4th Annual Texas Mushroom Conference Recap

Happy Campers, we are so back! After a productive period away of intentional rebranding, Mush-Melo is back in action to debut our new line of functional mushy marshmallows at the 4th Annual Texas Mushroom Conference in University of Texas Austin Etter Harbin’s Alumni Center.

We came, we saw, we roasted marshmallows and served up s’mores… but despite all of the phenomenal feedback we received on our three new nootropic and adaptogenic blends, the overall magnitude of this event absolutely dwarfed our contribution. With a star studded line up of speakers, workshops, and sponsors, this event truly delivers more than you can ask for. A big shout out to the rockstar Myceliumatters duo Max and Aixa for organizing such an incredible experience!

Starting off the day before the event, we stopped by the Violet Crown theatre for a premier of films and shorts including William Padilla’s Organic Nobility surrounding the evasive truffle species - of course accompanied by unlimited mouth watering truffle flavored popcorn (the limits were in fact put to the test). Later that day we got to experience an incredible UV Nightwalk foray with Central Texas Mycology and Alan Rockefeller. Seeing the occasional glow in the dark scorpion, or dazzling coprinopsis lilicina mushroom together with such an inquisitive group was the perfect way to get fired up for the big day ahead.

On the day of, we hopped over to the main stage to sit in on a panel of Doctors and experts discussing Functional Mushrooms on the Body - a topic that was as greatly enlightening as it was inspiring. So many takeaway gems on health benefits and scientific breakthroughs were revealed. Around half way through the show we had another amazing panel of Women on the Fungal Frontier with Danielle Adams aka Lady Hyphae giving wise words in promoting the empowerment of women for breaking new ground in this space. Finally to close out the day, our personal favorite topic by Julian Brown on How Nature is The Solution to Our Problems. You’ll have to check out the Youtube Recap for a synopsis of what resonated like an echo in the heart of our Mush-Melo brand. So refreshing to be reassured that so many others share the same sentiment.

The absolute wealth of information aside, this event also held various hands-on workshops ranging from Mushroom Cultivation with Ezlyh Gutierrez, to Mushroom Cooking with Enrique Canseco, and even Mushroom Whiskey with Kelley Dugan. One of our favorites was on Fungal Remediation with Josh Googins - where they demonstrated amazing research on something very close to our hearts. In the aftermath of last year's Los Angeles Fires, a city that we’ve known as home, much is still being restored - pointedly with the help of efforts including Myceliumatters own Aixa and Max. Alongside the Center for Applied Ecological Remediation and SoCal Post Fire Bioremediation Coalition nonprofits they have gathered field data to target fungal strain treatment in contaminated environments with toxic waste material that would otherwise make its way into the surrounding ecosystem. What can these two NOT do??

Things for the mushroom movement are clearly looking up, and we are honored to be a part of this wonderful community that has so much room to grow. We hope that you can join us for the journey, and as always - mush love, and happy trails!