The Probiotic Life

In this episode we talk to Julie Wolf who is the communications specialist at the American Society for Microbiology. She has her PHD in medical mycology, and teaches at a community bio-lab in New York.

As part of her work with ASM she hosts the podcast ‘Meet the Microbiologist’, and I thought it would be fun to talk to someone who talks to microbiologists for a living.

Join us for this intelligent and thoughtful interview as we hear how Julie got into studying medical mycology and her work with the American Society for Microbiology. We also talk about science communication, genetic modifications, citizen science and molecular biology.

Follow Julie on Twitter:

@JULIEMARIEWOLF

And Listen to her podcast:

Meet the Microbiologist

And check these too!

ASM Blogs

GENSPACE

Biotech Without Borders

Thanks for the feedback and the reviews, and all who are supporting the podcast. Feedback helps us to serve you better!

You can now support us on Patreon

And may the beneficial microbes be with you ;-)

Show Notes

Julie Wolf

- focus on medical mycology

- story of how she came to choose studying single-celled fungi instead of pathological bacteria

Medical Mycology

- very few fungi that can cause disease in humans

- our ability to be warm-blooded protects us from most fungi growth

- our natural microbiota contains common fungi like candida, which can only grow too numerous under specific stressors to our microbiome such as antibiotics

- those with compromised immune systems are more vulnerable to disease-causing fungi

- idea that there is a small microbiota population that form the foundation of the microbiome, most of these are bacteria, some are fungi

Julie’s Current Work

- Julie is a science communicator

- digests scientific technical reports into smaller summaries

- making the “take-home message” clear

- she hosts a podcast “Meet the Microbiologist”, and a youtube series “Microbial Minutes”

Shaping Her Mindset

- her interest in science came late in life

- tried a few things before taking a microbiology class, realised how cool and intelligent these simple organisms are

- became fascinated with bacteria

- tried her hand at research in a lab as an undergraduate

- learned the importance of a mentor, had a graduate student who was very important in fostering her curiosity

- inspired her to want to be a good mentor herself

Effective Communication

- in Julie’s observation, science folk can struggle with how much detail to include when presenting to others outside their field

- sometimes take-home message gets lost in jargon

- lead with the most interesting facts, and cut to the chase

Citizen Science

- “GenSpace”: a community biolab in New York, a place for people to visit and experience hands-on all kinds of science

- many people interested in bioremediation and mushrooms

- strong community now pursuing mycoremediation

- discussion of how to get into molecular biology for citizen science

- more examples of citizen science happening currently

- research is just starting to understand and explore the myriad possibilities with citizen science and biolabs

- Julie provides some examples of this

Genetic Modification

- FDA only counts adding genes as genetic modification, Julie thinks deleting genes should also be counted

- everything we eat has DNA in it, so don’t be afraid of eating something with a different genetic sequence, it’s all broken down through the process of digestion

- the politics of GMO is a separate issue than the science of it

- we now have the knowledge to understand what is being changed in the genetic information when we put microbiota through certain processes

- this is safer than just irradiating fungi and then taste it like we used to do!

- discussion of golden rice example

- discussion of dengue-resistant mosquito example

- openness to these genetic modifications can depend on what the stakes are for the people most likely to be affected

- the idea of “the natural order of things” and fear of messing with it, can fail to take into account how things were before our own time

- ex: common diseases people used to die from until we developed techniques to prevent it, used to be “the natural order of things”

Current Projects

- educating researchers on how best to communicate their results in a headline-driven, time-poor world

- the more interesting you make your headline, the more likely people will be to read what you have written

- Julie is most excited and happy to be involved in podcasting and interviewing

Final Thoughts

- A Probiotic Life, by Julie: taking care of her own health and the environment to the best of her abilities

- using as little waste as possible, balanced diet, getting sleep

- technology and science are advancing rapidly

- don’t let this pace can put people off: if you’re interested, just jump in

- podcast recommendation: Vincent Racaniello does several, all on science

Today’s interview is with with William Padilla-Brown. He’s a mycologist, artist, permaculturalist, and the founder of Mycosymbiotics. He has produced one of the first English books on cultivating Cordyceps militaris.

His website www.mycosymbiotics.blog has the quote ”Homeostasis will only be achieved via Symbiosis with local Systems" which is a good way to frame this interview.

