2023 Mycelial Growth
2023 has been an underground adventure, myceliating through rich soils, spores spreading from devil's cigars erupting into stars.
2023 has been an underground adventure, myceliating through rich soils, spores spreading from devil's cigars erupting into stars. Since our non-profits' founding in 2019 we have been volunteer powered, a fungal network that has organized community outreach, programming and our recycling program.
RECORD MEMBERSHIP
The membership has grown to over 1,200* supporters from 164 cities in 22 different states. You can support us with monthly, annual, or a one-time lifetime supporting membership donations. *This includes 225 volunteers who become automatic members.
300,000 Blocks Composted
Mountains of “spent mushroom blocks” have been rescued from the waste stream and are myceliating and building healthy soil and community. It is estimated that 300,000 blocks have been composted annually. We are grateful for the donations and volunteers that help us in this waste diversion initiative.
Record No. of Education Events
We had 165 education events in 21 Texas cities and 3 states, reaching over 18,000 students. The mycelium is running in the San Antonio region with several volunteer organizers helping activate the M.E.M.E Lab at Gardopia Gardens and a monthly line-up of educational events.
New Huitlacoche Experiment
We kicked off the first year of the Huitlacoche growing experiment with some success and some happy accidents. We inoculated several corn crops at Nixta Taqueria, Zilker Botanical Garden, Gus Garcia Community Garden and several home gardens. We plan to try some new methods this next year.
Health Soils, Healthy Trees
We wrapped up the first year of Healthy Soil, Healthy Trees, a partnership with City of Austin Urban Forestry Dept. and Ecology Action, to conduct community research and educational programs on mycorrhizal relationships in urban reforestation efforts and to reboot the Myco Research Station. Visit the temporary eco-art installation at Circle Acres.
What’s in Store for 2024:
Camping Forays
Foraging Walks
Chef Collaborations
K-12 Curriculum
This next year we hope you will join us in becoming a supporting member as we
continue to be wowed by fungi!
Enter to Win a Texas Mushroom Tee
Your feedback is essential to us. Take a few moments to share your thoughts on this year’s educational events and be entered to win. Your response will help us improve future events and create a better experience for all!
How You Can Support
🧧Become a supporting member or give a membership gift card.
👕Purchase merch including our new Texas mushrooms tee with a design from Mystic Multiples.
✋Volunteer and help us keep organic matter out of the waste.
🍄 Give a ♻️🍄🧱 underneath your trees to protect them this coming winter.
💸 Make a donation to support mycology education and the recycling program.
December Mushroom of the Month: Amanita persicina
The December mushroom of the month is Amanita persicina, known commonly as the Peach Fly Agaric.
The December mushroom of the month is Amanita persicina, known commonly as the Peach Fly Agaric. Recent DNA evidence has indicated that Amanita persicina is better treated as a distinct species, and it was elevated to species status in 2015. Scroll to learn more and where to find in Texas and how it is being used as a medicine for anxiety and depression.
🙌 to @mullenjoseph for naming that mushroom correctly and becoming the newest member of Central Texas Mycology! Become a supporting member to stay dialed-in to the wood-wide-web and join us for events & discover next month’s mystery mushroom.
Can I EAT it?
It is both poisonous and psychoactive.
The mushroom contains the neurotoxin ibotenic acid which can be decarboxylated into Muscimol, a legal, psychoactive compound. A few studies show it inhibits neuronal and glial GABA uptake, helping with depression, anxiety, muscular pain and promote sleep. In the last few years Muscimol has become a popular ingredient in medicinal mushroom products.
Hometown Hero is one local company that sells “Magic Muscaria Gummies.”
WHERE DOES IT GROW?
In East Texas
Amanita persicina is mycorrhizal with conifers (Loblolly Pine) and deciduous (Oak & Hemlock) trees and can be found in the late fall to early spring. The cap color varies from bright red and fades to yellow to orangish peach. Additionally, the universal veil material is usually present merely as scattered fragments and patches, rather than the well defined concentric rings and zones that characterize the other North American varieties.
Is Santa Really A Mushroom?
Some believe the myth of Santa is derived from shamanic uses of the Fly Agaric mushroom near the north pole. Fungi Foundation has cataloged 200 ancestral and traditional uses of this mushroom. Some uses are by shamans in the northern hemisphere for purposes such as communicating with spirits, increasing courage and inducing altered states of consciousness. Fact or fiction? Just a cute Christmas card design? We are glad that indigenous uses of mushrooms are being cataloged and protected for future generations.
BECOME A SUPPORTING MEMBER & stay Dialed in with events & discover next month’s mystery mushroom.
