Whenever I learn something new about mushrooms, my mind is basically blown. Mushrooms have been gaining a ton of momentum in the health & wellness industry over the past couple of years, which is primarily what's peaked my own interest, but their potential to benefit us seems endless. To name a few, mushrooms have been know to fight diseases with their anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties. Medicinal mushrooms have the ability to treat mental disfunction, replace (and break down) plastics, and they even clean up our mess by offsetting carbon. Makenzie has always loved mushrooms, but her obsession has only been growing lately, particularly when it comes to home growing, foraging, and vegan cuisine. As her sister (and basically neighbor) I have had the pleasure of tasting most of her creations, but in our discussion, Makenzie shares some of her best kept secrets, and who knows? Some of these fascinating fungi could be blooming right in your back yard! I once found a massive Reishi mushroom in a small city park (true story!) Learn more about Makenzie's journey here, and read on for our conversation! https://www.conjurewellness.com/
What is your all-time favorite mushroom and why? Favorite recipe?
It’s so hard to pick just one! I think I’d have to go with Lion’s Mane though. Not only is it adorable looking, it’s also edible and medicinal. Lion’s Mane has lots of different health benefits but it’s primarily known for improving brain function which I love because I’ve always had difficulty focusing. As for the taste and texture of Lion’s Mane, it’s actually shockingly similar to crab meat, which makes it a great substitute in plant-based cooking. While Lion’s Mane is typically not very accessible in grocery stores, it’s pretty easy to identify in nature, and you can also grow it at home if you want to make it available to yourself year-round.
I have so many favorite mushroom recipes, but since I’ve been hyping up Lion’s Mane, I might as well share my Maryland-style Lion’s Mane crab cakes!
Ingredients
¼ cup vegan mayo
1 flax egg (1 tbsp flax meal + 3 tbsp water mixed)
1 tbsp parsley, chopped
2 tsp dijon mustard
2 tsp vegan Worcestershire sauce
2 tsp Old Bay seasoning
2 tsp lemon juice
1 tbsp crumbled seaweed or furikake (optional)
sea salt (to taste)
½ tsp black pepper
4 cups Lion’s Mane mushrooms, shredded
⅔ cups bread (or cracker) crumbs
Directions: First mix all the ingredients except for the mushrooms and bread crumbs in a medium-sized bowl. Then stir in the mushrooms and bread crumbs. Refrigerate for 30 minutes. Form into 5-6 patties. Add some oil to a nonstick pan or cast-iron skillet and fry the patties on medium heat for about 2-3 minutes on each side.
What are your favorite ways to incorporate mushrooms into your routine and diet? What are some of your favorite benefits of using mushrooms?
I’m definitely a creature of habit when it comes to my morning routine. I start every day with a vegan protein smoothie, and one of the ingredients I always add is a dropper full of Paul Stamets’ Comprehensive Immune Support tincture. It contains extracts from seventeen of the most powerful medicinal mushrooms out there, so taking that once a day is a really quick and convenient way to build a strong immune system.
I’ve started making my own tinctures as well using foraged Reishi and Turkey Tail mushrooms. Reishi (aka Lingzhi) is known in Chinese medicine as “the mushroom of immortality” because of its powerful adaptogenic properties. Adaptogens help the body deal with stress. Considering that stress is currently so pervasive and proven to manifest a whole host of different illnesses, this is something we could all stand to incorporate. Turkey Tail mushrooms are adaptogenic as well, though they are more specifically linked to inhibiting the growth of cancer cells, which is remarkable to say the least.
Aside from taking tinctures, I regularly include mushrooms in my cooking. Some of my favorite edible varieties besides Lion’s Mane are Oysters, Maitakes, Chicken of the Woods, Chanterelles, Morels, King Trumpets, and Shiitakes. All of them taste delicious and they’re very high in nutritional value, so I add them into my food as much as possible.
How did you start to become interested in foraging mushrooms and growing them from home? Do you have any advice for people who are also interested in foraging and growing, what to avoid, what to look for etc?
I’ve always really liked the taste and appearance of mushrooms, but I started getting more involved in learning how to identify and grow them a little over a year ago after attending a foraging workshop. I’m still pretty new to the game myself, but my advice to anyone who is interested in foraging would be to take a class or get a mushroom identification guide book that is specific to your area. Most experienced foragers recommend starting by just learning one or two easily identifiable mushrooms. It makes sense because there are SO many different varieties out there that it can be overwhelming to try to learn too many at once. The golden rule of foraging is: don’t eat anything unless you are one hundred percent sure what it is. As long as you remember that, you’ll be good to go.
