THE BRCC NEWSLETTER
NOVEMBER NEWS
With just alittle time left for what remains of fall, it’s the final push to full on forage here in the mountains. With the warmth hanging around and rain on the way, I predict some good flushes yet to come, including hens, honeys, shrimps and lions mane. Many of the fall mushrooms showed up late on the scene and the end of October was plentiful, leaving me high hopes for the start of this month! November and December will be full of great events to check out, holiday markets are the best place to do some local gift shopping, full of unique, one of a kind creations, instead of big brand, mass produced stuff. Supporting your local farmers, foragers, artists, bakers and makers makes a huge difference, not only in the local economy but also helps support the folks creating all the goodness, with companies like amazon, more people are shopping online and never leaving their house, get out and meet the people in your community and shop local this season!!
I did my last tour of the year at the end of last month and overall, it was an amazing year of tours. Getting to meet new fungi friends and teach so many folks is always a true pleasure and an honor, really grateful to be in a position to do my work and share it with so many others, so mush love to everyone who came out to learn this past year!
Some new things are in the works for this winter, the most exciting will be a mushroom broth, featuring mushrooms like chicken of the woods, maitake, pheasant back and berkleys polypore, all adding their own unique flavors, mixed some savory seasonings, it’ll be the perfect additive to your winter soups and crockpot meals.
Monthly Special
$7 Off Lions Mane single mushroom
Brain Boost and 4 of a kind Dual Extracted Tinctures
Lions Mane is one of the most popular and well known mushrooms for brain health. Erinacines and Hericenones are two compounds found in Lions Mane that make it so good for our brains, improving memory, focus and keeping our brains healthier. Also containing NGF or nerve growth factor stimulating activity, that help repair nerve damage of all kinds. What’s more is Lions Mane is good for heart health and potential cancer fighting properties.
i wild forage all the mushrooms used in my tinctures, from here in the Blue ridge mountains, making them the most medicinal they can be!
Our Brain Boost includes-Lions Mane, Cordyceps, and Maitake mushrooms, along with Gotu Kola, Bacopa, Rosemary, Lemon Balm, Sage and Ginko.
Our 4 of a kind includes- Lions Mane, Chaga, Reishi and Turkey Tail
Lion’s Mane — Dual‑Extracted Mushroom Extract made with Wild‑Foraged Fruiting Bodies • Dual‑Extracted for Full‑Spectrum Potency
Lion’s Mane has been valued across multiple herbal traditions for its ability to support clarity, focus, and long‑term nervous system vitality. In Appalachia, this mushroom grows on mature hardwoods and is gathered by hand when conditions are right. We work exclusively with 100% fruiting bodies and use a true dual‑extraction process to capture both the water‑soluble polysaccharides and the alcohol‑soluble aromatic compounds.
This extract reflects both the global history of Lion’s Mane and the local ecology it grows in — a grounded, no‑nonsense cognitive tonic rooted in real forest medicine.
Ingredients
Lion’s Mane dual extract (alcohol/water).
Other Ingredients: Grain alcohol, purified water.
2 oz (60 mL)
Brain Boost is a nourishing blend of mushrooms and herbs traditionally used to support brain health and mental clarity.
What It Is
A focused botanical and mushroom blend crafted to support memory, clarity, concentration, and long-term cognitive wellness. Brain Boost combines nootropic mushrooms with traditional herbs historically used to nourish the nervous system, sharpen mental performance, and support healthy brain function. Designed for students, creatives, busy professionals, and anyone seeking grounded mental clarity without harsh stimulation.
Ingredients
Proprietary blend tincture (alcohol/water extract): Lion’s Mane (fruiting bodies), Cordyceps (fruiting bodies), Maitake (fruiting bodies), Gotu Kola, Ginkgo, Bacopa, Rosemary, Sage, Lemon Balm, Grain Alcohol (39%), Spring Water.
2 oz (60 mL)
4 of a Kind — Full‑Spectrum Mushroom Tonic is Dual‑Extracted, 100% Fruiting Body • Wild‑Foraged in Appalachia
What It Is
A pure, mushroom‑only extract featuring four of the most respected medicinal fungi in traditional herbalism. Each mushroom is dual‑extracted (alcohol + water) to capture the full spectrum of polysaccharides, triterpenes, and bioactive compounds.
This blend is simple, potent, and deeply rooted in Appalachian forest medicine.
Ingredients
Proprietary blend tincture (alcohol/water extract): Chaga dual extract, Reishi dual extract, Turkey Tail dual extract, Lion’s Mane dual extract.
Other Ingredients: Grain alcohol, purified water.
2 oz (60 mL)
November Mushrooms
November is the month of the mane, Lions Mane. It’s not the only star of the show however, Maitake, Honeys, Shrimps and a few others will be rounding out the season as well. As the weather takes a cold turn during the month, the mycelium, like the animals and people, will go into hibernation. It’s always bittersweet, knowing what a great year it’s been in the foraging world, and also knowing I’ll have to wait until spring for the mushrooms to reappear. There are some mushrooms that still grow in the winter in the mountains and next month stay tuned to learn about those.
Suillus
Out right now, these boletes are late season varieties that also grow in summer. Notably the slippery jacks and butterball boletes. Both look similar, sometimes slippery jacks have a brighter yellow cap. I enjoy the taste of these boletes and they do well in soups.
Resinous Polypore/Steak of the woods
This polypore can resemble the Reishi somewhat. These guys are pretty thick and are tender when younger. They are edible, more so when young and taste pretty good, they get tough with age. They exude resin like droplets when young and fresh.
