1 00:00:07,880 --> 00:00:10,119 Speaker 1: Hello, and welcome to favorite protection of I Heart Radio. 2 00:00:10,160 --> 00:00:13,000 Speaker 1: I'm any Reason, I'm Lauren Vogelbaum, and today we're talking 3 00:00:13,000 --> 00:00:18,520 Speaker 1: about moral mushrooms. Yes, moral mushrooms, which was a listener suggestion, 4 00:00:18,600 --> 00:00:23,600 Speaker 1: Thank you, Candice. I love mushrooms and I love moral mushrooms, 5 00:00:23,600 --> 00:00:27,360 Speaker 1: and it is a rarity for sure. But I don't 6 00:00:27,360 --> 00:00:34,239 Speaker 1: think I've ever had them, I know, right, Okay, we 7 00:00:34,320 --> 00:00:41,400 Speaker 1: need to go back up into Yes, yes, I think 8 00:00:41,400 --> 00:00:45,640 Speaker 1: that is the only solution, back into appo H or 9 00:00:45,680 --> 00:00:50,000 Speaker 1: the Pacific World West? Oh, are the specific Northwest? I 10 00:00:50,120 --> 00:00:55,840 Speaker 1: said specific, but I meant Pacific everyone, Um, it is 11 00:00:55,920 --> 00:01:00,560 Speaker 1: a specific part of the Northwest. I suppose asolutely what 12 00:01:00,600 --> 00:01:02,120 Speaker 1: I meant. It was not a slip of the tongue 13 00:01:02,120 --> 00:01:07,280 Speaker 1: at all. Yes, I do. I love mushrooms, and we 14 00:01:07,319 --> 00:01:10,920 Speaker 1: have done past episodes on mushrooms. We've done truffles, We've 15 00:01:10,959 --> 00:01:13,520 Speaker 1: done Portobellos. And that episode still breaks my mind that 16 00:01:13,560 --> 00:01:17,440 Speaker 1: apparently there's seven acceptable spellings of Portobello. I don't know. 17 00:01:17,640 --> 00:01:19,760 Speaker 1: I'm still mad about it. Yeah, yeah, it's too much. 18 00:01:20,480 --> 00:01:25,680 Speaker 1: It's too much. We need to agree and decide. Um, 19 00:01:25,720 --> 00:01:30,680 Speaker 1: that's what civilization is. Come on, it's on the friend now. 20 00:01:30,760 --> 00:01:34,679 Speaker 1: Because we can't agree on how to spell portobello. Portobello. 21 00:01:35,160 --> 00:01:39,399 Speaker 1: Oh my gosh, yes, um, and yes, never forget the 22 00:01:39,440 --> 00:01:41,360 Speaker 1: episode where we wandered into the woods and I ate 23 00:01:41,400 --> 00:01:44,320 Speaker 1: that suspect mushroom. I will say, putting it like that 24 00:01:44,360 --> 00:01:47,360 Speaker 1: makes me sound a lot more foolish than what really happened. 25 00:01:47,480 --> 00:01:51,320 Speaker 1: It was still foolish, well it was. I mean you 26 00:01:51,680 --> 00:01:55,880 Speaker 1: we were with a like like professional mushroom forager, and 27 00:01:55,960 --> 00:01:59,920 Speaker 1: he did tell you to put it in your mouth. Yes, exactly, 28 00:02:00,840 --> 00:02:05,560 Speaker 1: because mushroom picking can be very, very dangerous, and definitely 29 00:02:05,640 --> 00:02:08,200 Speaker 1: do your research, do your due diligence, go with an expert. 30 00:02:08,919 --> 00:02:11,480 Speaker 1: But I did put a mushroom in my mouth and 31 00:02:11,520 --> 00:02:14,880 Speaker 1: then he was like, don't swallow it. It was it 32 00:02:14,960 --> 00:02:20,359 Speaker 1: was too late, so my bad. Everything worked out okay, Yeah, 33 00:02:20,360 --> 00:02:21,840 Speaker 1: it was just fine. It was just it wasn't a 34 00:02:21,919 --> 00:02:28,520 Speaker 1: toxic mushroom. He wasn't endangering you on purpose. No, he 35 00:02:28,680 --> 00:02:31,160 Speaker 1: just said it was going to be really bitter. I 36 00:02:31,160 --> 00:02:36,400 Speaker 1: don't really remember that. Hey, I turned out fine. Not 37 00:02:36,520 --> 00:02:39,880 Speaker 1: turning out fine though, it was also Never forget that 38 00:02:39,919 --> 00:02:43,560 Speaker 1: fungus and mushrooms, and specifically the cord ressteps are what 39 00:02:43,680 --> 00:02:46,640 Speaker 1: Jumps started The Zombie Apocalypse in the last just one 40 00:02:46,680 --> 00:02:48,960 Speaker 1: of my favorite video games. And if you want to 41 00:02:49,000 --> 00:02:52,880 Speaker 1: see mushrooms that look creepy as hell, look up pictures 42 00:02:52,919 --> 00:02:55,440 Speaker 1: from that game, because they don't miss. Oh no, no, 43 00:02:55,560 --> 00:02:59,800 Speaker 1: court asceps in general are really really horrifying in nature. 44 00:03:00,160 --> 00:03:03,840 Speaker 1: Just I'm definitely part of a Facebook group that's just 45 00:03:04,040 --> 00:03:08,400 Speaker 1: images that people find or take of bugs that have 46 00:03:08,480 --> 00:03:12,880 Speaker 1: been infected with that kind of issue, and it is 47 00:03:13,360 --> 00:03:18,400 Speaker 1: constant source of cronin bergiean horror, and I love it intensely. 48 00:03:20,639 --> 00:03:23,080 Speaker 1: I guess I should be a surprise that you're part 49 00:03:23,120 --> 00:03:27,880 Speaker 1: of such a Facebook group. I mean, it's pretty on 50 00:03:28,000 --> 00:03:35,080 Speaker 1: brand if we're being honest. Yeah, perhaps so we should 51 00:03:35,160 --> 00:03:43,000 Speaker 1: move on. Yeah, this brings us to our question. Yes, 52 00:03:43,160 --> 00:03:53,440 Speaker 1: I think so. Moral mushrooms what are they? Well? Morals 53 00:03:53,520 --> 00:03:57,160 Speaker 1: are a number of species of mushrooms in the genus 54 00:03:57,240 --> 00:04:00,960 Speaker 1: Mortella that grow above ground in temperate areas of the 55 00:04:01,000 --> 00:04:08,040 Speaker 1: Northwest hemisphere, and they have so many fun nicknames. Pickory chickens, 56 00:04:08,360 --> 00:04:14,080 Speaker 1: molly meachers, dry land fish are just lamd fish, sacred mushroom. Yeah, 57 00:04:14,120 --> 00:04:19,760 Speaker 1: also markles or miracles, um sponge mushrooms, pine cone mushrooms. 58 00:04:21,080 --> 00:04:24,159 Speaker 1: They can range in a cap color from black to 59 00:04:24,240 --> 00:04:27,160 Speaker 1: gray to a creamy yellow to white. They do not 60 00:04:27,240 --> 00:04:29,440 Speaker 1: have a smooth cap though, like a like a standard 61 00:04:29,520 --> 00:04:33,000 Speaker 1: button mushroom or portabella um. Their caps are oblongish, sort 62 00:04:33,040 --> 00:04:36,400 Speaker 1: of sort of cone or like spearhead shaped, um, and 63 00:04:36,480 --> 00:04:39,279 Speaker 1: deeply wrinkled like a like a raisin or a natural 64 00:04:39,720 --> 00:04:43,279 Speaker 1: sponge or kind of sort of like a pine cone. Yeah. Um. 65 00:04:43,279 --> 00:04:46,080 Speaker 1: Those wrinkles are the equivalent of the gills that you 66 00:04:46,080 --> 00:04:48,839 Speaker 1: would find on a part of bella um and morels 67 00:04:48,880 --> 00:04:51,440 Speaker 1: are hollow inside. If you take a cross section, there's 68 00:04:51,440 --> 00:04:56,600 Speaker 1: a little little space in there along similar lines as truffles. 