How Mushrooms Change the World

Written By: Dr. Gary Wein - Highlands-Cashiers Land Trust | Issue: 2020/09 – September

The Fungi Kingdom is vast and harbors the yeast that carbonates your beer, the green mold that takes over your bread, and the Italian truffles worth over $500 a pound.  

The Highlands-Cashiers Plateau is home to tens of edible gourmet wild mushrooms that will make you salivate while they sauté in the pan, in addition to a few lethal mushrooms that will make your liver fail entirely. 

This shouldn’t fill you with mycophobia (fear of mushrooms), but rather a respect for these puzzling organisms that emerge and rot in a matter of days in these woods.

On Tuesday, September 29 at 5:00 PM you’re invited to join an interactive presentation from the comfort of your home for our final Village Nature Series of 2020, “Edible Fungi – How Mushrooms Will Change the World.” To receive your Zoom link, email [email protected].

You’ll learn about some of the tastiest wild mushrooms in these woods. We’ll also cover the common poisonous, lethal, medicinal, and other fantastic fungi that inhabit the Plateau. In addition, we’ll explore how the Fungi Kingdom can break down plastics, clean oil spills, boost our immune systems, combat noxious pests, and be a sustainable vegan source of protein. You’ll never look at a toadstool the same way.

Joey Kyle, the farm manager at Many Hands Peace Farm at The Mountain Retreat and Learning Center in Highlands, will share his vast knowledge of mushrooms; you’ll find he’s quite a fun guy. Many Hands Peace Farm is an educational farm that focuses on regenerative agriculture. They sell produce at the Highlands and Cashiers farmers markets every week and provide workshops on edible wild plants and mushrooms. Stop by the farm and The Mountain any time; they’re open to
the public.

The Mountain Retreat and Learning Center is located on Little Scaly Mountain and approximately 80 acres is conserved there with Highlands-Cashiers Land Trust.  This conservation easement protects forest, rock outcrops, streams (on both sides of the Continental Divide), and some rare and unusual species.  The Mountain is home to a 400-year-old dwarf white forest, perhaps the only one of its kind. The Mountain also allows some public use of its trails and connects to trails on surrounding US Forest Service lands. To learn more about HCLT and how they conserved valuable natural resources on and around the Plateau, visit hicashlt.org.  To learn more about The Village Green and their 13.2 acre park for the people located in the heart of Cashiers, visit villagegreencashiersnc.com. Big thanks to our 2020 Village Nature Series sponsors, Cedar Creek Club!