January 2025 Mycoscope It's a Liftoff! | | Crash Courses For those who want to deepen their knowledge and experience of the forest, sign up for our 2-day intensive course, the first being on January 25 and 26, and the last on March 29 and 30. Participants can also join one of our summer forest excursions for half the price. Courses Cultivation Workshop Our expert explains attendees how to grow mushrooms on logs, in flowerbeds and in gardens. After getting their hands dirty, participants leave with a cultivation kit to grow themselves. Sunday morning, March 16. Workshop | | Excursions Reserve your place on one or more of our summer excursions now. First, two days in the Eastern Townships on July 13 and 27, then in the Mauricie region on August 2 and in the Laurentians on August 10. Other excursions will be announced as the months go by. For novices and seasoned pickers alike. Excursions | Talk Our recreational evening on February 27 is an excellent opportunity to familiarize yourself with local mushrooms and learn how to harvest them. The coinference is ideal for beginners: our expert will cover the basics of identification, precautions, edible varieties and storage. Initiation | | Ganoderma: Reishi and friends There are over 300 species of ganoderma. Some of them, with sought-after properties, are abundant in North America. | Just Short of Eternal Life In traditional Chinese medicine, the varnished conk (Ganoderma lucidum), reishi for Japaneses and lingzhi for Chineses, has all the hallmarks of a panacea. However, in vitro studies have recognized its multiple properties: anti-tumor, anti-inflammatory, antiviral, antibacterial and tranquilizing. White decay of hardwoods, this species is now cultivated. Produce your own with our cultivation dowels or liquid mycelium! | | For decoctions or extractions, our wild and abundant congener, the hemlock ganoderma, is a locally available species, having presumably the same beneficial components. It emerges from weakened hemlocks like a reddish, lacquered, extended hand. | The Artist Conk A white decay of deciduous trees, the artist conk (G. applanatum) is grayish, dull compared to its bright congener. Its medicinal properties are also less valued. On the other hand, its porous surface is ideal for engraving. Cream-colored, this horizontal surface burns to the touch, inviting you to draw grooves. | | A miraculous Mushroom In 1880, near the village of Ixtlahuaca in Mexico, a paesant found a mushroom, a lobed ganoderm (G. lobatum), on which was crudely carved a Christ on the cross, a skull at his feet, surrounded by a sun, a crescent and stars. Barely larger than a hockey puck, its miraculous reputation earned it a modest chapel, and, in 1941, a shrine: El Señor del Honguito, where the mushroom was displayed at the center of a metal cross. | | At the foot of this cross, visitors would light a lantern, before joining the regular practices. In the early 1960s, the site was officially renamed Nuestra Señora del Sagrado Corazón de Jesús. The amulet is still there, and every year on July 24, festivities, dances and masses are held there. El Señor del Honguito preserves its notoriety: it has miraculously become a tourist attraction. | Djon djon, the book In her moving tale (in French), Keelan Young introduces us to a Montrealer with a passion for mushrooms and a fascination for Haitian culture, who sets out to discover Haiti. He comes across the emblematic djon djon, a small mushroom from the north of the island. There is no Creole rice, 'diri', without djon djon. Its broth perfumes and colors the rice. Much appreciated by the diaspora from the troubled island, the mushroom has become a rarity here. Except at Mycoboutique! | | Djon djon, the mushroom Dried djon djon blackens the water in which it is soaked. Only the broth is used in cooking; the rehydrated mushroom is simply discarded. A festive dish, djondjon rice is cooked with peas or flat beans, accompanied by banan pezé, pikliz (marinated cabbage, carrots and peppers), griot (marinated and fried proc shoulder) or fried chicken. Mycoboutique offers you a tasty recipe. A wink to our Haitian compatriots in 2025! | | Back to regular schedule as of January 3 Dear customers, Thank you for your loyalty in 2024! We wish you a 2025 filled with discoveries, hiking adventures and fruitful harvests. We look forward to sharing our passion for mushrooms with you! The Mycoboutique team | | | | | |