As for growing, I’d recommend starting with a kit (usually around $15 to $25 online) so you can enjoy watching them grow without having to worry about any of the steps that come before that point. Oyster mushrooms are probably the best ones to start with because they are resilient and they grow more quickly than most other varieties. If you want to get more involved, try the five-gallon bucket method. Check out FreshCap Mushrooms on YouTube for some easy to follow tutorials. Mushroom growing isn’t hard, it just requires lots of sterilization and patience.
How do mushrooms tie into your practice as a reiki healer? How can mushrooms play a role in the healing process, and how do you see those two powers potentially working together? Can someone practice reiki on themselves? If so, guide us through a simple practice we can do from home to become more aware and centered.
Many of my clients come in for Reiki because they are overwhelmed by stress, anxiety and/or depression. Medicinal mushrooms can provide relief from all of those issues, so I often recommend them to my clients as an enhancement to the energy work they receive from me.
Anyone can practice Reiki on themselves, but first they need to receive an attunement from a qualified Reiki Master Teacher. The first level of Reiki training is all about self-practice, so whether or not you ever see yourself becoming a professional Reiki practitioner, you can benefit significantly from taking a level one class.
This is my favorite visualization for becoming centered, grounded and clear: Sit or lay down comfortably on the floor with one or both hands over your heart. Breathe in deeply while imagining your Heart Chakra expanding into a beautiful ball of light. Exhale, and on the next inhale, imagine the ball of light expanding to encompass your Throat Chakra and Solar Plexus Chakra. Exhale, and on the next inhale, imagine the ball of light expanding to encompass your Third Eye Chakra and your Sacral Chakra. Exhale, and take one more deep inhale, imagining the ball of light expanding to encompass your Crown Chakra and Root Chakra. Exhale fully, then return your breathing to normal. Now visualize roots growing down from your Root Chakra all the way down into the core of the Earth. Through those roots, send down any negative, heavy, dark or foreign energy that you feel residing within you. Allow the Earth to transform the energy for you. Know that this process is just as symbiotic as exhaling carbon dioxide for the trees to take in, and inhaling the oxygen the trees give back to us. Allow the transformed light energy to make its way back up to you through your roots. Thank the Earth and slowly bring your awareness back to the room whenever you’re ready.
What do you believe astrological patterns are telling us about this current point in history and what's to come in the future? What are your hopes for the future?
I’m no astrology expert, but intuitively I feel that we have entered into a time of karmic reckoning and major transformation. In recent history, we have experienced the recurring theme of corruption and injustice being publicly exposed. As frustrating and upsetting as it is to witness such ugliness, this is really the only way that anything is going to improve. We have to fully acknowledge and understand the nature of the problems that exist within our society before we can begin to fix them. Nothing gets resolved when it’s hidden behind closed doors.
To be completely honest, it’s difficult for me to feel optimistic about the future of humanity. We are currently in the midst of the sixth mass extinction event here on Earth. It’s not something that might be happening in ten or twenty years - it’s here right now - and it was caused by human activity. Unfortunately wildlife is currently bearing the majority of the burden of the climate crisis while most humans comfortably go about business as usual. My hopes for the future are for individuals, businesses and governments to change their destructive behaviors into sustainable ones. We need to work with nature, not against it, and we need to learn from indigenous communities because they already know how it’s done.
Nobody wants to believe this, but the truth of the matter is that the human race will not survive for much longer if we continue down the path we are on. As Greta Thunberg says, “I want you to act like your house is on fire, because it is.” All of us must take responsibility for the problems we have created as a species, and actively work to reverse them. The single most effective thing we can all do to reverse climate change, improve our health, and abolish the exploitation of animals is to embrace a plant-based diet. If you don’t understand why, please watch Cowspiracy, The Game Changers and this speech by Ed Winters. I also highly recommend watching David Attenborough’s documentary A Life On Our Planet. We need to educate ourselves because ignorance is not bliss this day and age, it’s a choice to stay stagnant. I’m certain that humanity is capable of thriving, we just need to be willing to change our ways, and to realize that change is beneficial. It’s the only way any species evolves, after all.