69 00:04:56,960 --> 00:05:01,360 Speaker 1: Their growth cycle or like preferred growth s instances are 70 00:05:01,400 --> 00:05:06,320 Speaker 1: a little bit mysterious. Okay, general mushroom overview, Um. Mushrooms 71 00:05:06,320 --> 00:05:08,480 Speaker 1: are types of fungus, so we did a whole episode 72 00:05:08,520 --> 00:05:12,760 Speaker 1: yes on them back in February. But in brief, mushrooms 73 00:05:12,760 --> 00:05:17,120 Speaker 1: are just super fascinating biologically because as a fungus they 74 00:05:17,120 --> 00:05:21,560 Speaker 1: have properties of both animals and of plants. UM. They 75 00:05:21,600 --> 00:05:25,400 Speaker 1: breathe oxygen and release CO two carbon dioxide like we do. 76 00:05:25,839 --> 00:05:30,960 Speaker 1: They cannot photosynthesize. They eat by excreting digestive enzymes and 77 00:05:31,000 --> 00:05:34,960 Speaker 1: then absorbing nutrients from the compounds that those enzymes breakdown, 78 00:05:35,960 --> 00:05:40,040 Speaker 1: but they don't have vascular systems the way that we do. 79 00:05:40,080 --> 00:05:42,240 Speaker 1: They grow similar to the way that plants do, with 80 00:05:42,320 --> 00:05:45,200 Speaker 1: new cells propagating out from developed ones, each with its 81 00:05:45,240 --> 00:05:49,160 Speaker 1: own cell wall, but those cell walls can contain kitan 82 00:05:49,560 --> 00:05:56,479 Speaker 1: like animal cells do. So basically it's like wtf nature, Yeah, yeah, right, 83 00:05:57,960 --> 00:06:06,080 Speaker 1: Nature were very fairy tale like looking sprouting mushrooms. Oh yeah, 84 00:06:06,240 --> 00:06:08,080 Speaker 1: oh yeah, yeah, yeah. I love. I love a good 85 00:06:08,360 --> 00:06:13,080 Speaker 1: love A good fairy circle of mushrooms, which tends to 86 00:06:13,120 --> 00:06:15,919 Speaker 1: be green on the grass tends to be greener inside 87 00:06:15,920 --> 00:06:18,279 Speaker 1: a fairy circle of mushrooms, which is just a circle 88 00:06:18,279 --> 00:06:23,120 Speaker 1: of mushrooms. Very circle is a uh figurative term there, 89 00:06:23,279 --> 00:06:25,840 Speaker 1: or fanciful, fanciful, that's the word I was looking for. 90 00:06:26,080 --> 00:06:30,240 Speaker 1: But the grass is greener inside because the roots system 91 00:06:30,320 --> 00:06:33,200 Speaker 1: of the of the mushrooms is in there breaking down 92 00:06:33,279 --> 00:06:38,240 Speaker 1: nutrients that the grass uses to grow. Anyway, that's so cool. Yeah, 93 00:06:38,880 --> 00:06:43,600 Speaker 1: well I cannot I cannot confirm nor deny um the 94 00:06:43,680 --> 00:06:48,800 Speaker 1: fairy activity involved. That's a separate show. I think. Yeah, 95 00:06:48,839 --> 00:06:51,159 Speaker 1: somebody get on the case. I need to know. I 96 00:06:51,240 --> 00:06:53,440 Speaker 1: had a fairy house and I was growing up, and 97 00:06:53,480 --> 00:06:58,560 Speaker 1: I was like hiding behind bushestures, and I believe like 98 00:06:58,640 --> 00:07:07,479 Speaker 1: traps just cute. Oh my, that's amazing. Jeez um. Okay, 99 00:07:07,520 --> 00:07:11,720 Speaker 1: all right, Uh back to morals. Morals in particular have 100 00:07:11,880 --> 00:07:16,200 Speaker 1: a life cycle that goes like this. A fully developed moral, 101 00:07:16,320 --> 00:07:20,080 Speaker 1: which is like the fruit of the organism, will release spores, 102 00:07:20,240 --> 00:07:22,760 Speaker 1: which are like seeds that can then spread on air 103 00:07:22,960 --> 00:07:26,119 Speaker 1: or water or moving creatures. And if those spores find 104 00:07:26,120 --> 00:07:29,720 Speaker 1: themselves in an appropriate growing spot, they will germinate and 105 00:07:30,120 --> 00:07:33,960 Speaker 1: grow out an underground network called a mycelium, which is 106 00:07:34,080 --> 00:07:37,440 Speaker 1: made up of a long, branching ropey structures sort of 107 00:07:37,480 --> 00:07:41,760 Speaker 1: like roots, And if conditions are right, a section or 108 00:07:41,800 --> 00:07:46,240 Speaker 1: sections of the mycelium will form up in a hardened mass, 109 00:07:46,000 --> 00:07:47,360 Speaker 1: a sort of sort of like a like a root 110 00:07:47,440 --> 00:07:50,080 Speaker 1: vegetable like a like a onion or something like that, 111 00:07:50,440 --> 00:07:54,080 Speaker 1: called a sclerodium um, which is, yeah, a storage unit 112 00:07:54,360 --> 00:07:58,400 Speaker 1: of nutrients for the system um. And then if conditions 113 00:07:58,440 --> 00:08:03,560 Speaker 1: are like even wright, the sclerotia will produce fruit moral 114 00:08:03,680 --> 00:08:09,520 Speaker 1: mushroom and continue that life cycle. But no one is 115 00:08:09,680 --> 00:08:14,480 Speaker 1: entirely sure what the right conditions are for morals, which 116 00:08:14,520 --> 00:08:17,240 Speaker 1: is why they're so dang expensive. They're like really difficult 117 00:08:17,320 --> 00:08:21,080 Speaker 1: to farm. UM, So they're still largely foraged, which is 118 00:08:21,360 --> 00:08:24,880 Speaker 1: an unpredictable venture at best. But it's not like we 119 00:08:24,960 --> 00:08:28,200 Speaker 1: have no idea how this works. Um, It's just that 120 00:08:28,240 --> 00:08:31,280 Speaker 1: morals are particularly confusing because so Okay, one of the 121 00:08:31,280 --> 00:08:35,280 Speaker 1: ways that you can categorize mushrooms is how they feed. UM. 122 00:08:35,360 --> 00:08:39,760 Speaker 1: Whether they're sapara trophic meaning that they're scavengers that thrive 123 00:08:39,880 --> 00:08:42,480 Speaker 1: on dead or dyeing tissue in this case like trees 124 00:08:42,600 --> 00:08:47,120 Speaker 1: or tree mulch, or my carizal meaning that they're symbiotic 125 00:08:47,640 --> 00:08:52,079 Speaker 1: with living plants like trees. UM mike rizal. Fungi will 126 00:08:52,120 --> 00:08:54,959 Speaker 1: sort of team up with the plant's root system. UM, 127 00:08:55,000 --> 00:08:58,480 Speaker 1: the massilia breakdown compounds and the soil that the plants 128 00:08:58,480 --> 00:09:01,640 Speaker 1: can't otherwise access, like in those fairy circles. Yeah, giving 129 00:09:01,640 --> 00:09:06,479 Speaker 1: those plants more nutrients, and in exchange, they draw carbohydrates 130 00:09:06,600 --> 00:09:09,679 Speaker 1: from the plant's roots that the plant made via photosynthesis, 131 00:09:09,760 --> 00:09:15,520 Speaker 1: which the fungus can't do. Morels seem to do both. Um. 132 00:09:15,559 --> 00:09:18,960 Speaker 1: They're most often found near hardwood trees like apple, elm, 133 00:09:19,080 --> 00:09:21,240 Speaker 1: or aspen, though they can also be found near soft 134 00:09:21,240 --> 00:09:23,760 Speaker 1: woods like cedar and hemlock, some pine trees as well. 135 00:09:24,080 --> 00:09:27,520 Speaker 1: Um that the common denominators here are like decent shade 136 00:09:27,840 --> 00:09:33,480 Speaker 1: and damp rich soil. But Morels seem to prefer dead 137 00:09:33,600 --> 00:09:37,680 Speaker 1: or dyeing trees of these types in many situations, which 138 00:09:37,679 --> 00:09:40,720 Speaker 1: makes me go, like our morals like the ban cheese 139 00:09:41,240 --> 00:09:46,760 Speaker 1: of the mushroom world. You're right, maybe it's not a 140 00:09:46,800 --> 00:09:56,040 Speaker 1: fairy circle circle. No, gosh, we've already talked about zombiesche 141 00:09:57,000 --> 00:10:00,400 Speaker 1: This is this is a varied It's certainly not just 142 00:10:00,679 --> 00:10:03,720 Speaker 1: that you and I are deep into the horror genre. 