Mycocultural Revolution, The: Transforming Our World with Mushrooms, Lichens, and Other Fungi

By Peter McCoy and Robert Rogers

Discover the glorious world of mushrooms, lichens, and micro fungi, as described by Peter McCoy, one of today’s foremost experts in the field. Covering the essential information and skills for identifying, cultivating, and celebrating the uniqueness of fungi, this book enables anyone to quickly and easily engage in the art and science of mycology—the study of fungi. Mycology offers vast opportunities to enhance our lives, support our communities, and heal the environment. This first-of-its-kind introductory text is accessible for anyone just getting started in mycology, as well as for those seeking a fresh perspective on this important science.Learn general mycological facts, essential information and skills for identifying common mushroom types, foraging tips, delicious recipes, a growing guide, mycoremediation (using fungi to treat contaminated areas in our environment), mushroom-based crafts, and so much more!With a foreword by Robert Rogers, author of The Fungal Pharmacy.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Microcosm Publishing
• Release date: Nov 29, 2022
• ISBN: 9781648410499

Peter McCoy

Peter McCoy is a world renowned applied mycology researcher and educator with over 20 years of experience. He is the author of Radical Mycology: A Treatise on Seeing and Working with Fungi (Chthaeus Press, 2016), the founder of the mycology advocacy organization Radical Mycology (radicalmycology.com), a co-founder of the Fungi Film Festival (fungifilmfest.com), and the founder and lead instructor at MYCOLOGOS, an applied mycology school and experimental fungi farm based in Portland, Oregon (mycologos.world). Alongside his work with fungi, Peter can be often found making art or music or wandering the forests of the Pacific Northwest.

Book preview

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The Mycocultural Revolution

Transforming Our World with Mushrooms, Lichens, and Other Fungi

© Peter McCoy 2022

eBook ISBN 9781648410499

This is Microcosm #289

First Published November, 2022

This edition © Microcosm Publishing, 2022

For a catalog, write or visit:

Microcosm Publishing

2752 N Williams Ave.

Portland, OR 97227

www.Microcosm.Pub/Myco

Disclaimer

The publisher and author are not responsible for any damages or negative consequences that result from any treatment, action, application, or preparation following the information in this book. This book is not meant to be used—nor should it be used—to diagnose or treat a medical condition. For diagnosis or treatment of any medical problem, consult a licensed physician. In addition, the author and publisher do not represent or warrant that the information accessible via this book is legal, complete, or current. It is accurate to the best of the author’s knowledge. This information is provided for educational purposes only. References are provided for informational purposes only and do not constitute endorsements of any websites or other sources.

Microcosm Publishing is Portland’s most diversified publishing house and distributor with a focus on the colorful, authentic, and empowering. Our books and zines have put your power in your hands since 1996, equipping readers to make positive changes in their lives and in the world around them. Microcosm emphasizes skill-building, showing hidden histories, and fostering creativity through challenging conventional publishing wisdom with books and bookettes about DIY skills, food, bicycling, gender, self-care, and social justice. What was once a distro and record label started by Joe Biel in a drafty bedroom, was determined to be Publisher’s Weekly’s fastest growing publisher of 2022 and has become among the oldest independent publishing houses in Portland, OR and Cleveland, OH. We are a politically moderate, centrist publisher in a world that has inched to the right for the past 80 years.

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Dedicated to anyone learning from the past to heal the present and spawn a brighter future.

Contents

Foreword by Robert Rogers, RH (AHG) •

Preface •

Introduction: Mycoculture Rising •

Part I: The Past Is Myceliated •

Chapter 1: Foraging Forever •

Chapter 2: Umami, That Tastes Good! •

Chapter 3: Grand Chemists, Great Healers •

Part 2: Spawning the Present •

Chapter 4: Grow Your Own Mushrooms, For Everybody! •

Chapter 5: The Language of a Mycofolk •

Part 3: A Future for Fungi •

Chapter 6: The Mushroom Garden •

Chapter 7: A Mycocultural Revolution

Appendix A: Species Profiles •

Appendix B: Suppliers and Online Resources •

Appendix C: Helpful Conversion Ratios •

Glossary •

Foreword

I first met Peter on my second trip to Telluride in 2014. I was invited to give a few presentations on medicinal mushrooms, and the organizers lodged me in a house with a few other speakers. Peter had grabbed a secluded, second floor bedroom, and I barely saw him for the entire five days, as he worked fervently on his excellent, and highly successful, Radical Mycology: A Treatise on Seeing & Working with Fungi manuscript.

A few years later, Peter was invited to present at the Alberta Mycological Association’s Annual Dinner. I had served as vice-president for many years, and I quickly agreed to greet him at the airport.

The next evening, Peter gave a thoughtful, passionate presentation on the importance of mushrooms to all our lives, mixed in with his vision of community-based citizen science and the future of fungi.

And thus, I was very honored when Peter invited me to share a few words about his latest book.

It is said, in the publishing world, that a hugely successful first book can lead to an author’s concerns regarding their sophomore publication.

There are no worries here! Peter has expanded on his futuristic vision of the importance and versatility of fungi, shining a light on their significant contributions.

The Mycocultural Revolution continues an important dialogue around the mushroom’s numerous benefits today and spawning forward.

The literary journey begins with a history of his involvement in the radical mycology movement (including the original zine), the 2016 publication of Radical Mycology, and some background around the five previous radical mycology convergences, as well as numerous event tours around the continent.

