EP55: The Wild Power of Mushrooms

EP55: The Wild Power of Mushrooms

Author: Robin Harford July 2, 2025 Duration: 55:30

Tom Baxter is the founder of Bristol Fungarium, the UK’s first organic-certified medicinal mushroom farm. A former organic vegetable grower and forest school leader, Tom has spent years foraging in the wild across the Pyrenees, Siberia, and the forests of Somerset. Today, he leads a pioneering operation that not only cultivates native strains of mushrooms but also funds neuroscience research and runs the only dedicated analytical lab for medicinal fungi in the UK.

In this episode, Tom joins Robin Harford for a rich and far-reaching conversation about the power, mystery, and challenges of working with medicinal mushrooms. They explore the rise of lion’s mane, the pitfalls of the supplement industry, why most mushroom powders are misleading, and what makes a mushroom extract genuinely effective. It’s a frank and passionate look into one of nature’s oldest and most complex kingdoms.

🎧 Listeners get 15% off at https://bristolfungarium.com/ — use the code WILDPOWER at checkout.


There's a quiet revolution happening just outside our doors, in the hedgerows, parks, and forgotten corners of the landscape. Eatweeds Podcast: For People Who Love Plants is your guide to that green world, hosted by forager and ethnobotanist Robin Harford. This isn't just a list of what's edible; it's a deep, sensory dive into our relationship with the flora around us. Each episode feels like a walk with a knowledgeable friend, one who points out not just the names of plants, but their stories, their historical uses, and their place in both ancient traditions and modern kitchens. You'll hear conversations that weave together practical foraging tips with cultural anthropology, exploring how plants have sustained human life for millennia as food, medicine, and material. Robin brings on experts and practitioners who share their hands-on experiences, from turning acorns into flour to understanding the medicinal compounds in a common weed. The podcast moves seamlessly from the science of plant identification to the folklore buried in their old names, creating a rich tapestry that connects listeners directly to their environment. It’s for anyone who has ever looked at a plant and wondered, "What's your story?" This series provides those answers, fostering a deeper appreciation for the wild, often overlooked bounty that grows all around us, making every walk an opportunity for discovery and connection.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 58

Eatweeds Podcast: For People Who Love Plants
Podcast Episodes
EP27: Be Your Own Authority - A Forager's Perspective [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 35:41
Chris Holland (Talks With Tellers) interviews wild food author and forager Robin Harford. They discuss the importance of restoring vital connection to the ecosystem. Teaching plants through the power of story. Empowering…
EP26: Herbalism With Attitude [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 50:37
It’s round two with the Seed Sistas. Britain’s most irreverent herbalists. For the past few years, they have been making waves in the plant community. Overthrowing the colonialism that has turned herbalism from something…
EP25: Edible Acorns - The Forgotten Food [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 56:50
Acorns are a massive, under-utilised and forgotten food source. Join Robin Harford (your host) and Marcie Mayer (Europe's foremost acorn food producer), as they explore the edible uses of acorns as a food and in cooking.…
EP24: Nutritional Cultural Identity [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 40:06
Masanobu Fukuoka's one-straw revolution inspired Krishna McKenzie to start his own organic farm in Auroville, Tamil Nadu, India. In this interview he talks about the importance of nutritional cultural identity, wild food…
EP23: Wild Tea Ceremonies & Celebrations [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 21:47
How to create your own local wild tea ceremonies and celebrations for community building and wild wellbeing.
EP22: Foraging The Future, Sustainability & Vital Connection [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 49:12
An interview with Miles Irving, author of the Forager Handbook and creator of The Wildbox, on why we must include humans in our conservation models in order to look after wild spaces. Why foraging is sustainable. How for…
EP20: Discovering New Wild Edible Plants With Łukasz Łuczaj [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 24:22
A poisonous plant in one culture can be a food plant in another. In this rare interview, one of Europe’s leading ethnobotanists, Łukasz Łuczaj shares his passion for wild food plants. Prolific in his research, Łukasz rev…
EP19: The Future of Farming is Foraging [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 41:57
Hilltown Organics are revolutionising how we farm. Incorporating wild edible plants into their polyculture farming systems, they grow high-nutrient food plants that are sold at farmer’s markets. According to soil scienti…
EP18: The Wild Art of Fermentation [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 44:43
Fermented foods are a delicious and rich source of nourishment. The fermentation process can transform the flavour of food from the plain and mundane in to delicious flavours enlivened by colonies of beneficial bacteria…