Sir Jesse at Telluride Mushroom Festival

28 Aug Sir Jesse at Telluride Mushroom Festival

[click “Play” to hear Susan’s conversation with John Sir Jesse]

In Telluridespeak, the event is known as Mushfest. The 29th annual Mushfest, aka Telluride Mushroom Festival  – billed as “the nation’s oldest mycological conference exploring all things fungal” – happens this weekend, August 27 – August 30.

In the context of the Telluride Mushfest, the world wide web takes on a whole other meaning: we are talking about mycelium, the sentient  web of cells, which, in just one magical phase of its life cycle, fruits mushrooms. Shroom evangelists from writer Terence Kemp McKenna and avant garde composer John Cage to Paul Stamets, a Mushfest regular, filmmaker Ron Mann (“Know Your Mushrooms),  and this year’s special guest Gary Lincoff (“Mushroom Magick”) head the list of true believers who contend fabulous fungi have the potential to save the planet.

 And edible fungi taste good too.

But what if you can’t tell the difference between edible and a really bad stomach ache (or worse)? “Go ask Alice?” Not so much. Your best bet in the Telluride region is John Sir Jesse of Herb Walker Tours. Sir Jesse, a certified mushroom inspector, has been a foray leader for Telluride Mushfest since 1980.

Press the play button on John’s podcast for tips about the species indigenous to the Telluride region and hunting.

(all photos courtesy of John Sir Jesse)