Join us as William shares a bit about his journey, which leads us through a fascinating dialogue about mindsets, community, permaculture, mycology, creative expression, psychedelic experience, and culture.

William is also a hip-hop artist and on this episode we feature one of his latest releases. You can listen to it on Soundcloud here: soundcloud.com/itscosmic/rose-hips

Thanks again to everyone who is supporting us in some way or form. We’d love it if you would invest two minutes to give us a rating and review.

You may notice some of the same threads keep coming up in the interviews, and we’d like some feedback about these. What threads do you like? What threads don’t interest you? What do you want to hear more of?

There are a few good takeaways from this one, so listen up!

Check out what William is up to:

Instagram

@MycoSymbiote

@ItsCosmicMusic

Websites

Mycosymbiotics.blog

Mycoshop.net

Facebook

William Padilla-Brown

MycoSymbiotics

Youtube

Show Notes

William Padilla-Brown

- started a mushroom festival in 2015

- pre-existing interest in nutrition prior to getting into mushrooms

- benefits of cordyceps mushrooms

- wrote book “Cultivating Cordyceps”, one of the first guides about growing these written in English

Mindset Opens A Different Path

- moved around the world often while growing up

- dropped out of school at 16, started to take his education into his own hands

- became interested in holistic life choices, growing own food, permaculture

- decided to be the person in his community who undertook study of mushrooms

- had a desire to be an educator

- didn’t want to do traditional work for a living, saw opportunity to make a life another way

- taught a mushroom class, made more money in one hour than in lots more hours in any other job he’d had

- created a community around his chosen area of interest

- began to feel overloaded with too many projects, so narrowed focus to cordeceps

William’s Approach

- goes about his work with an “open source” mindset

- asks “how can I make this more accessible for people who need it?”

- loves to teach inner city residents

- his background in hip-hop and rap music has allowed him to introduce lots of people to permaculture ideas, who otherwise wouldn’t have encountered it

Creating Inspiration & Solutions

- draws inspiration from his 4 year old son

- firmly believes that there will be an end to suffering, and that we’re close to it

- what is needed is: more education, more communication, more acceptance

- many problems he sees are due to lack of these

- moving from a consumer mindset to a producer mindset

- able to be more creative when not worrying about surviving

- exposing people to experiences and creativity they might not have encountered before

- people want to be creators

- William is “a graduate of YouTube university”

Lessons from Fungi

- being humbled

- we are part of an interconnected whole, here to serve our function

- organisms, as they express their DNA, are telling their story

- we are more designed to utilise natural symbols as a language, than use auditory language

Psychedelic Experiences

- psychedelics can be a powerful tool just like any medicine, but it’s not for everyone

- his own experiences have brought understanding himself and the world around him

- for some people, this would be too unsettling

- communicating with ancient organisms as “elders”, looking to them for wisdom

- experiencing connection with yourself and the world around you at a deeper level

- Will didn’t feel like a man until he had these experiences, and after felt a greater level of social responsibility

Current Projects

- mushroom festival!

- a day in the life of William

- cordyceps production is booming

- discussion of uses for cordyceps

- William has written an ebook on growing cordeceps

Benefits of Cordyceps

- “DNA mushroom”

- protective of DNA

- almost all the ingredients for DNA and RNA synthesis, which our body normally spends a lot of energy on

- produces compound called cordycepin, which is so similar to ATP it can go into our mitochondria and provide energy on a cellular level

- really good for energy

- good for respiratory health

- effective antiretroviral

- powerful aphrodisiac for both women and men

- cordyceps militaris will grow on 32 species of insects; most other species will grow on only one species of insect

Adding Life Around You

- create homeostasis through symbiosis with local systems around you

- this includes food, people, other organisms

Looking To The Future

- technological systems that are beneficial for humans and the environment

- people becoming aware of and developing respect for nature, desiring to be closer

- seeing natural systems integrated into cities

- markets shifting away from junk, to accomodate growing desire for quality food and other items

- we’re moving towards something great

In this episode we have a doctor of environmental science known to some as Dr. Greywater. Ross Mars is an author, a teacher and has 20 years experience in the field of greywater and wastewater. He’s the Managing Director of Water Installations, a company based here in Perth, W.A.

He is also an accredited permaculture design teacher and teaches people how to teach permaculture.

