When we consider mushrooms and the southerly Mexico state of Oaxaca, the first thing which commonly comes to mind is María Sabina, Huautla de Jiménez and also hallucinogenic “magic” mushrooms. Yet slowly that’s all changing as a result of the groundbreaking work of Josefina Jiménez and also Johann Mathieu in mycology, through their company, Mico-lógica.
Based in the village of Benito Juárez, situated in Oaxaca’s Ixtlán district (even more frequently called the Sierra Norte, the state’s primary ecotourism area), Mico-lógica’s objective is threefold: to train both Mexicans and visitors to the nation in the affordable farming of a selection of mushroom varieties; to inform about the medical, nutritional and also environmental (sustainable) worth of mushrooms; and also to perform ongoing research pertaining to maximum weather areas and the variety of substrata for mushroom culture.
The French-born Mathieu moved to Mexico, and in fact to Huautla de Jiménez, in 2005. “Yes, coming all the way to Mexico from France to seek my passion in mushrooms appears like a lengthy means to travel,” Mathieu explained in a current interview in Oaxaca. “Yet there actually wasn’t much of a possibility to conduct studies as well as expand a service in Western Europe,” he continues, “because reverence for mushrooms had actually been all but totally gotten rid of by The Church over the course of centuries; as well as I discovered that Mexico still maintains a respect as well as admiration for the medical and also nutritional value of hongos. Mexico is much from mycophobic.”
Huautla de Jiménez is greater than a 5 hour drive from the closest city center. As necessary, Mathieu ultimately realized that remaining in Huautla, while holding a historical appeal and being in a geographic region conducive to working with mushrooms, would certainly hinder his efforts to expand a service as well as grow prevalent passion in learning about fungi. Mathieu came to be cognizant of the growing credibility of Oaxaca’s ecotourism communities of the Sierra Norte, and also without a doubt the Feria Regional de Hongos Silvestres (local wild mushroom event), held annually in Cuahimoloyas.
Mathieu satisfied Josefina Jiménez at the summertime weekend break mushroom occasion. Jiménez had actually moved to Oaxaca from home town Mexico City in 2002. Both common similar interests; Jiménez had actually examined agronomy, and for near to a years had been collaborating with sustainable agriculture projects in rural farming areas in the Huasteca Potosina area of San Luis Potosí, the hills of Guerrero and the coastline of Chiapas. Mathieu and also Jiménez ended up being organization, and afterwards life partners in Benito Juárez.
Mathieu as well as Jiménez are focusing on 3 mushroom species in their hands-on seminars; oyster (seta), shitake and also reishi. Their one-day workshops are for oyster mushrooms, and two-day facilities for the latter two types of fungi. “With reishi, as well as to a minimal level shitake, we’re likewise teaching a reasonable little bit concerning the medical uses mushrooms, so more time is needed,” states Mathieu, “and also with oyster mushrooms it’s primarily [however not solely] a training course on growing.”
While training workshops are now just given up medicinal mushroomsс Benito Juárez, Mathieu and Jiménez strategy to broaden procedures to include both the main valleys as well as seaside regions of Oaxaca. The object is to have a network of manufacturers expanding various mushrooms which are optimally suited for cultivation based on the particular microclimate. There have to do with 70 sub-species of oyster mushrooms, and also therefore as a varieties, the versatility of the oyster mushroom to various climatic areas is amazing. “The oyster can be grown in a wide variety of different substrata, which’s what we’re try out right now,” he clarifies. The oyster mushroom can prosper when expanded on products which would certainly otherwise be waste, such as discard from cultivating beans, sugar cane, agave (including the coarse waste created in mezcal distillation), peas, the common river reed known as carriso, sawdust, and the listing goes on. Agricultural waste which may or else be left to rot or be melted, each with negative environmental effects, can form substrata for mushroom farming. It ought to be noted, though trite, that mushroom cultivation is a highly sustainable, eco-friendly industry. Over the previous numerous years Mexico has actually in fact gone to the fore in many locations of sustainable industry.
Mathieu exemplifies how mushrooms can serve an arguably also greater environmental good:
” They can hold up to thirty thousand times their mass, having ramifications for inhibiting erosion. They have actually been made use of to clean up oil spills through absorption as well as thus are an important lorry for environment restoration. Study has actually been done with mushrooms in the fight versus woodworker ant devastation; it’s been suggested that the use of fungis has the prospective to entirely spruce up the chemical market in an environmentally friendly means. There are actually thousands of other eco-friendly applications for mushroom use, as well as in each case the mushroom continues to be an edible spin-off. Have a look at the Paul Stamets YouTube lecture, 6 Ways Mushrooms Can Conserve The World.”
Mathieu and Jiménez can usually be found selling their products on weekend breaks in the natural markets in Oaxaca. They’re both greater than pleased to go over the nutritional value of their products which range from naturally their fresh mushrooms, however also as preserves, marinaded with either chipotle and also nopal or jalapeño and also cauliflower. The mushroom’s vitamin B12 can not be located in fruits or veggies, as well as necessary a diet regimen which includes fungis is exceptionally essential for vegetarians that can not get B12, frequently contained in meats. Mushrooms can quickly be an alternative to meats, with the advantage that they are not filled with prescription antibiotics as well as hormonal agents typically located in industrially processed meat items.