Midweek Mushrooming Webinar Summary Identifying and using Medicinal Mushrooms

Here’s what we covered in our Wednesday Webinar! Enjoy reading the summary!

We Concluded the session with a discussion on 4 medicinal mushrooms that a healthy person should take:

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“The artists see what others only catch a glimpse of” - Leonarda Da Vinci

Can you ever imagine using mushroom spores for art-work?

Well, we have someone who recently used mushroom spores to create very attractive and beautiful pieces of art-work - look at the different paintings he made using them -

Mr. Puneet Arora - Bravo for this! We would love for you to keep sharing such wonderful creations with us!

Cheers! 

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Our Sunday Special Webinar - Making of Raw Floral-Citrus Cocktail

Sunday and Cocktails! What a perfect combination! Isn’t it?

Sunday, Cocktails and the Cocktails which you can make at home with the most simple ingredients! Isn’t that the most perfect combination? Well, most definitely it is! :) 

So, we spent our Sunday today talking about how to make a raw floral-citrus probiotic which has the following benefits:

• It is rich in Acetobacter bacteria and yeast 
• Peels of fruits/vegetables become more dense nutritionally 
• Even if the process fails, it still serves as a natural insecticide/pesticide/fungicide for plants
• It is rich in digestive enzymes
• The Fermentation process involved increases bioavailability of certain compounds to our body 

What are its ingredients? 

• Peel of 1 lemon/orange
• 1 flower (rose preferred) 
• 500 mL drinking water
• 2 tbsp brown sugar/jaggery
• Glass Container

What is the basic ratio in which the ingredients need to be mixed? 

1 part brown sugar : 1 part citrus peels : 2 parts flower petals : 10 parts water 

Four-simple steps to prepare the Cocktail

Step 1: Put the flower petals and the citrus peels in the glass container

Step 2: Add jaggery/brown sugar and shake the container well 

Step 3: Add drinking water to it (leaving some space above in the container) 

Step 4: Cover the mouth of the container with cheese-cloth/cotton cloth/hanky, seal with a rubber band and leave the container undisturbed away from direct sunlight 

After 2 months

There are two options:

Option A: The Probiotic is ready to use, so we just need to strain the liquid and use 2-3 spoons of probiotic in 1 cup water and enjoy it! Use the isolate as the mother culture for the next batch! 

Option B: Feed the yeast. We can intensify the probiotic by adding 2 tbsp brown sugar, replacing the cloth and the rubber band and storing in the dark for another one month! 

Let’s see the spoiled and good samples

Some Precautions to take: 

• If you observe slimy/powery/coloured layer on top, let it ferment for 3 months, then use as a natural insecticide/ pesticide/ fungicide for plants 
• Don’t use metal 
• Avoid using white sugar
• Never leave the mouth of container uncovered 

So, what are you waiting for?? 

Prepare the Cocktail drink today and reach out to us for any queries at +91-8894486066! 

We love questions!

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Plan Mushroom Hunt Anywhere!

Summary of our Webinar on 16th April, 2020

Yes!! We are sure that you all must be surprised reading the title - but this is the Mushroom season and so we did not want the mushroom lovers to stay away from mushrooms, and so we decided to talk to them on how they can plan to hunt for mushrooms in safe zones - green patches and their own gardens!

In this article, we will summarize all that we talked about in our Webinar. We welcome your feedback and suggestions, if any!

What tools to carry?

All you need are the following things: 

• A knife or a cutter - to cut the mushrooms 
• A basket - of course to carry your lovely mushrooms back home
• A punched plastic bag
• Cell phone with GPS
• Whistle - to get children back to you (in case you take your children along)
• Torch 
• Magnifying lenses 
• Raincoats and Gumboots - to protect yourself from the rains! 
• Long pants 

Some precautions to take

Always wash the mushrooms before consuming them

Avoid eating raw mushrooms

Remember, when in doubt - throw it out!

Avoid immature mushrooms

DO NOT consume the ones with the milky juice

Avoid species whose flesh changes color when bruised or cut

Familiarize yourself thoroughly with a few species at first and then gradually extend your knowledge to others

Where can you spot mushrooms?

Dead logs

Barks of trees

Soil/Compost Peat

Open grass lawns

Humid ecosystems

Shady areas

Railway tracks

Sides of Footpaths

Deep Forests

Morels (Morchella) the most common foraged mushrooms in Spring

These are yellow or black in color with pitted caps appearing irregularly honey-combed or sponge-like. You can slice it to identify these mushrooms. When sliced into half, the stem is attached to the cap & the mushroom is hollow.