Listen in as Ross shares a bit of his journey and we discuss: the development of permaculture, greywater systems, Australian native herbs and medicinal plants, and how we can use water more effectively in our environment.

This episode is a bit of an insight into how we use water here in Western Australia, but I think the principals can be utilised in any climate.

Check out Ross’ work at:

http://www.waterinstallations.com/

http://www.redplanetplants.com.au/

http://www.mundaringecostay.com/

https://www.cfpermaculture.com.au/

https://www.youtube.com/user/WaterInstallations

Show Notes

Formative Experiences & Background

- grew up with orchards & home-grown veggies

- learned a lot while weeding the garden

- first got into permaculture by tagging along with his wife to a course

- studied biology and teaching

- specialised in waste water for graduate research project

- worked on introducing accredited permaculture training to Western Australia

- discussion of permaculture courses

- Ross is “Dr Greywater”

- did lots of experiments & thesis on greywater

- discussion of greywater ecosystems

The Future of Permaculture

- Ross enjoys teaching others, especially those who go on to also teach people themselves

- seeing a huge move of people learning to live more sustainably

- vegetable seedlings are the most popular selling plant

- understanding that you do have options

- seeing change among mainstream farmers

Backing It Up With Science

- Ross is very keen to make sure what is being taught about permaculture is firmly based on science

- when wanting to use herbs medicinally, find out what you can about the herb being tested so as to use it safely

- much of current herb lore is anecdotal

- working to get studies undertaken to test these claims

- discussion of current testings

Water Filtration & Soil

- discussion about turning greywater into drinking water

- passing water through some kind of filter, for ex. soil

- if we get the soil right, we get the plants and the people healthy

- when we build soil, we can create biological filters for our water

- need to build water literacy among local populations

In 50 Years, Ross Would Like to See…

- desalination plants are not the way of the future

- stormwater harvesting is beginning to be practised in Western Australia

- government enforced grey water home systems

- needs to be more moves to reuse all water on gardens

What’s Happening Now?

- discussion of water filtration in Kalamunda (area in Western Australia)

- discussion of climate change in Australia, specifically the South West

- “transition movement”: arose out of permaculture course in England, also spreading in Australia now, utilising urban areas to grow food and live more sustainably

- turning chlorine pools into natural pools

- discussion of setting up proper safety measures so water is completely safe

Living a Probiotic Life

- planting a seed or cutting and watching it sprout

- safeguarding family, teaching kids to grow food

- great to see this happening in schools now

- become involved in teaching others what you know!

- books: Getting Started in Permaculture, The Basics of Permaculture Design, How To Permaculture Your Life

- 2 dvds: RAPS - Remote Area Power Supplies

In this episode we talk with Peter McCoy. He is most well known as one of the founders of Radical Mycology, a grassroots organisation and movement that teaches the many ways to work with fungi for personal, societal, and ecological resilience. He describes himself as an interdisciplinary, systems-oriented mycology educator.

Join us as we talk about traditional uses of fungi, myco-literacy, what fungi can teach us, and Peter shares a bit about his journey.

In 2016, Peter released the book Radical Mycology: A Treatise on Seeing & Working With Fungi. He is the lead cultivation expert for the Amazon Mycorenewal Project, and a mycology advisor to Open Source Ecology and Permaculture Magazine North America.

Apart from his work with fungi, he is also a community organiser, artist, musician, lecturer, and teacher. Peter’s daily practice centers on cultivating, researching, and foraging for new intersections between healthy human and fungal relations. He is available for consultation on mushroom cultivation and remediation design, site surveys, lectures, informal talks, and teaching assignments.

Check out all that Peter is up to:

Radical Mycology

radicalmycology.com

radicalmycologyconvergence.com

facebook.com/radmycology

instagram.com/radmycology

Radical Mycology: The Book

Radical Mycology: A Treatise on Seeing & Working With Fungi

Mycologos School

www.mycologos.world

facebook.com/mycologos

instagram.com/mycologos

And shoutout to the band Confiture… bringing funky tunes to ears near you… www.confitureband.com

Show Notes

Mycology As Activism

- came to see mycology as a huge piece of the puzzle to nature’s restoration

- wanted to actively contribute to earth’s betterment

- did some self-education as a young adult that broadened his worldview

- got involved in some projects which made him realise you can be part of making changes

- creating solutions and community, instead of basing identity on what you are against

- began to bring mycology up as a potential solution to current issues, not always received well

- found like-minded people and ideas began to evolve

- realised this was the piece of the puzzle he could contribute

- solutions that mycology creates fold into social issues as well as environmental issues

Mycology in Cultural Awareness

- discussion of fermentation & Sandor Katz

- mycology is unfamiliar and even somewhat feared in popular awareness

- Peter works to de-stigmatise fungi and show how great it is

- discussion of historical uses of fungi/mycology

- many approaches to mycology beyond food, ethno-mycology

Getting Educated!

