When we think of mushrooms and the southern Mexico state of Oaxaca, the initial point which generally enters your mind is María Sabina, Huautla de Jiménez and hallucinogenic “magic” mushrooms. But slowly that’s all changing as an outcome of the innovative job of Josefina Jiménez and also Johann Mathieu in mycology, via their business, Mico-lógica.
Based in the village of Benito Juárez, located in Oaxaca’s Ixtlán area (even more commonly called the Sierra Norte, the state’s main ecotourism area), Mico-lógica’s objective is threefold: to educate both Mexicans and also visitors to the country in the inexpensive farming of a range of mushroom types; to educate regarding the medicinal, nutritional and environmental (sustainable) value of mushrooms; and to carry out recurring study concerning maximum climatic areas and also the variety of substrata for mushroom society.
The French-born Mathieu moved to Mexico, and in fact to Huautla de Jiménez, in 2005. “Yes, coming right to Mexico from France to pursue my interest in mushrooms looks like a long way to travel,” Mathieu explained in a current meeting in Oaxaca. “However there truly wasn’t much of a chance to conduct studies and expand a business in Western Europe,” he continues, “considering that reverence for mushrooms had actually been almost entirely gotten rid of by The Church over the course of centuries; and also I found out that Mexico still maintains a respect as well as appreciation for the medicinal as well as nutritional value of hongos. Mexico is far from mycophobic.”
Huautla de Jiménez is more than a 5 hr drive from the closest municipal facility. As necessary, Mathieu eventually realized that remaining in Huautla, while holding a historic allure and remaining in a geographic area for working with mushrooms, would hinder his initiatives to grow an organization and also grow widespread interest in discovering fungi. Mathieu became observant of the expanding credibility of Oaxaca’s ecotourism communities of the Sierra Norte, as well as undoubtedly the Feria Regional de Hongos Silvestres (regional wild mushroom event), held every year in Cuahimoloyas.
Mathieu satisfied Josefina Jiménez at the summer season weekend break mushroom occasion. Jiménez had actually moved to Oaxaca from hometown Mexico City in 2002. Both common similar interests; Jiménez had examined agronomy, and also for close to a decade had been gold seal hash canada dealing with lasting farming projects in rural farming areas in the Huasteca Potosina area of San Luis Potosí, the mountains of Guerrero and also the coastline of Chiapas. Mathieu and Jiménez ended up being company, and afterwards life companions in Benito Juárez.
Mathieu and also Jiménez are concentrating on three mushroom varieties in their hands-on seminars; oyster (seta), shitake and also reishi. Their one-day workshops are for oyster mushrooms, and two-day centers for the last two types of fungus. “With reishi, and also to a lesser level shitake, we’re additionally educating a fair little bit regarding the medicinal uses of mushrooms, so more time is needed,” claims Mathieu, “and also with oyster mushrooms it’s primarily [yet not exclusively] a training course on farming.”
While training seminars are currently just given in Benito Juárez, Mathieu and Jiménez plan to increase operations to include both the main valleys and coastal regions of Oaxaca. The object is to have a network of manufacturers growing various mushrooms which are optimally matched for cultivation based upon the certain microclimate. There are about 70 sub-species of oyster mushrooms, and also therefore as a species, the versatility of the oyster mushroom to different weather regions is exceptional. “The oyster can be grown in a wide variety of different substrata, which’s what we’re experimenting with right now,” he illuminates. The oyster mushroom can grow when grown on items which would or else be waste, such as throw out from cultivating beans, sugar walking cane, agave (consisting of the fibrous waste created in mezcal distillation), peas, the typical river reed known as carriso, sawdust, and also the checklist goes on. Agricultural waste which might or else be delegated rot or be shed, each with unfavorable environmental effects, can form substrata for mushroom growing. It needs to be noted, though trite, that mushroom growing is an extremely sustainable, eco-friendly market. Over the previous a number of years Mexico has in reality gone to the fore in lots of locations of lasting market.
” They can hold up to thirty thousand times their mass, having effects for inhibiting erosion. They’ve been made use of to clean up oil spills with absorption and also hence are a vital vehicle for habitat restoration. Study has actually been done with mushrooms in the fight versus woodworker ant destruction; it’s been suggested that making use of fungis has the potential to totally spruce up the pesticide industry in an environmentally friendly way. There are essentially thousands of other green applications for mushroom usage, as well as in each situation the mushroom stays an edible byproduct. Have a look at the Paul Stamets YouTube lecture, 6 Ways Mushrooms Can Save The World.”
Mathieu as well as Jiménez can often be located offering their items on weekends in the natural markets in Oaxaca. They’re both greater than satisfied to review the dietary value of their products which range from naturally their fresh mushrooms, however also as protects, seasoned with either chipotle as well as nopal or jalapeño as well as cauliflower. The mushroom’s vitamin B12 can not be discovered in fruits or veggies, as well as appropriately a diet regimen that includes fungis is exceptionally vital for vegetarians that can not obtain B12, frequently had in meats. Mushrooms can conveniently be a substitute for meats, with the benefit that they are not filled with antibiotics and hormonal agents often located in industrially refined meat items.