November Mushroom of the Month: Trametes Versicolor
The November mushroom of the month is Trametes versicolor commonly known as Turkey tail.
The November mushroom of the month is Trametes versicolor commonly known as Turkey tail. Turkey tail decomposes rotting wood and is used in traditional Chinese medicine and has been found to improve response to cancer medicines and radiation. It is also used for muscle strength, fatigue, UTIs, and many other conditions. Fortunately, there are no toxic look-alikes which generally makes them a “safe”mushroom to forage. Swipe to learn how to identify Turkey Tail, Trametes versicolor from False Turkey Tail, Stereum ostrea.
🙌 to Erika for naming that mushroom correctly and becoming the 1,174th member of Central Texas Mycology!
Can I EAT it?
Sort of, It’s Medicinal
Turkey tail decomposes rotting wood and is used in traditional Chinese medicine and has been found to improve response to cancer medicines and radiation. It is also used for muscle strength, fatigue, UTIs, and many other conditions. Fortunately, there are no toxic look-alikes which generally makes them a “safe”mushroom to forage.
how to identify Turkey Tail, Trametes versicolor from False Turkey Tail, Stereum ostrea.
The key to identification of turkey tail is the underside.
Similarities
Polypore
Grows on decomposing wood
Thin and flexible
Concentric growth rings on the cap
Irregular outer margins
Differences
False has smooth, tan underside and pores are not visible. True has white pores that are visible.
False has green algae that grows on it. True does not.
False grows upwards to the edges. True often has flat growth.
5 STEPS to Correctly IDentify
Does it have visible, multi-colored concentric zones?
Is it thin and flexible? (1–3 millimeters thin)
Does the top feel velvety?
Is the underside white? (Gets more yellow with age.)
Does the underside have small pores?
BECOME A SUPPORTING MEMBER & stay Dialed in with events & discover next month’s mystery mushroom.
Ghoulish Mushroom Skull Recipes
Happy Halloween! Check out some of our favorite skull mushroom recipes from around the web.
Halloween Pasta Salad
A ghoulishly delightful blend of eerie ingredients like black pasta, mozzarella eyeballs, and mushroom skulls coated in Italian dressing, that’s perfect for a hauntingly delicious celebration.
Skull & Pumpkin Soup
This skull and pumpkin soup is so easy to make and although this is a lentil and vegetable soup you could make this with meat or make this with your favourite soup recipe.
Keto Mushroom Skull Recipes
We made these mushroom skulls as part of our keto Halloween celebrations and served them in many different ways. These tiny skulls make a healthy vegan dish or appetizer.
Bread of the Dead
A dramatic and delicious take on flatbread pizza made with savory mushroom skulls, shallots and herbs topped with a balsamic glaze drizzle. Enjoy!
October Mushroom of the Month: Omphalotus subilludens
The October mushroom of the month is Omphalotus subilludens commonly known as Southern Jack-o-lantern.
The October mushroom of the month is Omphalotus subilludens commonly known as Southern Jack-o-lantern. We thought this one was an easy one but many of you guessed it was a chanterelle which is edible and the southern jack-o-lantern is toxic. Scroll to learn the differences and more about how this mushroom glows in the dark like a jack-o-lantern.
🙌 to @erociovergara for naming that mushroom correctly and becoming the 1,174th member of Central Texas Mycology!
Can I Eat It?
NO! It’s toxic!
It won’t kill you but you will wish you were dead. It contains the toxic chemical illudin that can cause severe stomach upset, vomiting, diarrhea and headache. A real nightmare on Elm Street. It gets commonly confused with the choice edible, chanterelle.
CHANTERELLEs
Mycorrhizal: Grows typically as a single mushroom in symbiosis and within several feet of living Live Oak trees.
Gills: False or folded and run down the stem (decurrent).
Stem: When peeled, pale orange on the inside
Season: Spring and Fall during high humidity like after Texas style flash floods.
Southern Jack-o-Lantern
Saprophytic: Decomposes and fruits in clusters at base of stumps or buried roots.
Gills: True, sharp, non-forking gills that are decurrent or adnate (like shown above).
Stem: bright to dark orange on inside
Season: Spring and Fall after rains.
IT Glows in the dark!
Bioluminescence, a blue-green color, can be seen in the gills of fresh specimens in low light once the eye becomes dark-adapted or with long exposure photo-graphy. This is due to the enzyme luciferase, acting upon a compound called luciferin, leading to the emission of light similar to the way fireflies do when glowing. Scientists have found the glow attracts insects that then spread the mushroom spores.