We had such a great time on the Jester King Brewery farm this past weekend -- and boy, do we have some great research and exploring to look forward to with mycelium! 

For those who haven't heard of the Central Texas Mycology Society, you're welcome. This is an amazing organization that pours into their community with education and hands-on actionable opportunities. 

Since it was a day focused on mushrooms, we of course had to enjoy Jester King's Snorkel Oyster Mushroom beer. And what better way to enjoy a cold drink than in between spreading mycelium and wood chips between beds, to support soil regeneration?

This past weekend we got to enjoy an education-packed day, learning about how we can support our soil from our front yards to our hundreds - of - acres orchard. No matter how long you've farmed, we believe success only comes from constant learning from fellow experts. Whether it's chatting with generational farmers, to biologists, to those who have committed their lives to the outdoors. 

We kicked off the day with learning about the breadth of the fungi community (which I'm sure we only scratched the surface on, hearing how extensive they are) and learned more about the Central TX Myco folks passion in pairing people with mycelium blocks. Their brilliant "recycling" program brings "spent" mushroom blocks to kitchen counters across the hill country! We absolutely love seeing leading food and environmental activists connect communities with free opportunities like this. For their list of pickup locations, click here.

We were particularly excited to hear Andie Marsh of the "Healthy Soils, Healthy Trees" project (part of an amazing team of experts, learn more about the program here), as we begin to explore how myceliating our trees can support our trees and surrounding soil! For those who are interested in learning about how this project is bringing together experts across Texas to better the relationship between soil and trees, through mushrooms, in Austin's urban forests, click this link to learn more about the program and sign up to support the program!

Thank you to the dozens of brilliant folks that made this past weekend of education possible. Excited to be learning more from some of these experts over the next couple of years as we expand our work managing the orchard amidst climate change. Until then, we're hitting the road again-- excited to dive in as we continue our tour across Texas talking growing food, memorable taste, and cultivating communities.