- for Peter, mycology gives him access to new perspectives on many aspects of life

- it reminds him that there is still mysteries out there to discover

- most people don’t know much about fungi; one way Peter is working to address that through his book

- building community around mycology, to bring it into the cultural awareness at a social level

- has in mind for the future a much more structured form of education to bring deeper study of mycology to people

- “Radical Mycology 2.0” is coming

- mycology is not taught in schools, so there is a hole to fill in offering education

A New Way to See the World

- sense of connection that comes for many people, in learning the magic and mystery of fungi

- a whole new way of seeing the natural world

- teaching mycology through the the eyes of ecological awareness

- for Peter, sometimes the things that are least talked about are the most interesting, such as the benefits & deliciousness of probiotics

Ecological Remediation

- according to science, it seems likely that fungi were the first larger-celled structured organisms on earth (after bacteria)

- fungi are central to earth’s biology & uniquely powerful

- discussion of how fungi supports soil, animal, and plant life

- fungi are capable of breaking down many kinds of toxic substances that other organisms cannot

- in the long run, fungi will probably be able to break down almost all man-made substances

- this branch of research (micro-remediation) is very young, with not many fully realised examples, but there is so much room to explore

- this exploration is something that many people will be capable of doing eventually in their own backyards, and potentially make big discoveries

Fungi in Our Future

- in the further-off future (100, 200 years), possibly all man-made systems could be affected and improved by fungi

- fungi has a long shelf life, & makes an incredible building material

- discussion of growing mushrooms for common household & natural medicinal uses

Closing Thoughts

- fungi already influence your life in a million ways

- now is the perfect time: there is so much opportunity to get involved in cultivating fungi at this particular point in history

- radicalmycology.com

- Peter’s book is at publishing website: chthaeus.com

- this coming October: Radical Mycology Convergence

- join the newsletter on any of their social media platforms

In this episode we talk with Nicole Masters of integrity soils. She is an expert in ecology and soil science with over 20 years experience. She advises farmers on how to improve the health of their land an ecosystems.

Nicole shares about how she went from wanting to be a great white shark researcher to an agroecologist. We talk soil health, worm compost, producer and consumer mindsets and integrity. This conversation gets in to the detail about soil, but we also cover the overarching idea that mindset changes everything. Nicole mentions one of the best ways to live a probiotic life is to support your local farmers.

Just a note that half way through the interview a cable decided to quit, so I had to re-record my side of the conversation from that point on… Luckily it was my side, not Nicole’s.

Check out what Nicole is doing by visiting her website:

www.integritysoils.co.nz

Facebook

Youtube

Linkedin

Thanks again to Confiture for a sample of their funky jazz.

Check them out at: http://confitureband.com/

Show Notes

Scientific Background

- Bachelor of Science (Ecology) at Otago University

- originally went to be a great white shark researcher

- study focus shifted from zoology to botany to soil

- light went on for her when she began to study soil

- this passion has now continued strongly for 20 years

Formative Experiences

- spent her early life in aircraft looking down at the earth

- the eruption of Mt St Helens put things in perspective for her, how powerful the earth is and how small we are

- saw a need to disrupt the current trend towards people living among their own man-made pollution

- willingness to be part of a conversation about what’s possible for transformation

- realised the mainstream farmers are the ones that she needed to be talking with, enter their worlds and make transformation profitable

Key Things to Know About Soil

- gastrointestinal system is very similar to the soil system

- the rhizosphere, or root interface with soil, is the most biodiverse system on the planet

- how do we support a very diverse ecosystem

- modern farming techniques are disturbing microbiology

- this depletes biodiversity and lowers nutritional value of food grown

- quorum sensing/quenching discussion

- sending out a little signal that tells biology to turn on a particular response

