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This replay was spurred by my talk with MIUFI founder Tyson Gersh this week. Plus I’ve had a lot of listeners ask about mushrooms. Jamie Todek from https://organicgardenerpodcast.com/organic-gardener-podcast/episode-72-jamie-todek/ (episode 72) introduced me to Tess Burzynski who is going to talk to us about growing organic mushrooms! Tell us a little about yourself. My name is Tess Burzynski. Im 24 years old, I attend https://wayne.edu (Wayne State University) in Downtown Detroit. I will be graduating with a science degree in http://clas.wayne.edu/esp/ (Environmental Science.) https://mikesgreengarden.files.wordpress.com/2015/09/shiitake-mush.jpg ()Shiitake mushrooms I’m definitely a fungi enthusiast. There’s a lot of things  that people don’t know about them. Environmental Tell me about your first gardening experience? Well, I would have to say my first gardening experience. It was definitely alongside my mother, she was always planting herbs. I remember on the back patio she would grow mint and while she was cooking dinner she would have us go pick her mint! planting flowers I have 2 sisters, I’m kinda of the one who stuck to gardening, it really influenced me as a child. What does organic gardening/earth friendly mean to you? When I think of organic gardening, I think green, steer clear of other synthetic products, pesticides and other fertilizers! Just to grow from natural design. In terms of mushroom growing using organic media. Do you want to explain to listeners what organic media is, and maybe me to? Do you mean like the dirt, or soil you grow it in? There’s different ways of growing mushrooms, some grow on logs, so you want to make sure aren’t diseased  or they haven’t been used in a natural way. Mushrooms can be grown in sawdust, make sure that where you collect your sawdust from they haven’t put any synthetic products on the wood like that. Who or what inspired you to start using organic techniques? The famous quote you are what you eat! My mother was diagnosed with breast cancer about 5 years ago, she’s all good now, I just want to make sure she’s eating healthy, keeping our bodies green and everyone healthy. Can I ask what made you go into environmental studies, because when I went to college I didn’t even know there was such a thing as environmental studies. It’s definitely something that has been brought up in the past 15 years or so,  I think, people are becoming more aware of it, because we have to, the way that we mass produce and the wastefulness of humanity, I think it’s something people need to start concentrating on. We have to remember that our planet is here for us, it’s a resource, so we have to make sure we are conscious of what we are using. I’ve always been in tune to the earth since I was a child. It’s a rare field  to go into, not as many people are going into this field or really even think about the wastefulness. What we are even doing when we buy plastic water bottles and throw them into the trash. I want to take of our planet. Me too, I’m glad you’re hear to share your knowledge with us today and that you’re taking that in college, getting that degree and maybe you’ll inspire some other listeners to think about that if they’re headed to college or know someone who is headed to college that might be wondering what to do. There’s a great http://www.cas.umt.edu/evst/ (environmental science program) in Missoula at the http://www.umt.edu (University of Montana) where I went to school. That was how I first heard about it, I had some friends in the program. How did you learn how to garden organically or even mushrooms in general? Basically by my own research, checking out books at the library, watching tutorial videos online. http://www.fungi.com/about-paul-stamets.html (Paul Stamets) is renowned mycologist out in Washington State, I learned so much from him. His book... Support this podcast