The Mycocultural Revolution covers lots of new, fertile ground, including great tips on wild foraging, and the history and benefits of fungal fermentation, including detailed recipes for various myco-cultures, including tempeh, mead, miso, and the delicious corn smut (huitlacoche).

The book touches on the better-known medicinal mushrooms and how anyone can produce their own safe and efficient dual extraction tinctures.

Cultivation techniques, covered extensively in his previous book, are reviewed and refined, with an interesting integration of fungi and gardening.

I have been recording mushroom music for many years, so I was thrilled to see this concept mentioned, along with unique philosophical ideas around creative mushroom movements, dance, and expressions, all in the context of cultural projects. So fascinating!

Fungal pigments and dyes are mentioned, along with the yet to be fully explored importance of myco-remediation, and an examination of fungal endophyte relationships within the plant kingdom. As an herbalist for a half century, I am increasingly convinced the health and medicinal properties of herbs are due, in large part, to this fungal relationship.

Above all, Peter’s passion for the fungal kingdom shines through, personified by his love and commitment to helping create a healthy, sustainable, and vibrant planet and people. May the spores be with you!

—Robert Rogers, RH (AHG)

May 2022 Edmonton, Alberta

preface

Mycology, the study of fungi, is one of the most inspiring, mysterious, exciting, and empowering topics I have ever studied. And yet, like almost everyone I’ve met, I was taught next to nothing about mushrooms, molds, or yeasts growing up. Of what little I learned from my peers and the media’s depiction of fungi, I knew that most species were to be feared and avoided—save for the cold, tasteless species found at diner salad bars or, for the devious, the few mushrooms that could alter your perception of reality. Beyond that limited presentation, fungi were almost never mentioned in any context, and so I unconsciously assumed that they didn’t matter.

If we are only told by our teachers and the media that fungi will either hurt us or make us trip, our collective perspective on mycology will stay just as limited. Fungi are so much more than what we have been told to think about them.

It was only by luck that my interest in these incredible organisms first developed when, at the age of 15, my older brother suggested I try my hand at growing edible mushrooms. I had tended a vegetable and herb garden in our family’s backyard for years, so learning to grow a new crop was more intriguing than intimidating to me. But as I didn’t have a strong relationship with eating mushrooms, I wasn’t that interested in growing fungi for food. Rather, my interest in eclectic topics cultivated a feeling in me that I couldn’t ignore: the alluring oddity of a human-fungal relation was a mystery worth exploring, even if I was unsure of where it might lead.

After borrowing the few books on mushroom cultivation available at my local library—all of which were written for the large-scale fungi farming industry—I began the first of many attempts at cultivating gourmet mushrooms in my bedroom. Using what little engineering skills I had at the time, I built humble versions of the elaborate equipment described in the manuals I was reading, with a poorly sealed still air box (used for making clean transfers of mushroom tissue) and a less-than-optimal fruiting chamber (which mimics the natural environment in which mushrooms grow) being my clunky results. I grew more mold than mushrooms in those early years. Luckily, though, I never got discouraged by my failures, but rather saw each as well-earned steps on the path toward a greater understanding of the many ways of fungi.

The myco-illiteracy of the world will quickly be overcome when more people start asking where fungi are missing from analyses, and where they’ve been overlooked historically.

As I continued to experiment with mushrooms throughout my teens, I also developed a strong interest in other beneficial aspects of mycology, such as its many influences on plants, animals, and ecosystems. Eventually, my understanding of the importance of fungi’s influence on all life worked its way into my analysis of most global issues—a web of relationships that only increased in size and complexity as I got older. By my late teens, I often found myself wondering how mycology influenced politics, economics, and even how humans relate with each other and the environment. I knew that fungi were critical to plant and soil health, and that mushroom growing could reduce food shortages and, potentially, resolve health crises. And yet, all of the books and films I used to learn about these broader topics never incorporated a fungi-informed analysis. A systemic problem was presenting itself to me: not only did my peers lack consideration for fungi, but so did experts.

At the age of twenty, while volunteering with several activist organizations in New York City, my awareness of the West’s mycological blind spot expanded to edges of society where complex social and environmental issues were often at the fore of discussion. One group, the New York Freegans, that I often worked with focused on addressing New York City’s food waste by leading nightly trash tours, during which we would take individuals and media outlets from around the world to the sidewalks facing several of lower Manhattan’s grocery stores. Here, we would open the shops’ trash bags and show just a small percentage of the thousands of pounds of fresh food that goes to waste in the city each day. During interviews with the media, we would explain the social and ecological impacts of food waste and consumerism, as well as how salvaging some of society’s discarded excess can not only offset its ecological burden, but also serve as a reminder that food is a basic human right and something that should be shared—especially when a surplus is destined for the dumpster.

Working with the New York Freegans (www.freegan.info), I learned how to engage with the media and articulate challenging concepts. More importantly, I also learned how to discuss uncommon topics and present alternative paradigms that test popular assumptions—invaluable lessons that I carry with me and draw on to this day.

Though my fellow Freegans spent much of their time working to make the world a bit better, the impact that fungi had on our causes was rarely discussed during our tours or private meetings. When I would attempt to describe the relationships I saw between fungi, environmental health, food production, waste recycling, job creation, and even designing decentralized social structures (that often mimic the growth habits of