- plant can send a chemical signal asking for what nutrient it requires, and if the microbiome is intact it will send the plant that nutrient

Worms Farming

- the worm castings are the best part

- the perfect worm farm makes no leachate, if it’s making leachate you need more carbon in there

- most vermicast is bacterial dominated, which is the environment weeds prefer

- use white (soft) wood chips to make it more fungal friendly

- get liquid form by running water through a finished (fully processed) vermicast

- leachate is not good to use on plants, pour it back into the worm farm

Current Focus

- workshops in Montana on how to assess soil health/pasture quality

- addressing sodium deficiency around the world to improve nutrition, animal health, erosion

- working with crop producers to reduce nitrogen and herbicide use, while keeping equivalent yield and higher profit margin

- how do we identify what a limiting factor might be on a property?

- working with clients’ goals, what outcomes do they want to see from these changes?

- evidence is showing that applying herbicides, pesticides, and fungicides are altering plants’ physiology, making them more susceptible to pests and diseases

- discussion about nitrogen & compaction

Integrity Soils: What Does This Name Mean to You?

- integrity: describes something that is whole and complete

- resilient, complete soils that will stand up to pressure

- being trustworthy and above board in all business practices

- dealing with childhood & personal wounds so you are whole as a person

- a call to work at these aspects as you interact with others, and in your work

Lessons Learned from Mother Nature

- Nicole has developed a feel for soil over time, while being ready with facts to persuade the skeptical

- the interconnectedness of everything

- water movement through a landscape

- aligning more closely to how things would have been naturally

- shifting from feeling out of control to feeling happy, excited about working with nature and what might be possible

- see weeds as an indicator of something happening, an opportunity to address an imbalance, rather than something to be killed outright

- cover crops as a step into regenerative agriculture

Change for the Future

- voting with your dollars: buy clean foods, ring to let companies know you won’t buy non-clean food

- Nicole believes this is the way to make clean food production go mainstream

- producers respond to consumer demand

- being willing to pay a premium for nutrient-dense food, which you need less of to feed yourself

- conversation on these topics happening on every level

Closing Thoughts

- consider the “underground workforce”: how am I support the microbiology within my soil?

- refractometer is a good investment, quick key to checking nutrient density

- carbon is the currency of the planet, and our soil has been running low on it

- food actually does taste less sweet than it used to due to lack of soil nutrients

- make those greens sweet and tasty again, that’s how to get the younger generation excited about this

- “Dirt in your Skirt” podcast

- currently writing about doing triage on soil, Nicole’s step-by-step process

- www.integritysoils.co.nz - get the newsletter!

In this episode we explore the research that’s going on pertaining to the microbiome as we talk with Jack Gilbert. He is one of the leading scientists in the area of microbial ecology. If you have done any reading about the microbiome online, you’ve probably come across his name.

Jack has been involved in many research projects, and has published studies which relate to many areas of microbial ecology. He shares with us a bit of his story and we cover a lot of ground relating to all things microbial, but the theme that stood out to me is how we are all connected, how we need to steward our environment wherever we are, and how we need to use our brains to critically evaluate the information presented to us.

Jack does a great job communicating these concepts and ideas, and I really enjoyed chatting to him.

If you also get some value out of this show we’d appreciate if you’d take two minuets to give us a rating and review. This is a simple way of supporting us to keep doing what we’re doing what we’re doing.

If your business wants to partner with the Probiotic Life, we’re still looking for some strategic sponsorships. We’re also doing some more collaborations to get things moving, so if you’d like to collaborate, reach out and connect!

Here are some ways to find out more about Dr. Jack Gilbert:

Lab Website

Google Scholar

Twitter

Show Notes

- faculty director of The Microbiome Centre

- professor at the Department of Surgery at the University of Chicago

- senior scientist at the Marine Biological Laboratory

- co-author of Dirt Is Good (with Rob Knight)

- learned microbiology & physical chemistry in many different fields

- spent time in Antartica studying bacterial proteins

- got interested in understanding how microbes reacted & adapted to their environments in the world

- this became his new passion

- over the last ten years has become involved with human microbiome research

- came to view the human body is simply another ecosystem seeking equilibrium, much like the sea/soil/plants, and we can treat it as such

What Aspect of Research is Jack Excited About Currently?

