Michelle Hickey, Vice President & Co-founder

The Secret Life of Fungi: How Symbiotic Fungi Work with Roots to Support Plant Health and Build Soil Fertility

August 12, 2018 by Michelle

Originally posted by Chelsea Green on April 18, 2018. Reposted with permission.

Did you know that our collective future could well pivot on people coming to understand that soil fungi matter? Or that there’s such a thing as fungal consciousness?

Fungi have intricate lives, behaviors, and uses most people are unaware of. Mychorrizal fungi form symbiotic relationships with the root systems of other plants. The crucial, symbiotic role that fungi play in everything from healthy plants to healthy soils to a healthy planet.

Beyond farmers and gardeners, Mycorrhizal Planet will resonate with anyone who is fascinated with the unseen workings of nature and concerned about maintaining and restoring the health of our soils, our climate, and the quality of life on Earth for generations to come.

The following is an excerpt from Mycorrhizal Planet: How Symbiotic Fungi Work with Roots to Support Plant Health and Build Soil Fertility that has been adapted for the web.

Fermentation Fest Featuring Local Brewers & Baker!

August 6, 2018 by Michelle

We're hosting a Fermentation Fest on August 26th

Come and taste innovative locally crafted fermented brews, savor fermented appetizers, listen to live music, bid on silent auction items, and have fun!

Local brewers are busy fermenting brews like mead, gruit, tepache, sodas, kombucha, and ale for you to enjoy. Plus most of the food will be fermented too! Enjoy your brews while you bid on awesome silent auction items and jam to some live music. Our very own, Ellyn Schmitz, Bioregional Herbalism instructor, will be giving a brief fermentation presentation with samples to try.

Respecting Intuition while Getting Over the Fear of Eating Wild!

July 9, 2018July 9, 2018 by Michelle

I know the feeling...the exciting one you get when walking through the woods and someone says, "Hey, you can eat this!" I also know the feeling of looking at Ductifera pululahuana on a log and thinking...say whaaaa? I'm supposed to eat this? Then if we're adventurous enough to take some home to try, it sits... and it sits, because we don't know how to use and enjoy it. I know the feeling.

I also know the feeling of finding different sources that say plant "x" is edible while others say it's not. Ductifera pululahuana is not considered a "choice" mushroom like morels. Some sources even claim it is inedible. I was lucky to have found these with my Chinese and Lithuanian friends and after some extensive research into the fungus, proper ID and cross reference between the three of us...I boiled it, made a sweet soup and ate it. It was delicious, and different to my palate. While it was new for me, this mushroom is commonly used in Chinese soups and is also noted to be supportive to female health. Knowing this history gave me more confidence to eat it traditionally sweet rather than savory. It has the taste of rain + minerals mixed with a delicious sweetness from the broth.

After this mushroom experience I realized that there is a process of trusting, intuitively saying yes, and building a relationship with a plant or fungus. With time and practice you will become more and more familiar with perennial wild plants so that you too can confidently prepare and enjoy these plants, fungi, and mosses.

Today, I'm sharing my triple check when foraging for wild edibles. Much like the three object/composition rule in visual art, we're going to use three checks when building a relationship with perennial wild edibles.

Creamy Chickweed Pesto with Sweet Potato Fries

June 1, 2018June 1, 2018 by Michelle

As the days are getting hotter and hotter here in Chicago my body is craving lighter meals packed with nutrition. Spring –Fall are busy times for me, so I want to be sure have quick simple meals that fill me. For this I have been making a Creamy Chickweed Pesto (GF/V) made with cashews, chickweed, a pinch of salt, and garlic all blended up. Easy, simple, beautiful and oh so good!

Be a Part of the New Food System

May 3, 2018May 3, 2018 by Michelle

Planting a fruit tree guild in your home landscape, at your business, child's school, church, or community garden, is one way you can grow food security, reconnect to nature, reconnect to where your food comes from, and support a new food system.

As a permaculture organization we adhere to the ethics of care of earth, care of people and fair share which is why we are devoted to encouraging the development of a new food system that follows permaculture ethics and principles. We can feed all people within a community with nourishing, fresh, diverse food. We can grow our local economy, too, by providing local business opportunities for designers, growers, foragers, processors, and vendors.