143 00:10:04,679 --> 00:10:09,760 Speaker 1: That's not at all. Definitely moral's fault. They are goth mushrooms, 144 00:10:10,120 --> 00:10:13,320 Speaker 1: that's what's up. Yes, I mean you said to hollow 145 00:10:13,320 --> 00:10:17,120 Speaker 1: on the inside and particularly confusing and mysterious. What am 146 00:10:17,120 --> 00:10:22,240 Speaker 1: I supposed to think? Oh no, there's so much like me. 147 00:10:24,760 --> 00:10:28,920 Speaker 1: We can phone. No, we can find many and many 148 00:10:28,960 --> 00:10:32,960 Speaker 1: things in common with the Morel mushrooms. I gotta say, 149 00:10:33,040 --> 00:10:35,320 Speaker 1: listening to you read through that, like, go through that 150 00:10:35,520 --> 00:10:42,600 Speaker 1: as if you think about zombies in mind, it's disturbing. Yeah, huh. 151 00:10:43,559 --> 00:10:46,160 Speaker 1: Just if you want to have a different take on 152 00:10:46,240 --> 00:10:55,960 Speaker 1: this whole world mushroom episode, it's there. Um, well, so 153 00:10:56,480 --> 00:11:00,520 Speaker 1: hard left from that. In areas where more als grow, 154 00:11:00,600 --> 00:11:03,920 Speaker 1: they tend to fruit in the spring, uh, and foragers 155 00:11:04,000 --> 00:11:05,920 Speaker 1: go out to look for them. I'm often with their 156 00:11:05,960 --> 00:11:10,480 Speaker 1: own secret spots that they return to each year. And 157 00:11:10,600 --> 00:11:13,360 Speaker 1: the fact that they that they grow in the spring 158 00:11:13,679 --> 00:11:17,480 Speaker 1: helps cut down on accidental harvest of toxic mushrooms because 159 00:11:17,480 --> 00:11:21,400 Speaker 1: many mushrooms are fall flowering. Um. Also, moral's shapes are 160 00:11:21,480 --> 00:11:24,480 Speaker 1: pretty distinct, and although there are a number of species 161 00:11:24,520 --> 00:11:28,880 Speaker 1: of false morals, uh, it's relatively easy to tell the difference. 162 00:11:29,160 --> 00:11:33,120 Speaker 1: But yes, always always, always consult and experienced forager before 163 00:11:33,280 --> 00:11:37,240 Speaker 1: eating a mushroom that you have found. Yes. Yes, And 164 00:11:37,280 --> 00:11:39,600 Speaker 1: also there's a lot of in areas where they grow 165 00:11:39,960 --> 00:11:42,760 Speaker 1: in a decent number, a lot of government sources are 166 00:11:42,800 --> 00:11:47,240 Speaker 1: there because also cooking ways to cook them. Yeah yeah, 167 00:11:47,320 --> 00:11:50,680 Speaker 1: yeah yeah. So the resulting mushrooms, though, are used in 168 00:11:50,720 --> 00:11:53,559 Speaker 1: any number of savory dishes as you would use any mushroom, 169 00:11:53,600 --> 00:11:56,400 Speaker 1: though they do need to be cooked yes um, because 170 00:11:56,400 --> 00:11:59,960 Speaker 1: they are hollow inside. They're sometimes stuffed with fillings like sausage. 171 00:12:00,280 --> 00:12:03,640 Speaker 1: Oh that sounds so good. Um. They're popular sautet in 172 00:12:03,679 --> 00:12:07,240 Speaker 1: butter or grilled or in soups or breaded and fried 173 00:12:07,800 --> 00:12:11,520 Speaker 1: m m m m. And the season for them being 174 00:12:11,520 --> 00:12:13,880 Speaker 1: harvested fresh is short, but of course they can also 175 00:12:13,920 --> 00:12:17,400 Speaker 1: be dried and reconstituted all year round. Like I said, 176 00:12:17,480 --> 00:12:19,839 Speaker 1: I don't think I've ever had them, but I've read 177 00:12:20,000 --> 00:12:24,600 Speaker 1: that they're um less like mushroomy than other mushrooms, more 178 00:12:24,640 --> 00:12:28,800 Speaker 1: like nutty and earthy um bordering on like woody or smoky, 179 00:12:28,840 --> 00:12:37,280 Speaker 1: with a particularly meaty texture. Yeah. Yeah, Oh, it is 180 00:12:37,360 --> 00:12:44,880 Speaker 1: almost moral season. I need to find some. Oh that 181 00:12:44,880 --> 00:12:49,600 Speaker 1: would be a very funny savor expedition. I didn't mean 182 00:12:49,600 --> 00:12:54,560 Speaker 1: like personally, like in the woods. I meant like or purchase. Well, 183 00:12:54,600 --> 00:12:58,600 Speaker 1: either either way you could turn it into a grocery expedition. 184 00:12:58,920 --> 00:13:04,280 Speaker 1: Oh yeah, what about the nutrition? Mushrooms are pretty good 185 00:13:04,320 --> 00:13:06,920 Speaker 1: for you in general, lots of flavor, bang for your 186 00:13:07,000 --> 00:13:09,120 Speaker 1: caloric book, and they've also got a good punch of 187 00:13:09,200 --> 00:13:11,959 Speaker 1: vitamins and minerals. Of course, it does depend on how 188 00:13:12,120 --> 00:13:14,800 Speaker 1: you prepare them, um, I will say. You know, usually 189 00:13:15,160 --> 00:13:17,360 Speaker 1: try to try to pair with some kind of fat, 190 00:13:17,600 --> 00:13:22,920 Speaker 1: indoor protein, maybe a vegetable. Again, always a vegetable, always 191 00:13:23,000 --> 00:13:28,560 Speaker 1: a vegetable. We do have some numbers for you in 192 00:13:28,800 --> 00:13:32,959 Speaker 1: Western North America. Yearly commerce of morals ranges from five 193 00:13:32,960 --> 00:13:37,079 Speaker 1: to ten million dollars. The biggest importers are France, Germany 194 00:13:37,120 --> 00:13:41,360 Speaker 1: and Switzerland. Uh and estimated three hundred thousand pounds of 195 00:13:41,440 --> 00:13:44,160 Speaker 1: dried morales are traded around the globe each year, equivalent 196 00:13:44,200 --> 00:13:48,280 Speaker 1: to almost three million pounds of fresh moral mushrooms. Just 197 00:13:48,400 --> 00:13:53,800 Speaker 1: a lot um from exports of dried morales from China 198 00:13:53,880 --> 00:13:58,480 Speaker 1: increased by five times, reaching nine hundred thousand kilograms and 199 00:13:58,640 --> 00:14:03,680 Speaker 1: averaging around one hud and sixty dollars. Kim Yes and 200 00:14:04,920 --> 00:14:08,200 Speaker 1: morals can be quite pricey. As you said, Lauren, you 201 00:14:08,240 --> 00:14:11,200 Speaker 1: have to forage them pretty much like they're hard to get. 202 00:14:12,600 --> 00:14:15,280 Speaker 1: When in season they can run about thirty dollars a pound, 203 00:14:15,720 --> 00:14:19,760 Speaker 1: and more than double that out of season. Idaho moral 204 00:14:19,840 --> 00:14:25,400 Speaker 1: pickers made fift hundred dollars a day. There are moreral smugglers, 205 00:14:25,480 --> 00:14:30,360 Speaker 1: especially on national park sites where you're not supposed to go. Yeah, 206 00:14:30,840 --> 00:14:33,880 Speaker 1: and moral hunting has been called moral madness, the sickness, 207 00:14:33,880 --> 00:14:37,000 Speaker 1: and moral lust, among other things, and selling them has 208 00:14:37,000 --> 00:14:41,080 Speaker 1: been called morel mania and moral heaven. There are competitive 209 00:14:41,120 --> 00:14:46,440 Speaker 1: moral hunting festivals. At one of these hunting festivals, the 210 00:14:46,600 --> 00:14:49,880 Speaker 1: Boyne City, Michigan, festival, which is currently in its sixty 211 00:14:49,920 --> 00:14:54,360 Speaker 1: feet year. The world record was recorded as of two five, 212 00:14:54,440 --> 00:14:58,680 Speaker 1: with one stand boris picking nine hundred and forty five 213 00:14:58,960 --> 00:15:06,720 Speaker 1: morals in ninety minutes. Yeah, right, sure, I did look. 214 00:15:06,760 --> 00:15:09,080 Speaker 1: I couldn't find an update to that record, But since 215 00:15:09,120 --> 00:15:12,360 Speaker 1: the previous record of just over nine hundred was from 216 00:15:12,440 --> 00:15:15,040 Speaker 1: nine seventy, there's like a real decent chance that it 217 00:15:15,080 --> 00:15:21,560 Speaker 1: still holds. Right. Oh wow, that is yeah, because I 218 00:15:21,560 --> 00:15:24,000 Speaker 1: can just imagine how exciting that would be because, as 219 00:15:24,080 --> 00:15:28,360 Speaker 1: you said, you know, there's no guarantee if you're going 220 00:15:28,400 --> 00:15:32,440 Speaker 1: to find them, and to find nine, yeah, you've got 221 00:15:32,440 --> 00:15:34,480 Speaker 1: to be You've got to be real good at it. 222 00:15:34,560 --> 00:15:36,720 Speaker 1: And I've heard that they are very tricky to find, 223 00:15:36,760 --> 00:15:39,360 Speaker 1: even if you know what you're looking for in the wild, 224 00:15:39,480 --> 00:15:42,040 Speaker 1: because because they do blend in so well and they 225 00:15:42,040 --> 00:15:44,360 Speaker 1: do tend to you're like, is it a pine cone 226 00:15:44,600 --> 00:15:47,160 Speaker 1: or is it a very expensive mushroom. I'm not sure 227 00:15:47,680 --> 00:15:49,240 Speaker 1: until you kind of poke it, but you don't want 228 00:15:49,240 --> 00:15:52,600 Speaker 1: to poke it too hard because they're delicate anyway. UM. 229 00:15:52,640 --> 00:15:56,080 Speaker 1: There are several moral festivals around North America. UM. The 230 00:15:56,400 --> 00:16:00,440 Speaker 1: Messic Michigan Festival is in their sixty second year. Both 231 00:16:00,480 --> 00:16:02,720 Speaker 1: of these happened in May. The latter one includes a 232 00:16:02,800 --> 00:16:07,840 Speaker 1: parade and a blessing of the jeeps. What I don't know. 233 00:16:08,440 --> 00:16:12,440 Speaker 1: I couldn't find any more information about it. I oh, 234 00:16:12,680 --> 00:16:16,280 Speaker 1: we need to know. We need to know about this. 235 00:16:17,080 --> 00:16:21,360 Speaker 1: It's like exercising jeeps. Are they on the jeeps? Is 236 00:16:21,360 --> 00:16:28,120 Speaker 1: it the banchees? If anyone has been, please please do 237 00:16:28,280 --> 00:16:30,000 Speaker 1: right in and let us know. And also I hope 238 00:16:30,000 --> 00:16:33,760 Speaker 1: that I pronounced the name of that city correctly. Um. 239 00:16:33,800 --> 00:16:36,400 Speaker 1: There's also one in ms Gotta, Wisconsin that's in its 240 00:16:36,440 --> 00:16:40,320 Speaker 1: thirty ninth year. Apparently Ottawa had one um but ended 241 00:16:40,360 --> 00:16:44,920 Speaker 1: it in due to lack of financial support. And I 242 00:16:45,080 --> 00:16:50,640 Speaker 1: suspect over hunting in some known areas. Yeah, um, I 243 00:16:50,680 --> 00:16:52,640 Speaker 1: did read about that as well, that some places have 244 00:16:53,040 --> 00:16:58,800 Speaker 1: limits on how many you can forage over a period 245 00:16:58,840 --> 00:17:02,240 Speaker 1: of time, which is some times caused some friction in 246 00:17:02,320 --> 00:17:07,320 Speaker 1: the moral hunting community. Speaking, there are smartphone apps for 247 00:17:07,400 --> 00:17:14,800 Speaker 1: moral foragers, which yes, I love, so delightful. And we 248 00:17:14,920 --> 00:17:18,479 Speaker 1: have got a way back to go in the history 249 00:17:18,520 --> 00:17:21,840 Speaker 1: to talk about world mushrooms. Oh we do, but first 250 00:17:21,920 --> 00:17:23,600 Speaker 1: we've got a quick break for a word from our 251 00:17:23,640 --> 00:17:37,120 Speaker 1: sponsor error back. Thank you. Sponsors. Yes, thank you, and 252 00:17:37,200 --> 00:17:39,520 Speaker 1: we are going in a way back for this one. 253 00:17:39,560 --> 00:17:41,960 Speaker 1: I think it's been a while since we've gone this 254 00:17:42,080 --> 00:17:50,199 Speaker 1: far back. Yes, yes, so mushrooms are old, like millions 255 00:17:50,200 --> 00:17:54,359 Speaker 1: of years old. A recent research paper suggested that twenty 256 00:17:54,359 --> 00:17:58,399 Speaker 1: of the endemic moral mushrooms identified in East Asian China 257 00:17:58,720 --> 00:18:03,600 Speaker 1: probably dated back to the Miocene period five to twenty 258 00:18:03,800 --> 00:18:08,080 Speaker 1: million years ago UM. And a lot of papers I 259 00:18:08,119 --> 00:18:10,199 Speaker 1: had to read for this were very scientific, and it 260 00:18:10,200 --> 00:18:11,800 Speaker 1: was one of those things where like every other word 261 00:18:11,800 --> 00:18:17,879 Speaker 1: I had to look up make sure right. So endemic 262 00:18:18,040 --> 00:18:22,000 Speaker 1: just meaning like originating, they're kind of associated with that region. 263 00:18:22,640 --> 00:18:26,000 Speaker 1: Moral researchers believed that they originated towards the end of 264 00:18:26,040 --> 00:18:29,240 Speaker 1: the Jurassic period, which is two hundred to five million 265 00:18:29,320 --> 00:18:34,200 Speaker 1: years ago, in western North America, where they diverged into 266 00:18:34,240 --> 00:18:38,560 Speaker 1: a basil lineage. Also, they're basically just diverged UM. During 267 00:18:38,560 --> 00:18:41,480 Speaker 1: the Cretaceous period, moreles made their way across North America, 268 00:18:41,560 --> 00:18:44,679 Speaker 1: diverging a few more times, and a few new species 269 00:18:44,880 --> 00:18:47,920 Speaker 1: they popped up along the way to separately in eastern 270 00:18:48,119 --> 00:18:52,000 Speaker 1: and western North America. They didn't interact that much. Some 271 00:18:52,040 --> 00:18:56,480 Speaker 1: species transverse the land bridge that existed at the time 272 00:18:56,520 --> 00:18:59,320 Speaker 1: into Europe and then from there they spread into Asia. 273 00:18:59,600 --> 00:19:01,879 Speaker 1: And I'm pretty sure I read also the land bridge 274 00:19:01,920 --> 00:19:06,520 Speaker 1: into Australia. WHOA, Okay, that's how long ago this was. 275 00:19:06,600 --> 00:19:10,600 Speaker 1: That's cool, that's cool. I can conceive of that sure. 276 00:19:11,280 --> 00:19:14,240 Speaker 1: And also yeah, there's a part of me that's just 277 00:19:14,280 --> 00:19:17,680 Speaker 1: blown away that we could possibly know this at all. 278 00:19:19,000 --> 00:19:22,720 Speaker 1: But wow, I get there, old, I got you. As 279 00:19:22,760 --> 00:19:25,480 Speaker 1: the North American mountain ranges like the Rocky Mountains formed, 280 00:19:25,480 --> 00:19:28,959 Speaker 1: many species died out in that region because of the drier, 281 00:19:29,080 --> 00:19:33,800 Speaker 1: cooler climates. Uh, the species evolved rapidly during the Miocene 282 00:19:33,840 --> 00:19:38,040 Speaker 1: to Pleistocene eras um researchers speculate that's due to colder 283 00:19:38,040 --> 00:19:42,520 Speaker 1: climates as well. The coordinary glaciation really slowed down species 284 00:19:42,560 --> 00:19:47,040 Speaker 1: growth and led to some diversification. And again it's the 285 00:19:47,080 --> 00:19:55,320 Speaker 1: food showing humans have been eating morel since just about forever, 286 00:19:56,160 --> 00:19:59,920 Speaker 1: or at least since there have been humans. There's not real, 287 00:20:00,040 --> 00:20:03,880 Speaker 1: as might be clear, a lot of early written record 288 00:20:03,920 --> 00:20:07,919 Speaker 1: about this, but I did want to include this quote 289 00:20:07,920 --> 00:20:12,600 Speaker 1: from an Oregon State University paper. Dinosaurs squashed them with impunity. 