Mycelium
Mycelium is the network of fungi and bacteria within the soil that connects tree roots, feeding the trees information and nutrients with the rich, decomposing materials of life.
Mycelium is nature’s internet. We are still learning about this incredible underground network of knowledge, a web of life. According to fungi expert Paul Stamets, “mushrooms can help save the world.” In his book Mycelium Running, Stamets writes, “Living in harmony with our natural environment is the key to health as individuals and as a species. We are a reflection of the environment that has given us birth.” If the macro-universe is polluted with toxins and chemicals, so is the micro-universe. Macro- and micro-universes are a mirror.
Fungi and bacteria make up the majority of our lives. Our bodies are composed of about ten trillion cells, and only half of those are human cells. The other cells comprise our microbiome—a vast and complex ecosystem of bacteria, viruses, and fungi that live in or on our bodies.
“Think of your gut as an inner garden; just as with any garden—when you let the weeds take over, you get into trouble.”
—Mark Hyman, MD
Bacteria & Fungi
Without microscopic bacteria and fungi, there would be no life. Bacteria were some of the first life-forms to surface on Earth, and they exist in each breath we take and every bite we eat. Bacteria are everywhere.
Fungi are defined as any of a group of spore-producing organisms feeding on organic matter, including molds, yeast, mushrooms, and toadstools.
In our culture, we have become afraid of bacteria, over-sanitizing our hands and bodies, wiping or scrubbing away all the good bacteria that are here to protect us. Illness and sickness occur when our inner universe, our microbiome, has lost its balance. We are consumed by cleanliness—antibacterial everything, antibiotics in our food and medicine—and it is arguably making us sick.
Live, unpasteurized, fermented food is one of our favorite ways to bring back life, culture, and vibrancy to our communities. Maintaining a healthy culture of the right microorganisms and good bacteria is fundamental to vibrant health for us as individuals and for the planet. we enjoy feeding our body good bacteria to keep our immunity high by crafting kombucha, ginger beer, and sauerkraut each week (recipes in the Guided Inquiry at the end of this chapter).
“Bottom line: Fermentation makes food more nutritious and supports a healthy immune system.”
—Love Probiotics
Similar to the good bacteria in fermentation, fungi are the friends that decompose one kind of organic matter so that they can be reborn into another form.
Fungi are a major part of every living organism, including the earth below our feet—the soil.
“Soil is the great connector of lives, the source and destination of all. It is the healer and resurrector by which disease passes into health, age into youth, death into life. Without proper care for it we can have no community, because without proper care for it we can have no life.”
—Wendell Berry
Scientists have discovered that soil is one of the greatest solutions to our personal and planetary health concerns. When we consider that all our food and nutrients come from the soil, we see how it is all connected. We are all one living organism.
“Let the beauty we love be what we do. There are hundreds of ways to kneel and
kiss the ground.”
—Rumi