Today on Mushroom Hour we have the privilege of speaking with Mark Williams, founder of Galloway Wild Foods. Through his work in the wilds of Scotland, Mark hopes to share his passion for foraging and the delicious and nutritious food that we all can gather for free in the wild. In so doing, Mark’s goal is to restore vital connection between humans and nature, increasing our intimacy with the natural world in ways that are beneficial our own physical and mental wellbeing, and the health of the ecosystems of which we are part. He teaches about the full range and depth of wild food and foraging including plants, fungi, seaweed, and shellfish. These practices take Mark across a diverse range of habitats – from high mountains, through forests, hedgerows, urban settings and down to the coast. He covers all areas of foraging including traditional and modern food uses, health and nutrition, traditional and modern medicinal uses, survival and bushcraft, wild booze and lots more.   TOPICS COVERED:   Childhood Spent in Nature   Discovering Provenance, Wild Food & Foraging Working as a Chef   Scotland as a Mushroom Habitat   Foraging Traditions in Scotland   Diversity & Abundance in Coastal Foraging   Nutritional & Medicinal Value of Seaweeds   Cyber-foraging & Impressions on Social Media   Edible Conifers   Botanical Cocktails   Medicinal Mushrooms & Plants   Evolution of Foraging Mentorship   The Association of Foragers   Wild Food Accreditation Systems   Adding Mushrooms to School Curriculums   EPISODE RESOURCES:   Galloway Wild Foods Website: https://gallowaywildfoods.com/   Mark Williams Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/markwildfood/   Association of Foragers: https://foragers-association.org/   "A Passion for Mushrooms" (Book): https://antoniocarlucciofoundation.org/book/a-passion-for-mushrooms/   Sea Orache: https://gallowaywildfoods.com/orache-identification-edibility-distribution/   Palmaria palmata (Dulse Seaweed): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palmaria_palmata   Nori Seaweed: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nori   Grifola frondosa (Hen of the Woods): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grifola_frondosa   Hymenochaete corrugata (Hazel Glue): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hymenochaete_corrugata   Hypocreopsis rhododendri (Hazel Gloves): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypocreopsis_rhododendri