Blewits
Blewits are an edible late fall mushroom. Lilac or even paler purple in color with light pale purple gills. They have a scent of orange juice. These are to be taken with caution as resemble toxic cortinarius, spore prints can help decipher between them, the blewit has pale pink print and corts are rusty brown, also cortinarius has a rusty ring on the stem.
Lions Mane
Lions Mane starts to make it’s way to lower elevations this month. One of the most recognizable mushrooms, with long white teeth or tentacles. They love to grow on maples, beech and oak in our region. I often find them on dying or decaying stumps. Lions Mane likes the cooler temps and wetter conditions. Considered a choice edible and highly medicinal mushroom. It’s one you often have to look up in the tree to see. Lions mane is known far and wide for it’s brain health benefits, helping to improve memory, focus, cognition, also helping to repair nerve damage. It’s taste is almost like a seafood and some folks love to make fake crab cakes with it.
September Markets
Weekly Markets:
Weaverville Tailgate-Wednesdays from 3-6
@60 Lakeshore Drive, Weaverville, NC
Yancey County Farmers Market- Saturdays 8:30-12:30
@322 W. Main St. Downtown Burnsville *11/7 last one for me
East Asheville Tailgate Market- Fridays from 3-6 @954 Tunnel rd
last market and Holiday market 11/20
Specialty Markets
WNC Fermenting Fest- Sunday November 1st
11-4 @Olivette farm—172 old macedonia rd
Chili & Beer Festival- Saturday Nov 14th from 10:30-5
@Grey Hawk Bar and Gardens Lake Lure
Ross Farm Holiday Market- Saturday Nov 21st 12-4 @ross farm Candler, NC
Earth Muse Craft Market- Saturday Nov 28th from 10-4
@quietude retreat center 1130 montreat rd
Follow me on Social Media to get the latest updates!
PRODUCT HIGHLIGHTS
Maitake Dual Extract
It was another stellar year on the hen hunt! With that I was able to make lots of tincture and dehydrated a good bit as well. My dual extract of the ‘dancing mushroom’ offers benefits such as immune system boost, helping to combat flus and colds, enhancing cognitive function, and lowering cholesterol and blood sugar. Maitake can also be helpful in weight management.
Chocolate Chaga Chai
A customer favorite, our twist on chai is right on time for the colder months. Hints of chocolate compliment this chai blend, along with some earthy notes from the chaga. Add your favorite milk choice and relax on a chilly afternoon!
Ingredients: rooibos, wild foraged chaga chunks, cinnamon chips, cacao husk, carob powder, cardamom pods, ginger root, orange peel, spicebush berries, marshmallow leaf, black peppercorns, vanilla powder, cloves
This double extracted tincture is made from Maitake mushrooms - also known as Hen of the Woods. There are many wellness benefits offered by this wildcrafted tincture including: Maitake contains immune modulating beta glucans special to them called D-fraction, these are particularly beneficial in reducing common cold/flu symptoms like runny nose and headaches.
Immunity Boost
Fights Flu & Common Cold
Lowers Cholesterol
Lowers Blood Pressure
Helps Fight Diabetes
May Help Fight Cancer
This tincture is available in:
TWO OUNCES for $25
Chocolate Chaga Chai Blend
Ingredients: rooibos, chaga chunks, cinnamon chips, cacao husk, carob powder, cardamom pods, ginger root, orange peel, spicebush berries, marshmallow leaf, black peppercorns, vanilla powder, cloves
Net Weight 1.7 ozs (45 grams)
SHOUT OUT
WHALEY FARM BREWERY
I want to give a huge shout out to my favorite brewery here in the land of brewries. Whaley farm brewery in Old Fort, North Carolina, is a small, family owned and operated business, run by the sweetest couple, Chris and Jessica Whaley. I first met them at a farmers market, where they were my vending neighbors for a few years before they started their brewery. Chris and talked mushrooms regularly at the market each week and those conversations led to one of my longest standing collaborations! Starting with my favorite Chaga Lager, this beer has an earthy undertone and I call it healthy drinking, as the chaga adds some amazing benefits to the hops! The latest and greatest addition is a Chanterelle De Coupage, made with wild chanterelles I foraged earlier this year. This one goes down easy at 2.9% and was made through a process called sous vide, where the chanterelles get vacuum sealed and sit in a hot water bath before brewing, bringing out the rich flavor and aroma of the mushrooms. Later this year round two of a brew Chris made last year of a Chanterelle strong ale, will be back, this one hits hard at 9.8%! It packs a punch but is soo good!
Chris is a master brewer and has really honed the craft of brewing beers…..he is well studied in the art and puts creative innovation into all his brews, creating unusual and interesting blends, as well as traditional, old world styles. If your a beer lover and you haven’t been out to Whaley, you need to get out there asap and tell him I sent ya!
New Product
During my spring forage this year I gathered wild ramps and stinging nettle and was unsure how they would fit into a seasoning…until now. My latest small batch creation combines those two amazing, wild herbs with wild foraged oyster mushrooms, all of them were dehydrated and ground up. Mixed with high quality sea salt, this blend is rich in minerals and flavor. The ramps (stems only used in this blend) bring the garlic vibe and are sweeter than the leaves, while the nettles add an earthy, bitter, spinach like flavor, lastly the oyster mushrooms offer a subtle umami flavor with hints of seafood. This seasoning pairs with almost anything. For now it’s only available at my local markets but will be available online after the holidays!