- systems biology: viewing the world in a very connected way

- how do microbes affect everything else in their environment?

- capturing the complexity of these connections, so it can be predicted and adjusted

Gaps & Progress in Modern Research

- concept of “one health”, the health of humans and all ecosystems are intrinsically linked

- discussion of microbial environments in Amish and Hutterite communities

- what are the associations between people and their disease, and other issues?

- research is suggesting that consequences of severing ourselves from our environment could be much more severe than the risks of interacting with that environment

- interact with your environment while still using common sense, e.g. wash your hands after petting animals

- some authorities say they must give blanket statements regarding possible exposure to pathogens, in case of people not using common sense

- you may be saving lives by doing this, but what is the cost to people’s quality of life and potential to develop lifelong health complications?

- what product could be created to provide to people who don’t have access to a natural environment, to help their immune systems develop?

Making Changes

- for specialised information to become actionable to people who don’t know that field, it must be put in a form that people can understand

- Jack goes out and talks to many groups of people, because for change to happen, popular opinion needs to be swayed

- finding a balance between letting the public know scientists are working on solutions to help them, but discouraging them from taking the untested research into their own hands

Context is Everything

- in a public bathroom, hot soapy water for cleaning is fine, sterilising the floor does little to prevent someone catching infectious illness

- however, where someone is immunocompromised or with open wounds, e.g. a hospital, sterilisation is more beneficial

- gearing public statements of what the public should be doing are geared towards protecting the most vulnerable in our society; unfortunately, this could potentially have negative impact on those who are not so vulnerable

- listen to your doctor, be informed, and critically evaluate whatever you are told

Current Projects

- boosting children’s immune systems, immunology

- ways to make plants more resilient to stress and disease

- ways to negate use of fertilisers, pesticides, herbicides

- all these contribute to the “one health” mandate

Closing Thoughts

- examining the role by which the world around us can be leveraged to impact health positively

- being more engaged with the world around us, cultivating and interacting with a more biodiverse environment

- Jack’s book “Dirt Is Good” is a guide, with all the questions Jack’s ever been asked about how the microbiome relates to our health; the decisions we can make with the information we currently have

Today we’re going to be talking to Carly Smith. She is a lover of all things fermenting…

I got connected with her when I was reaching out to sponsors one day. She works at cultures for health. and no, this is not an infomercial episode… they decided not to become a sponsor, but I thought it would be fun to interview someone who works in a fermentation company, and just have a good chat about fermenting in general.

I consider Carly to be an everyday hero spreading the message of the probiotic life through fermentation.

Join us as Carly shares her story, and we both share a few fermentation stories.

Also, what did you think of Confiture’s music? do you want to hear more of it on the podcast?

-The transition music in this episode is from their debut album… check it out at confitureband.com

I’m super excited to announce that it’s confirmed we’ll be having Jack Gilbert of the Gilbert Lab on the show soon. He is one of the leading researchers of the microbiome and how it interacts with the urban environment. Stay tuned for that episode!

Check out where Carly works at culturesforhealth.com based in North Carolina.

Also, if you are enjoying this content, will you take a minute to give us a rating and review on whatever platform you listen to us on.

SHOW NOTES

Background in Fermentation

- Carley works at Cultures For Health

- fell in love with Sandor Ellix Katz’s Fermentation book

- started experimenting with fermentation on her own

- discussion of cooking with seasonal produce

Love For Cooking

- grew up with meals cooked from scratch every night by her mum

- learned gardening from her dad

- these created an appreciation for food from scratch and fresh produce

- missing these led her to teach herself to cook

- the camaraderie of sharing food with others inspired her to make it her career

- before that, studied environmental conservation, but was put off by the approach to using the forest as a utility instead of restoring it to its original state

Carley’s Fermentation Adventures

- making sauerkraut with red & white cabbage, carrying on family tradition

- made kombucha, yoghurt, viili (Scandinavian yoghurt)

- koji, tempeh, naaco: all Japanese ferments

- corned venison

Cultures For Health

- they sell water kefir, milk kefir, kombucha, gluten-free sourdough

- discussion of watching these cultures grow

- works with lots of people who have little to no experience with fermentation

- people who have health issues and want to get more cultures into their diet

- sharing a largely lost art, bringing to back a wide audience

- giving good info without overwhelming people

Fermenting at Home

- discussion of dehydrating and rehydrating scobys and grains

- discussion of making kombucha

- alcoholic ferments: mango cider!