290 00:20:12,920 --> 00:20:16,600 Speaker 1: Thousands of species that lacked culinary appreciation have turned up 291 00:20:16,640 --> 00:20:19,359 Speaker 1: their noses at them and at a city. Based on 292 00:20:19,400 --> 00:20:23,200 Speaker 1: advanced DNA analysis has shown that the shameful and difference 293 00:20:23,200 --> 00:20:27,640 Speaker 1: went on for one and twenty nine million years. Wow, 294 00:20:28,400 --> 00:20:34,760 Speaker 1: shameful indifference. Shameful indifference. So many species that lacked culinary 295 00:20:34,800 --> 00:20:41,200 Speaker 1: appreciation for the moral they were missing out they were, Um, 296 00:20:41,359 --> 00:20:44,040 Speaker 1: what historical reason for humans love of morals is? Because 297 00:20:44,080 --> 00:20:47,000 Speaker 1: of their very distinctive appearance, Like you said, Lauren, lowering 298 00:20:47,000 --> 00:20:51,480 Speaker 1: the risk of picking a poison mushroom. And yes, records 299 00:20:51,480 --> 00:20:53,760 Speaker 1: of humans eating morales are a bit sparse, even though 300 00:20:54,440 --> 00:21:00,080 Speaker 1: these mushroom researchers, which papers really were delightful, Um, do 301 00:21:00,280 --> 00:21:03,040 Speaker 1: speculate that people have just been eating them forever. We 302 00:21:03,119 --> 00:21:06,680 Speaker 1: know that the ancient Romans enjoyed them, often cooked with wine. 303 00:21:07,280 --> 00:21:10,439 Speaker 1: Indigenous peoples of North America with access to them, boiled 304 00:21:10,480 --> 00:21:13,960 Speaker 1: them and used them in soaps. Um interested in that 305 00:21:15,000 --> 00:21:18,760 Speaker 1: in Northern Europe, morals were typically cooked with cream and 306 00:21:19,080 --> 00:21:23,080 Speaker 1: or butter. Some researchers believe the name morels derived from 307 00:21:23,160 --> 00:21:25,359 Speaker 1: Old High Germans, so that would put it back sometime 308 00:21:25,400 --> 00:21:30,959 Speaker 1: between seven to one thousand fifty related to our diminutive 309 00:21:31,080 --> 00:21:33,960 Speaker 1: of a word for carrot, in the sense of like 310 00:21:34,160 --> 00:21:39,200 Speaker 1: edible root. Yeah, but no one's no, one's really sure. Yes, 311 00:21:39,560 --> 00:21:44,720 Speaker 1: there's a lot of uncertainties in this episode. Yes um. 312 00:21:44,760 --> 00:21:48,080 Speaker 1: But around the world morals have and have had descriptive 313 00:21:48,160 --> 00:21:51,400 Speaker 1: names that are also really fun. Indigenous peoples of Mexico 314 00:21:51,520 --> 00:21:55,120 Speaker 1: called them things like, translated into English, um, little bee 315 00:21:55,200 --> 00:21:59,920 Speaker 1: hives and little tender corn ears I know. And over 316 00:22:00,119 --> 00:22:03,040 Speaker 1: on the Tibetan plateau, they are sometimes called a cuckoo 317 00:22:03,119 --> 00:22:05,480 Speaker 1: mushroom since they fruit in spring, which is the same 318 00:22:05,520 --> 00:22:09,399 Speaker 1: time that the cuckoo bird returns. One Indigenous North American 319 00:22:09,440 --> 00:22:14,960 Speaker 1: people called them star soars m Yeah. Carl And has 320 00:22:15,040 --> 00:22:18,640 Speaker 1: recorded them in seventeen fifty three, and Elias Magnus Freeze 321 00:22:18,640 --> 00:22:22,199 Speaker 1: reclassified them in the early eighteen hundreds, though Christian Hindick 322 00:22:22,280 --> 00:22:26,680 Speaker 1: Pursue usually is credited with first classifying them in There 323 00:22:26,680 --> 00:22:29,119 Speaker 1: are a few papers published around this time about the 324 00:22:29,119 --> 00:22:32,879 Speaker 1: different species and varieties, and so much, so much confusion 325 00:22:32,920 --> 00:22:36,920 Speaker 1: around the scientific classification. It continues, it does, it does 326 00:22:36,960 --> 00:22:42,840 Speaker 1: to this day. It is contested, yes, um, and contestable. 327 00:22:44,320 --> 00:22:50,440 Speaker 1: Contested and contestable. New show Idea columnists settling in the 328 00:22:50,480 --> 00:22:52,879 Speaker 1: Avalatian Mountains have been hunting and eating morales for at 329 00:22:52,920 --> 00:22:57,880 Speaker 1: least hundreds of years. Not everyone was a sam though, Yes, 330 00:22:58,320 --> 00:23:02,439 Speaker 1: explore Merriweather low Us wrote in eighteen or six, because 331 00:23:02,520 --> 00:23:05,639 Speaker 1: that brought me several large morals, which I roasted and 332 00:23:05,920 --> 00:23:08,679 Speaker 1: ate without salt, pepper, or grease. In this way, I 333 00:23:08,720 --> 00:23:11,040 Speaker 1: had for the first time the true taste of the moral, 334 00:23:11,440 --> 00:23:16,639 Speaker 1: which is truly an insipid, tasteless food. Oh schnike ease. 335 00:23:17,040 --> 00:23:26,520 Speaker 1: I know, dang louis tastes insipid. Well you know, I 336 00:23:27,160 --> 00:23:30,320 Speaker 1: smart against it, but I do appreciate it. I also, 337 00:23:30,440 --> 00:23:35,520 Speaker 1: this is literally why you like salt your food, my dude. 338 00:23:36,359 --> 00:23:41,080 Speaker 1: U Like, if only we could go back in time 339 00:23:41,080 --> 00:23:44,400 Speaker 1: and be like, just salt, yeah, be like yeah, I'd 340 00:23:44,400 --> 00:23:46,919 Speaker 1: be like, well, like like harsh diss man, like I 341 00:23:46,960 --> 00:23:52,680 Speaker 1: appreciate that, but um put salt on it. Maybe you 342 00:23:52,880 --> 00:24:00,959 Speaker 1: are the insipid, tasteless fool. Oh heck, disappear story harsh. 343 00:24:01,000 --> 00:24:05,200 Speaker 1: This is abound. Yes, yes, but some people were trying 344 00:24:05,240 --> 00:24:10,760 Speaker 1: to redeem the mushrooms in Kate Surgeant published one of 345 00:24:10,800 --> 00:24:16,119 Speaker 1: the first American cookbooks dedicated entirely to mushrooms, One hundred 346 00:24:16,280 --> 00:24:20,800 Speaker 1: Mushroom Recipes or receipts. Here's a quote. The general opinion 347 00:24:20,880 --> 00:24:23,919 Speaker 1: in this country regarding mushrooms has been that, with one 348 00:24:24,000 --> 00:24:26,600 Speaker 1: or two exceptions, all forms of fungus growth are either 349 00:24:26,680 --> 00:24:30,439 Speaker 1: poisonous or unwholesome. But it's very gratifying to observe the 350 00:24:30,520 --> 00:24:34,119 Speaker 1: change that is rapidly taking place in the public mind. Soon, 351 00:24:34,280 --> 00:24:37,480 Speaker 1: public opinion will acknowledge that it is an established fact 352 00:24:37,880 --> 00:24:41,359 Speaker 1: that the great majority of the larger funguses, especially if 353 00:24:41,400 --> 00:24:44,080 Speaker 1: those that grow in fields and other open places, are 354 00:24:44,119 --> 00:24:50,399 Speaker 1: not only wholesome but highly nutritious. Wise words, wise words. 355 00:24:50,400 --> 00:24:55,320 Speaker 1: I gotta look at these recipes. Hundred mushroom recipes. I 356 00:24:55,359 --> 00:24:59,359 Speaker 1: always need more mushroom recipes, I know, and one hundred 357 00:25:00,200 --> 00:25:06,919 Speaker 1: I'm impressed. Mm hmmm. So skipping ahead, during the nineteen 358 00:25:06,960 --> 00:25:10,400 Speaker 1: eighties and nineties here in the US, commercial mushroom harvesting 359 00:25:10,440 --> 00:25:14,280 Speaker 1: on federal lands and Pacific Northwest really ramped up, and 360 00:25:14,600 --> 00:25:17,359 Speaker 1: surveys showed that morels were in the top three of 361 00:25:17,400 --> 00:25:20,399 Speaker 1: these mushrooms that were being harvested. As part of this 362 00:25:20,520 --> 00:25:24,960 Speaker 1: ramping up, the first US patent for a successful commercial 363 00:25:25,000 --> 00:25:29,520 Speaker 1: cultivation of morals was filed in n by Neogen, a 364 00:25:29,560 --> 00:25:32,399 Speaker 1: biotech company out of Michigan. That sounds like something out 365 00:25:32,440 --> 00:25:36,720 Speaker 1: of a sci fi movie. This coinsided with an increased 366 00:25:36,760 --> 00:25:41,639 Speaker 1: American interest in eating wild or foraged or new things 367 00:25:41,760 --> 00:25:46,880 Speaker 1: kind of in quotes. Yeah. Because of this, the American 368 00:25:46,920 --> 00:25:49,560 Speaker 1: people slowly became more aware of morals, but some people 369 00:25:49,600 --> 00:25:53,720 Speaker 1: were still unsure. UM. When James Beard first encountered them 370 00:25:53,720 --> 00:25:58,480 Speaker 1: in a store, he said, quote they resembled dried up brains. 