An “all FERN” Friday Feed

FERN’s Friday Feed is taking a break this week, but we still wanted to make a few reading recommendations – and let you know about a cool event we were part of. Last week, FERN’s editor-in-chief Theodore Ross introduced a panel discussion in support of Orion magazine’s newest print edition on the theme “Future of Fungi.” FERN was a partner on the edition, co-publishing Meera Subramanian’s “How fungi are surviving—and even thriving—in a warming world.” Meera and Theodore were joined by Erica Berry, also a FERN contributor, with her story, “Intuitive Eating.” The discussion was broad-ranging and fascinating, and you don’t have to be a fungi fan to enjoy it. Did they talk about the “humongous fungus?” Yes, they sure did! You can check out the conversation below or on FERN’s YouTube channel @fernnews. Mushrooms are cool – tell a friend.

Mushrooms are also a subject that FERN knows a bit about. While you’re considering the fungi (or perhaps deciding to sauté a few for dinner), you might be interested in these FERN stories:

Mushrooms play a crucial role in soil health, so we’re going to add this one to your summer reading list, also co-published with Orion:

“Dirt First,” by Kristin Ohlson. We work with small, lovely publications like Orion because they make elegant journalism that helps support our mission, and we cover topics like mushrooms because they play a powerful role in the environment. Please consider making a donation to help us keep doing this necessary work.

How mushrooms can prevent megafires

FERN and The Washington Post

“Trump’s administration knows that targeting workers in the food chain is the easiest way to reach [homeland security adviser Stephen] Miller’s quota of 3,000 arrests a day,” writes Lori Flores. “ICE agents are rushing into fruit orchards, vegetable fields, dairy barns, processing plants and restaurant kitchens to arrest people on the spot. The consequences of these raids will be profound in our food labor system and greater society. First and foremost, these raids are traumatizing people. Many arrestees are ‘disappeared’, their locations unknown by loved ones and lawyers. Second, the raids will affect summer food chains and other industries throughout the year. The juicy watermelons and peaches, berry pies, barbecue, ice-cream and lobster rolls we are currently enjoying come from the labor of a heavily immigrant workforce. Almost every bit of American food and drink passes through the hands of an immigrant, and the DHS is denying this reality while terrorizing food workers with brutal efficiency.”

Has the American truffle finally broken through?

FERN and Smithsonian

“Despite millions of dollars of investment, many American truffle orchards have never produced any truffles at all, and only a handful produce more than a few pounds,” writes Rowan Jacobsen. “If American trufficulture finally takes off, after several aborted launches, it will be because three outsiders from wildly diverse backgrounds were able to form a partnership as mutually beneficial as the one unfolding beneath our feet.”

Dirt First

FERN and Orion

“There are plenty of scientists who say we know more about space than about the soil under our feet,” says Kristin Ohlson, who teamed with FERN and Orion Magazine to write “Dirt First,” an investigation into the latest on soil science. One teaspoon of soil contains more than a billion microorganisms, including bacteria and fungi that are critical to ushering nutrients to plants. In return, crops feed the microbes a carbon syrup made through photosynthesis. For decades, though, farmers have destroyed vast networks of life in their soil by tilling, fertilizing and chemical spraying. Now, the National Resources Conservation Service has joined with USDA soil scientist Rick Haney to inspire farmers to think anew about dirt — and make more money while they’re at it. “Our entire agriculture industry is based on chemical inputs, but soil is not a chemistry set,” said Haney, who invented a soil test that checks for microbial health rather than just nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium levels like most tests.