November Newsletter

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It’s November and the year is almost over, thank goodness. I say that only based on the pandemic and state of our nation, in the world of mushrooms it has been a great year. Since I ended walks for the year and began harvesting for my own personal use and medicine making for the business, the forest has provided! I have found my biggest, single Chaga piece, some grand Maitake clusters, loads of Turkey tail and even some Reishi, Chickens, Indigos, Honeys, Beefsteaks and Cauliflowers! And before the season closes I’m on the hunt for Lions Mane. For me this is a time of foraging, drying, tincture making, tea bag filling and stopping to appreciate the colors and wonders of the forest.

The season of tailgate markets is also winding down. The East Asheville market will end on the 30th of October, which I will be at. I have finished the Weaverville market for the year and a thank you to all who came to support me there. I do plan on doing a few markets in November in Black Mountain 9-12 and Burnsville 9-1, both on Saturdays. I will give announcements of any holiday markets I plan to attend. I’m grateful to all those who come to the markets and support us small local businesses and to all the vendors, volunteers and market managers for making it happen.

I’m also always interested in collaborations and new markets to carry my products. I’m in the works of working with some herbalists and coffee makers to create new products, coming soon. If you know of any connections or are yourself a connection please feel free to contact me. One such collaboration I’ve had for some time is with Sister Of Mother Earth, Lori is an immensely knowledgeable medicine maker who specializes in Elderberry products and various tonics. She uses my Chaga in her syrup and I use it everyday. Her products are all over Western North Carolina: https://www.sisterofmotherearth.com/

More and more information is popping out on the importance of using immune boosters during this pandemic. Vitamins and supplements are gaining a little more spotlight but little mention of mushrooms. I think it’s important to share the immune boosting mushrooms that can help us, such as, Turkey Tail, Chaga, Reishi, Maitake and Lions Mane, also the lichen Usnea. These along with Elderberry, Vitamin C, and Zinc, to name a few, can provide a first line of defense against Co-Vid 19, the flu and the common cold as winter sets in. Here’s a useful link for medicinal mushrooms: https://fullscript.com/blog/mushrooms-for-immune-health

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These are some of the wonderful finds I’ve had since the beginning of October. I couldn’t be more ecstatic after finding the biggest single Chaga I’ve ever found. This beauty as you see is the size of a buffalo head! This single piece will make tons of medicine. After searching for several weeks, coming across a group of large Hen of the Woods, Maitake, has been another great highlight. I enjoyed eating and sharing a portion of that but also drying a bunch for tincture making. Maitake is powerful tool against the flu and viruses and all too often overlooked in that category. The Reishi I found is a variety called Ganoderma Curtisii, a bit more rare than the common Ganoderma Tsugae we often find in our region. Honey mushrooms should stick around a little longer, along with Chickens, Blewits, Puffballs and Cauliflowers. This part of late fall is also prime time for Turkey Tail, which I have seen everywhere.

As winter sets in I want to wish everyone safe and healthy days ahead. Do your part to protect yourselves and others from Corona Virus, don’t forget to vote and enjoy some time out in nature collecting vitamin D.

Keep up with my other adventures at my blog: https://funguy2017.wordpress.com/