371 00:25:59,320 --> 00:26:02,920 Speaker 1: And I appreciated here that James Beard was familiar enough 372 00:26:02,960 --> 00:26:06,440 Speaker 1: with brains to be like, this is what they look like. 373 00:26:07,320 --> 00:26:11,800 Speaker 1: But it was just like, what the heck is this mushroom? 374 00:26:11,800 --> 00:26:16,119 Speaker 1: It's pretty cool? Yes. Um. In the early two thousands, 375 00:26:16,280 --> 00:26:21,359 Speaker 1: a few different American research projects attempted to cultivate morals, 376 00:26:21,480 --> 00:26:24,800 Speaker 1: but all of them wound up failing. UM. However, similar 377 00:26:24,800 --> 00:26:27,560 Speaker 1: research in China seems to have panned out, as of 378 00:26:29,119 --> 00:26:33,920 Speaker 1: China boasted over twenty three thousand acres of farmed morals. Um. 379 00:26:33,960 --> 00:26:37,239 Speaker 1: They are still finicky and expensive, though, and apparently all 380 00:26:37,240 --> 00:26:40,600 Speaker 1: of the research here indicates that morrel's fruit best when 381 00:26:40,640 --> 00:26:46,399 Speaker 1: the sclerotia are starved to promote fruiting, and then you 382 00:26:46,520 --> 00:26:49,240 Speaker 1: like hell of feed the budding fruit. So it's a 383 00:26:49,240 --> 00:26:56,040 Speaker 1: delicate delicate balance there, mm hmm, very mysterious, indeed, morals 384 00:26:57,640 --> 00:27:02,600 Speaker 1: speaking of seen the Birch Creek fire in Canada's Northwest 385 00:27:02,680 --> 00:27:06,560 Speaker 1: Territories devastated that region's boreal forest, but that did lead 386 00:27:06,640 --> 00:27:10,360 Speaker 1: to a lot of moral mushrooms like worth one hundred 387 00:27:10,440 --> 00:27:13,959 Speaker 1: million dollars amount. Yeah, and and this is a this 388 00:27:14,000 --> 00:27:16,560 Speaker 1: is kind of a known phenomenon that there have been 389 00:27:16,560 --> 00:27:20,080 Speaker 1: a few studies published about this relation between forest fires 390 00:27:20,119 --> 00:27:23,800 Speaker 1: and subsequent bumper crops of morals. One in particular in 391 00:27:24,000 --> 00:27:28,040 Speaker 1: UM came out that Um, that was really pretty cool. 392 00:27:28,800 --> 00:27:32,240 Speaker 1: So okay, first of all, in the literature, mushrooms that 393 00:27:32,320 --> 00:27:37,159 Speaker 1: spring up after fires are called phenichoids, after the mythical 394 00:27:37,240 --> 00:27:41,960 Speaker 1: phoenix like rising up from the ashes. I love it 395 00:27:41,960 --> 00:27:47,000 Speaker 1: when researchers are nerds, and uh so so from from 396 00:27:47,000 --> 00:27:50,560 Speaker 1: this twenty sixteen paper, UM, the researchers found that these 397 00:27:50,720 --> 00:27:55,399 Speaker 1: very particular circumstances seemed to lead to moral growth in 398 00:27:55,800 --> 00:28:01,320 Speaker 1: particular spots of recently burned hardwood or pine forests. Um. 399 00:28:01,400 --> 00:28:04,000 Speaker 1: They think that, like the my celium, had to have 400 00:28:04,040 --> 00:28:07,600 Speaker 1: already existed and survived the fire due to you know, 401 00:28:07,880 --> 00:28:13,000 Speaker 1: very specific fire circumstances and that the fire then created 402 00:28:13,119 --> 00:28:17,199 Speaker 1: perfect soil conditions for the mushrooms to fruit in. The 403 00:28:17,200 --> 00:28:21,000 Speaker 1: study was conducted in Yosemite, and it calculated that the 404 00:28:21,119 --> 00:28:26,879 Speaker 1: year after white for forest fires, over a million morals 405 00:28:26,960 --> 00:28:32,200 Speaker 1: probably grow and thus suggested upping the limit of recreational 406 00:28:32,359 --> 00:28:36,720 Speaker 1: moral collection in Yosemite the year after such fires from 407 00:28:36,880 --> 00:28:39,479 Speaker 1: one point per person per day, which is the normal, 408 00:28:39,800 --> 00:28:49,480 Speaker 1: to four leaders per person per day. WHOA right, huh 409 00:28:50,200 --> 00:28:58,080 Speaker 1: Phoenix mushrooms going on? They do, And as of Gregory 410 00:28:58,120 --> 00:29:02,560 Speaker 1: Benito tray malone, it's got Winton. Three Michigan State University professors, 411 00:29:02,840 --> 00:29:05,280 Speaker 1: with funding from the U. S d A, launched the 412 00:29:05,320 --> 00:29:09,200 Speaker 1: research project called Cultivating a Moral Mushroom Industry in the 413 00:29:09,240 --> 00:29:12,000 Speaker 1: North Central United States. And by the way, the U. 414 00:29:12,040 --> 00:29:15,000 Speaker 1: S d A is a very detailed, very helpful. It 415 00:29:15,160 --> 00:29:19,040 Speaker 1: was like eighty pages document on moral mushrooms. Yeah. Yeah. 416 00:29:20,600 --> 00:29:22,680 Speaker 1: One of the professors said, they're hoping to provide an 417 00:29:22,720 --> 00:29:25,959 Speaker 1: alternate revenue stream for people working in agriculture. So this 418 00:29:26,040 --> 00:29:27,920 Speaker 1: is trying to figure out the mystery of the moral 419 00:29:28,000 --> 00:29:32,120 Speaker 1: mushroom is an ongoing project. It is because they are 420 00:29:32,600 --> 00:29:35,920 Speaker 1: so prized and you know, right right, like a like 421 00:29:35,960 --> 00:29:38,400 Speaker 1: a good source of revenue if you can figure out 422 00:29:38,520 --> 00:29:42,560 Speaker 1: how to make them work. Um, but also just real interesting, 423 00:29:42,920 --> 00:29:50,120 Speaker 1: just real weird. M h. They are weird. I like them. 424 00:29:50,160 --> 00:29:53,920 Speaker 1: I do too, But if the zombie apocalypse happens, we're else. 425 00:29:54,560 --> 00:29:57,240 Speaker 1: Remember we we did you good, we built you up, 426 00:29:58,080 --> 00:30:01,800 Speaker 1: all right, you may look like brains. I don't want 427 00:30:01,800 --> 00:30:04,360 Speaker 1: to eat any brains, that's all. Yeah. Yeah, I mean, 428 00:30:04,560 --> 00:30:06,880 Speaker 1: you know, I don't know, like like we welcome our 429 00:30:06,960 --> 00:30:12,520 Speaker 1: future fungal overlords. I know there was a fun guy 430 00:30:12,600 --> 00:30:18,560 Speaker 1: joke in there, Lauren, Why did you do it? I'm 431 00:30:18,600 --> 00:30:20,760 Speaker 1: just I'm just setting them up for you to set in, Spike, 432 00:30:20,880 --> 00:30:24,400 Speaker 1: Come on, I know, I know, and I can always tell. 433 00:30:25,040 --> 00:30:28,040 Speaker 1: Recently talked about how in Dungeons and Dragons you and 434 00:30:28,120 --> 00:30:31,800 Speaker 1: our coworker and friend Ben and I can't resist when 435 00:30:31,800 --> 00:30:38,720 Speaker 1: you've set up these opportunities and you know it. Yeah. 436 00:30:38,760 --> 00:30:42,040 Speaker 1: I can't remember if I said on air or if 437 00:30:42,080 --> 00:30:44,720 Speaker 1: it was during another conversation, but yeah, there are definitely 438 00:30:44,800 --> 00:30:47,080 Speaker 1: times during our D and D games. Annie is our 439 00:30:47,200 --> 00:30:51,400 Speaker 1: D M and uh and there It's not infrequent that 440 00:30:51,520 --> 00:30:56,400 Speaker 1: I'm like, oh, man, I know that Annie has created 441 00:30:56,520 --> 00:31:02,600 Speaker 1: an intricate, pun related backstory for this random thing or person, 442 00:31:03,120 --> 00:31:05,520 Speaker 1: and if I can just figure out a way to 443 00:31:05,600 --> 00:31:10,280 Speaker 1: get my character to ask her, it will be so worthwhile. 