- putting beetroot in kimchi

- social aspect of fermentation: share with people around you, everyone gets a variety & helps nourish each other

- discussion of WWOOFing (Willing Workers On Organic Farms)

- traveling was a great way of exchanging info, learning farming techniques

- discussion of fermenting mishaps

Carley’s Future in Fermentation

- strong interest in fungi, their medicinal and environmental uses

- discussion of Paul Stamets’ books

Final Comments

- check out all the stuff available on culturesforhealth.com

- can get access to free ebooks, recipes, instructions, and background info

- can buy cultures & fermenting equipment

This episode is a bit of a different one, as mentioned in last episode. It’s a behind the scenes -or behind the headphones- chat. This is where my wife Moraig and I share about how we’ve came to this place, and she gets a chance to interview me.

If you’ve listened to more than one or two episodes, this will help you put the podcast into context, and help you to get to know us a bit better. That’s the idea, to connect with you on a personal level.

I did hesitate to release this, I procrastinated a few days, because it is our journey, and a necessary part of our journey to share with you all. But it requires me to be vulnerable, which is a journey in itself.

If you vibe with what we talk about, if it resonates with you, we’d love to hear from you, and hear a bit of your story.

Part of the vision I have for the Probiotic Life is to collaborate with folks, to really cross pollinate ideas and inspiration. So to start it off I’ve asked my friend Phil who is a musician and producer if I can support his project by showcasing his music on here. 

His band is Confiture and they just released their self-titled debut album. As Phil describes it: Confiture delivers some soulful cool-jazz vibes characterised by strong bass lines, delightfully syncopated breaks, and dreamy seventies-tinted melodies.

So check out their website confitureband.com and if you like their stuff, support them!

Theres a few samples on this episode, and at the end is the song titled: Shadows.

A big thank you to all who are on this journey with us, now join me as we hear some cool tunes, and go behind the scenes of The Probiotic Life.

Check out Confiture!

confitureband.com

Facebook

Spotify

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Anne is a biologist, an author and an avid gardener. She co-wrote The Hidden Half of Nature: The Microbial Roots of Life and Health with her husband David Montgomery, who was our guest in the previous episode. Her interests and expertise have led her into environmental planning, public health and watershed restoration.  

Join us as Anne shares a bit of her journey, and the insights she’s gained from building soil in her garden. She shares about her case of “plant lust” and how she’s started noticing the diversity of insects in her garden.

Though Anne touches on the immune system briefly, we focus on gardening in this episode, mostly because I’m also a fanatical gardener. I may have acquired a case of the “gardeners high” Anne refers to just by talking about gardening…

Enjoy this delightful conversation with Anne Biklé.

Links 

Website: dig2grow.com

Twitter: @dig2grow

Facebook: dig2growbooks

SHOW NOTES

Early Life

- developed a case of “plant lust” in childhood, viewed green things growing as magical

- both of her parents had an interest in putting in landscape that was tailored to the Colorado climate

Love for Nature

- “biophilia”, term coined by EO Wilson, meaning: we have an innate need to connect with nature, innately know that to harm nature is wrong

- Anne decided to grow food for insects, to see what kinds she could draw into her garden

- observing a mini-ecosystem within your own backyard

- all life forms are connected to each other; when we forget this, we begin to allow ourselves to do harmful things

Educational Background

- studied Natural History, a branch of biology

- later developed an interest in microbial biology

Perceptions of Nature

- Anne aims to draw biology in around her in her everyday life as much as possible

- “gardener’s high”, losing track of time when around plants

- there is mystery to explore behind the natural forces and elements e.g. soil

- soil is dark coloured, which has negative connotations for many people

- we also can’t see the life in the soil at a glance so it appears dead to the naked eye

- soil is the land equivalent of the sea; most life on earth dwells in the soil

- there’s evidence for a bacterium in healthy soil that can affect our mood positively

At Anne’s Place

- they had some terrible soil

- laid wood chips on top of the garden beds

- scattered lots of coffee grounds into the soil

- Anne & David realised that you can make soil, you don’t need to import it in

- anyone can make soil, if you have the inclination and the materials

Bokashi Compost & the Immune System

- soil has a metabolism, just like our gut

- Bokashi can be made full of things that make the soil a bad place for pathogens to survive

