When we consider mushrooms and also the southerly Mexico state of Oaxaca, the initial thing which typically enters your mind is María Sabina, Huautla de Jiménez and hallucinogenic “magic” mushrooms. But gradually that’s all changing as a result of the revolutionary work of Josefina Jiménez and also Johann Mathieu in mycology, via their company, Mico-lógica.
Based in the village of Benito Juárez, situated in Oaxaca’s Ixtlán area (even more frequently known as the Sierra Norte, the state’s major ecotourism area), Mico-lógica’s mission is threefold: to train both Mexicans and also visitors to the country in the affordable farming of a selection of mushroom types; to enlighten concerning the medicinal, nutritional and also environmental (lasting) value of mushrooms; and to conduct ongoing research study pertaining to optimal climatic regions and also the variety of substrata for mushroom culture.
The French-born Mathieu relocated to Mexico, and in fact to Huautla de Jiménez, in 2005. “Yes, coming all the way to Mexico from France to seek my interest in mushrooms appears like a long means to travel,” Mathieu described in a recent interview in Oaxaca. “But there truly wasn’t much of a possibility to carry out researches and also expand a service in Western Europe,” he proceeds, “because respect for mushrooms had been just about entirely eradicated by The Church throughout centuries; and I discovered that Mexico still keeps a respect and admiration for the medicinal and also dietary value of hongos. Mexico is much from mycophobic.”
Huautla de Jiménez is more than a 5 hr drive from the closest cosmopolitan center. Accordingly, Mathieu at some point realized that remaining in Huautla, while holding a historic allure as well as being in a geographic area conducive to dealing with mushrooms, would certainly prevent his efforts to grow a service and also cultivate prevalent passion in learning about fungis. Mathieu became observant of the burgeoning online reputation of Oaxaca’s ecotourism areas of the Sierra Norte, as well as indeed the Feria Regional de Hongos Silvestres (local wild mushroom celebration), held annually in Cuahimoloyas.
Mathieu met Josefina Jiménez at the summertime weekend break mushroom event. Jiménez had transferred to Oaxaca from hometown Mexico City in 2002. Both common comparable interests; Jiménez had researched agronomy, as well as for near to a years had been working with lasting farming tasks in country farming communities in the Huasteca Potosina area of San Luis Potosí, the hills of Guerrero and also the coastline of Chiapas. Mathieu and also Jiménez came to be company, and afterwards life companions in Benito Juárez.
Mathieu and also Jiménez are focusing on three mushroom types 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 varieties of fungus. “With reishi, and also to a lower extent shitake, we’re additionally showing a fair little bit about the medical uses of mushrooms, so even more time is needed,” states Mathieu, “and with oyster mushrooms it’s primarily [yet not specifically] a training course on growing.”
While training workshops are currently only given in Benito Juárez, Mathieu and Jiménez plan to increase procedures to consist of both the central valleys and seaside areas of Oaxaca. The item is to have a network of manufacturers growing various mushrooms which are efficiently suited for cultivation based upon the specific microclimate. There have to do with 70 sub-species of oyster mushrooms, as well as therefore as a species, the flexibility of the oyster mushroom to various climatic areas is amazing. “The oyster can be grown in a multitude of different substrata, and that’s what we’re explore right now,” he illuminates. The oyster mushroom can prosper when expanded on products which would certainly or else be waste, such as discard from cultivating beans, sugar walking stick, agave (including the coarse waste created in mezcal purification), peas, the typical river reed known as carriso, sawdust, and also the listing takes place. Agricultural waste which might otherwise be delegated rot or be melted, each with negative ecological ramifications, can create substrata for mushroom cultivation. It must be noted, though routine, that mushroom farming is an extremely sustainable, green sector. Over the previous a number of years Mexico has actually in reality been at the fore in lots of areas of lasting sector.
” They can stand up to thirty thousand times their mass, having ramifications for inhibiting erosion. They’ve been made use of to tidy up oil spills via absorption and also thus are an essential vehicle for environment repair. Study has been made with mushrooms in the battle against carpenter ant destruction; it’s been recommended that the use of fungi has the potential to completely revamp the gold seal hash chemical market in an eco-friendly means. There are actually hundreds of other environment-friendly applications for mushroom use, and in each situation the mushroom remains an edible by-product. Have a look at the Paul Stamets YouTube lecture, 6 Ways Mushrooms Can Save The Globe.”
Mathieu and Jiménez can usually be discovered offering their items on weekend breaks in the natural markets in Oaxaca. They’re both greater than satisfied to discuss the dietary value of their items which range from normally their fresh mushrooms, yet additionally as preserves, seasoned with either chipotle and nopal or jalapeño as well as cauliflower. The mushroom’s vitamin B12 can not be found in fruits or veggies, as well as appropriately a diet that includes fungi is exceptionally vital for vegetarians that can not get B12, usually had in meats. Mushrooms can easily be a replacement for meats, with the advantage that they are not loaded with prescription antibiotics as well as hormones frequently located in industrially processed meat products.