444 00:31:12,480 --> 00:31:17,080 Speaker 1: I spend a lot of time in that game working 445 00:31:17,080 --> 00:31:22,040 Speaker 1: out ways to do that. I'm glad someone I don't 446 00:31:22,160 --> 00:31:25,640 Speaker 1: appreciate this is the right word, but seeks out these 447 00:31:25,640 --> 00:31:27,960 Speaker 1: funds because yes they are there, and yes they are bad, 448 00:31:28,000 --> 00:31:33,239 Speaker 1: and sometimes I am so inappropriately proud of them. And 449 00:31:33,360 --> 00:31:36,320 Speaker 1: sometimes I can't get through them without laughing myself because 450 00:31:36,320 --> 00:31:39,840 Speaker 1: they're so bad. But it's true, your dear listener, all 451 00:31:39,840 --> 00:31:44,520 Speaker 1: of this is true. Well, sometimes I'm not expecting what 452 00:31:44,720 --> 00:31:46,880 Speaker 1: something to be uncovered and then it is and I'm like, oh, 453 00:31:47,000 --> 00:31:48,520 Speaker 1: I can't believe. Now I have to say it out 454 00:31:48,520 --> 00:31:51,440 Speaker 1: loud and did this to yourself? But here we go. 455 00:31:53,200 --> 00:31:58,720 Speaker 1: Maybe I will have a mushroom overlord. Oh okay, yeah 456 00:31:58,720 --> 00:32:03,520 Speaker 1: that's an idea. Okay, I this is probably going to 457 00:32:03,640 --> 00:32:10,040 Speaker 1: end poorly for my character that I yes, never give 458 00:32:10,080 --> 00:32:14,320 Speaker 1: your d m ideas, y'all, never do it. No, And 459 00:32:14,480 --> 00:32:17,400 Speaker 1: I mean the go to punt is as Andrew super 460 00:32:17,440 --> 00:32:19,360 Speaker 1: producer Andrew said when we told him what we're doing, 461 00:32:19,360 --> 00:32:24,800 Speaker 1: this is the immoral mushroom. Mushroom, So all right, Well 462 00:32:24,960 --> 00:32:29,360 Speaker 1: on that note, don't worry, don't worry, It's all gonna 463 00:32:29,360 --> 00:32:31,160 Speaker 1: be good. I think that's what we have to say 464 00:32:31,200 --> 00:32:36,120 Speaker 1: about Morrell Mushroom. For now. It is um. We do 465 00:32:36,240 --> 00:32:38,720 Speaker 1: have some listener mail for you, though, but first we've 466 00:32:38,760 --> 00:32:40,800 Speaker 1: got one more quick break for a word from our sponsor. 467 00:32:49,560 --> 00:32:52,760 Speaker 1: And we're back. Thank you, sponsor, Yes, thank you. And 468 00:32:52,840 --> 00:33:06,480 Speaker 1: we're back with man Creepy, trying to give him the 469 00:33:06,640 --> 00:33:11,480 Speaker 1: gravatas they deserve. I'm sure we nailed it. Yes, I 470 00:33:12,720 --> 00:33:16,760 Speaker 1: gravitas is something I often associate with us. Yeah, I 471 00:33:16,800 --> 00:33:26,520 Speaker 1: think that's definitely part of our brand, mushroom Gravitas. Susan wrote, 472 00:33:26,840 --> 00:33:29,200 Speaker 1: I just started listening to the Hags episode and thought 473 00:33:29,240 --> 00:33:32,720 Speaker 1: i'd write in first, as your resident Cincinnatian, I'll tell 474 00:33:32,760 --> 00:33:38,720 Speaker 1: you a secret. Geta is pretty much just Germanish haggis. Yes, 475 00:33:39,040 --> 00:33:42,000 Speaker 1: I'm beginning to think that all cultures have a similar dish. 476 00:33:42,280 --> 00:33:46,520 Speaker 1: Cheat meats, grain fulfiller, add local spices to taste. Scott's 477 00:33:46,600 --> 00:33:49,800 Speaker 1: just up the ant and cook get in a stomach, 478 00:33:51,040 --> 00:33:54,080 Speaker 1: but the taste and textures are all similar. Secondly, my 479 00:33:54,120 --> 00:33:57,440 Speaker 1: father has decided that in addition to our actual German heritage, 480 00:33:57,640 --> 00:34:01,080 Speaker 1: he's claiming Scottish as well mainly beca. His good friend 481 00:34:01,360 --> 00:34:06,120 Speaker 1: is actually Scottish and has liberally applied him with Scotch ye. 482 00:34:07,000 --> 00:34:09,560 Speaker 1: So Dad gets just up been a guilt and marches 483 00:34:09,600 --> 00:34:14,120 Speaker 1: and parades. He also has participated in the Haga ceremony 484 00:34:14,320 --> 00:34:17,680 Speaker 1: many of Bobby Burns to St Andrew's and any other 485 00:34:17,719 --> 00:34:21,040 Speaker 1: excuse to have haggis and more Scotch. One night, when 486 00:34:21,040 --> 00:34:23,000 Speaker 1: I was in my twenties, my father asked me to 487 00:34:23,040 --> 00:34:26,040 Speaker 1: make hag a sauce for him and his friends. I 488 00:34:26,120 --> 00:34:28,320 Speaker 1: wasn't cheated, because, as far as I knew, Hags was 489 00:34:28,320 --> 00:34:31,759 Speaker 1: spread on saltines and eaten delicately, followed by a piece 490 00:34:31,800 --> 00:34:35,279 Speaker 1: of sheet cake. For Bobby Burn's birthday. I agreed, and 491 00:34:35,360 --> 00:34:39,080 Speaker 1: Dad gave me a recipe, supposedly from a cook in Scotland. 492 00:34:39,400 --> 00:34:41,319 Speaker 1: I can't remember all the ingredients, but I know I 493 00:34:41,360 --> 00:34:44,080 Speaker 1: salted garlic and onions, added a cup of heavy cream 494 00:34:44,120 --> 00:34:47,040 Speaker 1: to them, and then a cup of whiskey. The fumes 495 00:34:47,040 --> 00:34:50,239 Speaker 1: were atrocious, and I'm pretty sure I lost a fair 496 00:34:50,280 --> 00:34:53,560 Speaker 1: amount of brain cells, maybe all or at least part 497 00:34:53,560 --> 00:34:58,160 Speaker 1: of third grade. Dad says the sauce tasted all right, 498 00:34:58,200 --> 00:35:00,200 Speaker 1: but I never made it again, and he's never asked 499 00:35:00,239 --> 00:35:03,160 Speaker 1: for it again, so I'm guessing it wasn't my best. 500 00:35:05,320 --> 00:35:08,040 Speaker 1: I mean, a couple of whiskey. It's that's quite a 501 00:35:08,080 --> 00:35:12,040 Speaker 1: bit of whiskey in a sauce. I don't think I've 502 00:35:12,080 --> 00:35:19,360 Speaker 1: ever made a recipe called for that much alcohol in it. Um, 503 00:35:19,360 --> 00:35:22,680 Speaker 1: maybe a rump cake, but I don't think. Yeah, I 504 00:35:23,160 --> 00:35:27,160 Speaker 1: maybe like a like a what's what's it called? Like 505 00:35:27,160 --> 00:35:30,200 Speaker 1: a like a sorbet with a like a wine sorbet 506 00:35:30,320 --> 00:35:32,960 Speaker 1: where you basically cooked down a whole bottle of wine 507 00:35:33,280 --> 00:35:38,839 Speaker 1: with about equal parts sugar, umm, and like a lot 508 00:35:38,880 --> 00:35:44,960 Speaker 1: of fruit. But yeah, but yeah, gosh, a cup of Okay, 509 00:35:45,000 --> 00:35:49,920 Speaker 1: all right, what's hag is sauce? We have many questions. 