Today on Mushroom Hour we have the privilege of speaking with Mark Williams, founder of Galloway Wild Foods. Through his work in the wilds of Scotland, Mark hopes to share his passion for foraging and the delicious and nutritious food that we all can gather for free in the wild. In so doing, Mark’s goal is to restore vital connection between humans and nature, increasing our intimacy with the natural world in ways that are beneficial our own physical and mental wellbeing, and the health of the ecosystems of which we are part. He teaches about the full range and depth of wild food and foraging including plants, fungi, seaweed, and shellfish. These practices take Mark across a diverse range of habitats – from high mountains, through forests, hedgerows, urban settings and down to the coast. He covers all areas of foraging including traditional and modern food uses, health and nutrition, traditional and modern medicinal uses, survival and bushcraft, wild booze and lots more.   

TOPICS COVERED:   

• Childhood Spent in Nature   
• Discovering Provenance, Wild Food & Foraging Working as a Chef   
• Scotland as a Mushroom Habitat   
• Foraging Traditions in Scotland   
• Diversity & Abundance in Coastal Foraging   
• Nutritional & Medicinal Value of Seaweeds   
• Cyber-foraging & Impressions on Social Media   
• Edible Conifers   
• Botanical Cocktails   
• Medicinal Mushrooms & Plants   
• Evolution of Foraging Mentorship   
• The Association of Foragers   
• Wild Food Accreditation Systems   
• Adding Mushrooms to School Curriculums   

EPISODE RESOURCES:   

• Galloway Wild Foods Website: https://gallowaywildfoods.com/   
• Mark Williams Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/markwildfood/   
• Association of Foragers: https://foragers-association.org/   
• "A Passion for Mushrooms" (Book): https://antoniocarlucciofoundation.org/book/a-passion-for-mushrooms/   
• Sea Orache: https://gallowaywildfoods.com/orache-identification-edibility-distribution/   
• Palmaria palmata (Dulse Seaweed): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palmaria_palmata   
• Nori Seaweed: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nori   
• Grifola frondosa (Hen of the Woods): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grifola_frondosa   
• Hymenochaete corrugata (Hazel Glue): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hymenochaete_corrugata   
• Hypocreopsis rhododendri (Hazel Gloves): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypocreopsis_rhododendri