The study and discovery of mushrooms is a wide-open opportunity for everyone! Much of what we think we know about mushrooms is built on poor historical descriptions and incomplete science. On this episode of Shaping Fire, host Shango Los talks with world-renowned mycologist Alan Rockefeller about the cubensis species complex, the myriad mushrooms still to be named, unknown evolutionary pressures, the necessity and variety of secondary metabolites, wood lover’s paralysis, and mycelium versus fruiting body mushroom supplements.

The Emerald Triangle of Humboldt, Mendocino, and Trinity counties in Northern California is the heartland of American cannabis. On Episode 127 of Shaping Fire, host Shango Los talks with heritage farmer Nik Erickson of Full Moon Farms in Humboldt about his family’s property, from the Gold Rush to the Green Rush, exciting stories from the hide-and-seek CAMP law enforcement days, the impact of legalization and the internet on hill folk, and how NorCal generational regenerative farms work together to produce the most meaningful flowers available.

On this memorial episode of Shaping Fire, host Shango Los welcomes world-famous soil biologist Dr. Elaine Ingham to discuss using indigenous microorganisms to optimize plant resilience, choosing companion plants by their function, beneficial insects as both garden defense and food web antagonist, using soil food web biomimicry for indoor growing, increasing biological activity in coco coir pots and choosing the right compost tea for the correct use.