Czechs collected in 2017 more than 6.6 billion crowns worth of mushrooms and fruits in the country’s forests. In all, people picked 41,300 tonnes, which is 1.5 billion tonnes more than in the previous year. The news was reported by the website e15.cz on Friday, citing the annual report by the Czech University of Life Sciences. 

According to the report, mushroom picking remains hugely popular in the Czech Republic. It is estimated that Czechs harvested around 27,700 tonnes of mushrooms last year, which is about seven kilos per household, at a value 4.6 billion crowns.

Last year’s yields of the forest fungi were boosted by favourable weather conditions, which provided enough rain and humidity.

Apart from mushrooms, Czechs collected 7,100 tonnes of blueberries worth one billion crowns and 2,100 tonnes of raspberries and elderberries. They also picked 1,500 tonnes of blackberries and 400 tonnes of cranberries.

The highest forest yield to date was recorded in 1995, when Czechs collected 58,500 tonnes of mushrooms and other forest fruit.

Despite the increased amount of collected forest fruit, the number of Czechs spending time in the country’s forests has been decreasing in recent years, according to professor Luděk Šisák from the Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences.

According to the analysis, Czechs visited a forest on average twenty times a year, while in 2016, that number stood at 26.

Source: Czech Radio

Photos of Mushroom Clouds Made of Mushrooms

For their new project The Fallout of the Food System, photographer Henry Hargreaves and stylist Caitlin Levin created photos to capture the threat of nuclear war to the global food system. The series shows images of mushroom clouds created with actual mushrooms.

“With the once unthinkable Nuclear threat re-entering the global discussion and the big little boys continue to throw their toys out of the pram, the threat to our global food system from nuclear war is real,” the artists tell PetaPixel. “The image of the mushroom cloud evokes the end of the world but fungi themselves have much to teach us about resiliency and adaptation in disturbed environments.”

Check for more pictures and information on this link

You can find more of the duo’s work on the artists website

On June 28, anti-season Oyster mushrooms cultivated in Haitangshan Specialized Mushroom Cooperative are gradually evolving into marketing phase.

Anti-season Oyster mushrooms are preferred by customers by virtues of green and superior quality, and good commodity. In early 2018, Haitangshan Specialized Mushroom Cooperative arranged 300,000 bags for anti-season Oyster mushroom cultivation, by 2018, the expected gross output on fresh mushroom comes to 400,000 kg while the anticipated output value hits 2.5 million CNY, after removing costs on material and labor, the estimated profits reach 600,000 CNY or so.

Founded in 2015, Haitangshan Cooperative transferred over 100 mu of land in accordance with the price of 850 CNY per mu, and it has signed agreement on investment cooperation with 34 local poor households. In 2017, the cooperative realized 1.3 million CNY of gross incomes. Besides, during the growth period of 4 months, the cooperative averagely absorbs 30 poor population to work per day, and gives out 100 CNY of daily salary, which helps them generate incomes at their hometown.

In recent days, Hubei Yuguo Mushroom Incorporated Company keeps on attracting wide attention from tourists.

Hubei Yuguo Mushroom Incorporated Company is a key leading enterprise of national agricultural industrialization which engages in cultivation, processing, marketing and export of Shiitake, Black fungus, fruit and vegetable cans, products developed by the company are exported to all over the world and Yuguo Company is also on China’s cutting edge regarding mushroom production.

According to statistics, from January to April of 2018, foreign exchanges earned through export attained 21.54 million USD in Yuguo Company.

On June 26, in mushroom shed that situates in Liushuzhuang Village, Manas County, Sinkiang of China, Button mushrooms are showing the desirable growth tendency.

“In 2012, i began to dig into the technology of mushroom cultivation, and then established Legu Professional Mushroom Cooperative. Now, Button mushrooms cultivated in the shed are about to come into market and the present market price is at 16 CNY per kg,” introduces Mr. Chen Wenjun, owner of the shed as well as the pionner on aspect of mushroom growing in Liushuzhuang Village warmly.

According to statistics, annual output value on mushroom industry hits 83 million CNY in Manas County, Sinkiang of China, average annual earnings reach 50,000-60,000 CNY. And by now, 7-8 mushroom cooperatives have been built within the county, which drives over 50 rural households to embark on the industry and grow affluent.

On June 15, in mushroom base managed by Henan Daoyi Agricultural Technology Co., LTD, the first batch of summer mushroom production was formally launched.

In 2018, Daoyi Company adopts the mode of partially-full load, the estimated annual production capacity on Shiitake mushroom attains 110,000 sticks and the estimated gross output on fresh mushroom comes to 120,000 kg.

“After the successfuly termination of this batch of production, 214 poor households are targeted to generate annual incomes of 3000 CNY per household,” introduces marketing manager of Daoyi Company warmly.

Orders have increased ten-fold at the hydroponic mushroom farm since in the last eight months

Yoshinobu Odaira, 69, is the chief executive of Shogun Maitake Canada Limited, a London, Ont.-based hydroponic mushroom farm that's seen sales rise dramatically in the last eight months. 
Not many mushroom farms can say they get regular visits from people suffering from cancer, but Shogun Maitake Canada is not your average mushroom farm.

It's one of the few growers in North America that offer top quality maitake mushrooms, a frilly, leathery, wild-looking fungi steeped in ancient Japanese myth that is as prized by foodies for their delicate flavour and texture as it is are by health nuts.

The mushroom has a reputation for lowering blood pressure, cholesterol, boosting the immune system. It's even being studied by scientists as a potential cancer-killer.

Read full article here

Author: Colin Butler · CBC News