- our immune system is made up of many specialised cells (that become immune tissue) that live right next to our stomach & intestines - especially our large intestine

- a person with gut problems likely also has an issue with their immune system

- if the microbiome takes a hit, the immune system doesn’t have the info it needs to know how to look after the person, and may start seeing problems where there isn’t one = autoimmune conditions

- your gut and soil are very similar & both need to be “mulched”

- the microbiome is made up of trillions of organisms that are alive and need to be fed

- eating a diverse diet, especially diverse plant foods, feeds the maximum amount of your microbiota, and keeps the diversity in your gut alive

Website: dig2grow.com

Twitter: @dig2grow

Facebook: dig2growbooks

Dr. David R. Montgomery is a professor of geomorphology in the department of Earth & Space Sciences at the University of Washington in Seattle. In this episode David shares a bit of his story, and we delve into the details of building healthy soil, and how it’s connected to our own health. He does a great job of communicating the science, and explaining these details. I had a great time interviewing him.

Thanks to everyone who supports us in some way shape or form. We always love hearing how you’re living a probiotic life.

Links 

Website: dig2grow.com

Twitter: @dig2grow

Facebook: dig2growbooks

SHOW NOTES

Geomorphology

- study of topography

- soil erosion

- works on the here and now of geography

- looks at sustainability, long term perspective

Geology & the Human Element

- David wanted to learn about the world

- took geology, “competing against [their] lack of knowledge”

- saw how ecosystems & farming impact soil erosion

- wrote a book about how religious thought & geological science have historically affected each other

- wrote a book with his wife about how microbial life influences health of plants, people, farms

Formative Influences

- spent lots of time playing outside as a kid

- his wife Anne (a biologist) had a similar experience

Humans Have a Lot to Learn

- when it comes to modern impact on natural age, humans are in the driver’s seat

- we are still figuring out the blueprint of how this earth works 

Soil & Geology

- takes lots of micronutrients to grow a healthy plant

- the vast majority of these come from the ground

- need to get rocks broken down and their minerals released into the soil

- this is mostly done by microbes

- soil is a grand recycling system, that takes organic material and returns it to the ground to feed new life

- earth is the only planet we know of currently where this is the case

Soil Around the World

- discussion of specific places in the world, where availability of different mineral elements has greatly impacted the botanical world

- most soils around the world have the basic sets of minerals needed for plant growth, but they are often locked up in the soil unreleased

- it’s possible to add the nutrients needed to the soil

- we need to bring the biology back to the soil

The Soil & Our Gut

- aha! moment while writing The Hidden Half of Nature”

- striking similarities between soil system and human gut

- inflammation is a very important part of immune function, goes to fix problems

- we don’t want to be constantly in inflammation

- what you are feeding your microbes has a direct impact on your immune system function

- we need to eat fibre for our gut function, to feed our microbes

- what we eat and how we treat the soil really does matter

- probiotics are the microbes; prebiotics are what we feed the microbes

Restoration of Farmland

- discussion of restoring farmland

- 3 principles in common shared by farms where soil was restored quickly

- 1) no-till or minimum-till farming

- 2) keep the land covered with cover crops to act as green manure

- 3) plant a diversity of crops

- these all promote the growth of beneficial microbial life

- these are all against modern conventional agriculture

- the places that used the conservation agriculture made the land even better than nature had it in the first place

- the future of biodiversity is tied to the future of agriculture

- on all markers, these regenerative farming techniques are a win

Final Thoughts

- American indigenous agriculture: they were practising crop diversity on their planting

- all of the people David & wife Anne interviewed shared a common desire to rebuild the land’s fertility, as the foundation of our civilisation

- past civilisations stopped their soil to their societies’ detriment

- if we can change these practices in our current century, that would alter the arc of history, and we need to get it right this time

- David’s books: 1) Growing A Revolution: Bring Our Soil Back To Life; 

                           2) The Hidden Half of Nature: The Microbial Roots of Life and Health; 

                           3) Dirt: The Erosion of Civilisations

- books available wherever books are sold

Links 

Website: dig2grow.com

Twitter: @dig2grow

Facebook: dig2growbooks