510 00:35:51,840 --> 00:35:54,920 Speaker 1: In the meanwhile, Steph wrote, I just listened to your 511 00:35:54,920 --> 00:35:57,200 Speaker 1: oatmeal episode and was reminded of a trip I took 512 00:35:57,280 --> 00:36:01,360 Speaker 1: to Copenhagen in twenty nineteen, especially when you mentioned bizarro 513 00:36:01,680 --> 00:36:05,120 Speaker 1: savory oatmeals. Let me start off with saying that I 514 00:36:05,200 --> 00:36:07,319 Speaker 1: was never a fan of oatmeal growing up, because I 515 00:36:07,320 --> 00:36:10,440 Speaker 1: thought it was just so boring. That all changed during 516 00:36:10,600 --> 00:36:14,160 Speaker 1: that trip. At an upscale food hall, we stumbled upon 517 00:36:14,200 --> 00:36:18,239 Speaker 1: a porridge bar called Grood and I'm not sure if 518 00:36:18,239 --> 00:36:21,560 Speaker 1: I'm pronouncing that correctly. I did look up the it's 519 00:36:21,600 --> 00:36:24,840 Speaker 1: it's one of those. Oh, I can't even describe it. 520 00:36:24,880 --> 00:36:28,120 Speaker 1: I don't even know the name from character strike. Yeah, 521 00:36:28,280 --> 00:36:32,600 Speaker 1: heck okay. Anyway, they serve porridge bowls of all sorts 522 00:36:32,600 --> 00:36:35,839 Speaker 1: from breakfast e oatmeals, three grain porridges and chia seed 523 00:36:35,840 --> 00:36:39,360 Speaker 1: puddings served in the morning, to savory rice, kanji, risotto, 524 00:36:39,960 --> 00:36:43,400 Speaker 1: bar leotto, and doll bowls served for lunch and dinner. 525 00:36:43,840 --> 00:36:48,000 Speaker 1: While not strictly oatmeal per se, these grain bowls definitely 526 00:36:48,000 --> 00:36:51,319 Speaker 1: fit into the porridge category. On our first visit, we 527 00:36:51,400 --> 00:36:54,520 Speaker 1: ordered the chicken kanji. Well, it was by no means authentic, 528 00:36:54,640 --> 00:36:58,160 Speaker 1: it was absolutely delicious. The base rice porridge was seasoned 529 00:36:58,160 --> 00:37:00,680 Speaker 1: with soy and sesame oil in the old thing, topped 530 00:37:00,680 --> 00:37:04,720 Speaker 1: with lots of peanuts, scallions, and cilantro. I was hooked. 531 00:37:05,200 --> 00:37:07,279 Speaker 1: We went back the next day and tried the doll 532 00:37:07,360 --> 00:37:11,280 Speaker 1: with cherry tomatoes, almonds, cilantro, and skur, the mushroom barley 533 00:37:11,280 --> 00:37:15,480 Speaker 1: otto with pickled poor bellows, parmesan, thyme, and watercress, and 534 00:37:15,680 --> 00:37:18,640 Speaker 1: the cheese seed pudding with apples, toasted coconut peanut, butter, 535 00:37:18,760 --> 00:37:22,680 Speaker 1: sliced almonds, and scar They were all so good we 536 00:37:22,719 --> 00:37:25,160 Speaker 1: went back the next two mornings and got their more 537 00:37:25,200 --> 00:37:28,840 Speaker 1: typical oat meals. My favorite was there all in porridge 538 00:37:29,080 --> 00:37:31,960 Speaker 1: that included all fifteen of their toppings. Two types of 539 00:37:31,960 --> 00:37:35,880 Speaker 1: fruit compodes, caramel sauce, peanut butter, skur, almonds, hazelnuts, granola, 540 00:37:35,920 --> 00:37:39,880 Speaker 1: toasted coconut, cow nips, chocolate chips, freeze, dried raspberries, and 541 00:37:39,960 --> 00:37:44,840 Speaker 1: fresh banana, apple and strawberries. I never would have thought 542 00:37:45,040 --> 00:37:47,240 Speaker 1: that one of my favorite food memories from that trip 543 00:37:47,280 --> 00:37:49,960 Speaker 1: would be related to porridge. I just couldn't get enough. 544 00:37:51,239 --> 00:37:54,720 Speaker 1: Over a period of four days, we went to Grood 545 00:37:54,840 --> 00:37:59,080 Speaker 1: four times and had seven bowls of porridge sweet savory. 546 00:37:59,200 --> 00:38:01,839 Speaker 1: I loved it all. I got so into porridge during 547 00:38:01,840 --> 00:38:04,440 Speaker 1: our short time in Copenhagen that I even looked for 548 00:38:04,480 --> 00:38:06,680 Speaker 1: some at the local grocery stores to bring back to 549 00:38:06,719 --> 00:38:10,200 Speaker 1: the States as a souvenir. There were so many options 550 00:38:10,200 --> 00:38:13,720 Speaker 1: to choose from. Unfortunately, none of the packaging was in English, 551 00:38:13,760 --> 00:38:16,120 Speaker 1: so I had to rely heavily on my Google Translate 552 00:38:16,160 --> 00:38:19,120 Speaker 1: app to figure out what grains and other ingredients were 553 00:38:19,120 --> 00:38:22,000 Speaker 1: in each of them. I spent probably upwards of an 554 00:38:22,040 --> 00:38:25,319 Speaker 1: hour in the cereal aisle deciding which ones to buy, 555 00:38:25,440 --> 00:38:28,879 Speaker 1: while my poor mom waited patiently for me. I ended 556 00:38:28,960 --> 00:38:32,320 Speaker 1: up bringing a couple of two pound bags of multigrain porridge, 557 00:38:32,400 --> 00:38:35,319 Speaker 1: plus a few single served instant porridge cups back with 558 00:38:35,360 --> 00:38:38,280 Speaker 1: me to the US, along with many other food stuffs 559 00:38:38,280 --> 00:38:41,160 Speaker 1: that I picked up during my trip. Needless to say, 560 00:38:41,400 --> 00:38:46,160 Speaker 1: my luggage was very heavy on my trip back. Alas, 561 00:38:46,200 --> 00:38:49,319 Speaker 1: this story doesn't quite have a happy ending. When I 562 00:38:49,360 --> 00:38:51,200 Speaker 1: got home to San Francisco, it was a bit of 563 00:38:51,200 --> 00:38:53,719 Speaker 1: a challenge to find kitchen cabinet space to put all 564 00:38:53,719 --> 00:38:57,319 Speaker 1: my goodies. I made the unfortunate mistake of putting the 565 00:38:57,320 --> 00:39:00,360 Speaker 1: bags of porridge in the same cabinet as our heavily 566 00:39:00,600 --> 00:39:04,280 Speaker 1: scented garbage bags. Once I finally got around to opening 567 00:39:04,320 --> 00:39:06,440 Speaker 1: them a few months later, the scent from the garbage 568 00:39:06,440 --> 00:39:09,880 Speaker 1: bags had permeated the paper packaging and rendered the porridge 569 00:39:09,960 --> 00:39:12,719 Speaker 1: in edible. I tried to eat through a bowl but 570 00:39:12,800 --> 00:39:14,959 Speaker 1: just couldn't do it and had to dump it all 571 00:39:15,080 --> 00:39:18,840 Speaker 1: in the compost. My husband had never seen me so sad. 572 00:39:20,680 --> 00:39:25,239 Speaker 1: That is tragic. My goodness, all that work picking it 573 00:39:25,280 --> 00:39:28,880 Speaker 1: out bringing it back, You think you're gonna have a 574 00:39:28,960 --> 00:39:33,120 Speaker 1: taste of your fantastic times. And it tastes like garbage bags. 575 00:39:34,239 --> 00:39:39,080 Speaker 1: It tastes like garbage bags. That's terrible, that is. But 576 00:39:39,920 --> 00:39:44,799 Speaker 1: the porridges sound amazing. Yeah, and the pictures you sent 577 00:39:44,880 --> 00:39:50,960 Speaker 1: along so good. It looks so good. I love it. Yeah. 578 00:39:52,239 --> 00:39:56,400 Speaker 1: The world of porridge, A world of porridge awaits so 579 00:39:56,480 --> 00:40:00,480 Speaker 1: many options. Thanks to both that those lists rs for 580 00:40:00,640 --> 00:40:03,319 Speaker 1: writing in. If you would like to write to us 581 00:40:03,360 --> 00:40:06,680 Speaker 1: that you can our emails hello at savor pod dot com. 582 00:40:06,880 --> 00:40:10,120 Speaker 1: We're also on social media. You can find us on Twitter, Facebook, 583 00:40:10,160 --> 00:40:12,960 Speaker 1: and Instagram at savor pod, and we do hope to 584 00:40:13,000 --> 00:40:15,800 Speaker 1: hear from you. Savor is a production of I Heart Radio. 585 00:40:15,920 --> 00:40:18,040 Speaker 1: For more podcasts from my Heart Radio, you can visit 586 00:40:18,080 --> 00:40:20,799 Speaker 1: the i heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you 587 00:40:20,880 --> 00:40:23,400 Speaker 1: listen to your favorite shows. Thanks as always to our 588 00:40:23,440 --> 00:40:26,400 Speaker 1: super producers Dylan Fagin and Andrew Howard. Thanks to you 589 00:40:26,400 --> 00:40:28,279 Speaker 1: for listening, and we hope that lots more good things 590 00:40:28,280 --> 00:40:36,680 Speaker 1: are coming your way.