Different varieties of mushrooms that you can spot

Tasting mushrooms safely…

Follow the steps:

Chew ------>Wait -------> Spit --------> Rinse

In case of accidentally eating unidentified mushroom:

• Puke forcefully
• Drink as much water as you can

Sustainable Mushroom Hunting

How to Document your findings?

• Upload your finding on inaturalist app, along with coordinates
• Clear photograph from front and back side

A WORD OF CAUTION!

All fungi are edible, some fungi are edible ONLY ONCE! So, please be careful! 

So what are you waiting for??
Go for Mushroom hunt today in safe zones around you and reach out to us for any queries on +91-8894486066!
Take Care!

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What we learnt on Mid-Week Mushrooming Webinar, 22nd April, 2020

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Do it yourself! - Make your own bioenzyme!

Summary of our Sunday Special Webinar on 12th April, 2020

Did you know?

Did you know that the disinfectants that you use at home have harmful chemicals that are indirectly consumed by us too?
Did you know that food products like jaggery and citrus peels like orange, lemon mixed together with water can become disinfectants and can replace our harmful disinfectants?
Well, our 12th April, 2020 Sunday webinar covered all this and our participants learnt how to make their own ‘bio-enzymes’ at home! Read our article further to know more…

What are bio-enzymes?

It is a multi-purpose natural cleaner produced from organic waste (usually citrus peels). It is multi-purpose as it not only cleans and disinfects all surfaces in the household but also:

• Effectively breaks down grease, stains
• Helps eliminate harmful microorganisms
• Eliminates odours
• Enriches the soil and contributes to the health and the growth of the plants
• Acts as a natural pesticide and herbicide
• Nourishes the hair and skin of pets

Aren’t you just amazed to see the uses it has! Well, we will now mention the two-simple steps to prepare it at home!

Two-simple steps to make your own Bioenzyme

What you will need?
100 grams brown sugar/jaggery
300 grams of citrus peels (lemon/orange)
1000 ml fresh water
Plastic bottle (of 1.5 litres capacity)

Remember the basic ratio of the ingredients to be put:

1 part brown sugar/jaggery
3 parts citrus peels
10 parts water

2-simple steps to prepare the bio-enzyme:

Step No. 1
Pour the water and sugar (jaggery) into the dish you have prepared, mix well and then add the peels

Step No. 2
Firmly seal the container and place it in a dark, cool place

What to do post the two steps?

What follows post the second step is the fermentation process during which the container will produce gases (you will know it’s happening by the bulging sides of the container) so it will be necessary to periodically open the lid to release them.

Record the date of preparation, since after 3-months of fermentation, the solution will be ready to use!

Some things to note:

Use only plastic containers for the preparation of bio-enzymes
If you use more vegetable residues, the liquid will have a sour smell, which is quite normal and not a cause of concern
If worms appear, add another 10 grams of sugar to the ingredients and tightly close the cap, after sometime the worms will disappear!

So, what are you waiting for??

Prepare your own bio-enzyme today and see the results after 3 months! :)

#Say no to harmful chemicals
# Say yes to organic bio-enzyme

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Vegan Probiotics - Summary our Sunday Special Webinar on 19th April, 2020

Learn to make probiotics at home and know the health benefits....

We spent our Sunday today engaging with about 30 participants trying something new and different in a 40 minutes Webinar in collaboration with EarthJust. The webinar was on "Creating your own Probiotics at home and learning about its health benefits".

Probiotics are good bacteria that keeps our gut healthy. That is the most basic significance of it. 'Vegan Probiotics' help preserve vegetables and enriches the vegetables used with new vitamins (originally not even present). So, they have a two-fold benefit right there!

So, let's learn to make 'Vegan Probiotics' in five simple steps:

Step No. 1

Chop vegetables of your choice (preferably carrots, radish, garlic, onions, beet). You will need 250 grams of chopped vegetables and put them in a container.

Step No. 2

Take 1 litre drinking-water in a glass container and mix 1 tablespoon of salt in it.

Step No. 3

Now put the chopped vegetables in the salt-water (in the glass container).

Step No. 4

Ensure that the vegetables are completely immersed in the salted water and are not in contact with the air. One can use another big piece of any vegetable, or a small piece of wood or a zip-locked bag with water in it to completely immerse the chopped vegetables in the water and ensure that they are in contact with dry air.

Step No. 5

Let this stay for a few days!

Once you start noticing some cloudiness in the water, your Probiotics is ready to use! :)

Some important things to be cautionary of ....

- If you observe slimy/powdered/colored layer on the top, discard it and start over again

- Do not use any metal

- Avoid using ionized salt

- Avoid using chlorinated water

- Make sure that the vegetables and fully submerged

- Do not try this method with fruits

Three-cheers for the great session and for Probiotics!

Stay healthy!

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Foraging mushrooms & medicinal herbs in the wild

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