folks who were local small-scale mushroom producers and got a better feel for if it is really something I wanted to invest my time, energy and money into. I learned the specifics of how to do it although they didn't get really too far into the amount needed and pricing. I found a former Gaia Student that helped me take this knowledge a little further.
2 hours Foraging five fool proof fungi: which I have shared with you in my core report section.
2 hour discussion
2 hours Myco and bioremediation
Check out the website here
Un/learning Journal
These are the three main ethics that build the balanced foundation of permaculture according to David Holmgren. I have decided to analyze how the three ethics supported my overall outcome and what I did to support the ethics during this project cycle.
Earth Care: similar to most belief, earth makes up the soil in which life grows from. As I walked throughout the trails I was able to note which had more growth than other areas. It was then that I also discovered a lot of invasive plants in the areas of poorer growth and diversity. Taking this knowledge I was able to spread the word to others the importance of staying on trails as to not disturb and spread invasive plants. They also had shoe brooms to wipe your feet if you were going a different direction with a blurb on the invasive, which is helpful for the larger masses. I was able to forage the areas and find the mushrooms without having to disturb much of the vegetation, this is in part of scoping out the areas ahead of time and observing patterns.
People Care: I feel like this ethic was the heaviest in my work this project cycle. People care focuses on collaboration, companionship and self-reliance. I had a goal to forage more and buy less food this year which means I was participating in unsubscribing from consuming material resources. I did this by wild foraging, dumpster diving, and hosting more potlucks. I also have gained a passion for making my own butter, coconut milk, house cleaner, shampoo/conditioner, and toothpaste. Since transitioning to these methods I have been able to save more money, and produce less waste. These skills help me build my independence and also build my collaboration tool-set that I can share and teach my knowledge to others. By not being as present in the consumerist world of society and carefully placing my money into local businesses and co-ops, I am helping my community work towards self-reliance.
Fair Share: Fair share is all about finding balance. It's a good time to reflect and ask, 'what is enough?'. This was present in my project due to the fact I was harvesting from the wild and I am only one person. I always made sure to leave enough for animals to eat and for others to harvest. It can get exciting to be out in the wild and harvest food because there are many benefits to doing so: you don't have to pay for it, you can sell it as it is a hot commodity in the culinary world, and it's just overall exhilarating when you find a bunch. The fair share ethic is important to this project because of the abundance of people and the wild growth we are surrounded by. If everyone was constantly taking and not leaving things behind continuous growth would be impossible. I like to follow the rule of three, one for me, one for you, and one for them (the animals).
Transformation of Self
Throughout this output I have noticed a significant change in myself and my thought processes. I found myself wanting to forage through a lot of material and glean insight from others. I wanted to utilize people and not try to work so independently and that is a huge edge pusher for me. I found myself asking questions to help me a long my journey, such as, "How do I inspire the masses?" and the most important question was, "Is this going to take care of the earth?". I felt like this was a good learning moment and to write down the questions that I was asking myself throughout my processes is a pattern I want to continue to observe and help me transform. I liked that I approached this project with multiple view points: socially, personal growth, and wild foraging. I feel like after this output and the conversations that I had that I could successfully start my own small-scale mushroom farm and it is one of my goals in life to do so but the timing is just not correct as I will be moving this summer.