We Dig Fungus! On today's episode of We Dig Plants, Alice Marcus Krieg and Carmen Devito are joined by Eugenia Bone, author of Mycophilia. Tune into this episode to hear Eugenia talk about the similarities between fungi and animals, and the pervasiveness of fungi in our ecosystem. Learn how plants often depend on fungi for nutrients through symbiosis! How have fungal infections of food supplies caused mass hysteria in the past? Also, did you know that most plants are inhabited by fungi? Learn more about mycology on this week's installment of We Dig Plants! This program has been brought to you by Fairway Market.

"You have more in common with a mushroom than the bacteria in your own gut." [9:35]

"There are no terrestrial plants without fungi. The two have been symbiotic for as far back as archeological study." [18:15]

-- Eugenia Bone on We Dig Plants

On today’s THE FOOD SEEN, author Eugenia Bone shares her revelations from the weird world of mushrooms in her book, Mycophilia. You’ll learn how to start foraging fungi through groups like the NY Mycological Society (of which she’s President), and how to best understand and respect it’s omnipresence. At an estimated 1.5 million species, fungi is second only to incests in it’s number and diversity, yet only 5% have been identified. It outnumbers plants by a ratio of 6:1, makes up 25% of the Earth’s biomass, and is the biggest single living organism at 2,220 acres in size, weighing over 6 tons, living in the Malheur National Forest in the Blue Mountains of Oregon. Fungi is not just a mushroom joke anymore. This program has been brought to you by Whole Foods.

"Insects and fungi, in terms of diversity, are the dominant complex lifeforms."

"There's never been a plant on land that hasn't had a fungus living in it or on it."

-- Eugenia Bone on THE FOOD SEEN

How do livestock protect the environment? This week on The Farm Report, Erin Fairbanks calls up Judith Schwartz, author of Cows Save the Planet to discuss erosion, carbon, and the health of the planet. Tune into this program to hear Judith talk about the natural grazing habits of herbivores like cows, and how these tendencies help keep the ecosystem in check. How do animals contribute to the biodiversity of plant species? Learn more about topsoil; what is topsoil, and how is it created? Listen in to hear how Judith hopes her book will inspire the future of consumers, and influence producers to adopt alternative land management practices. Tune in and learn how proper holistic land stewardship is a political issue, and how you can affect change. This program has been brought to you by Bonnie Plants. Thanks to Idgy Dean for today's music.

"The livestock functions as biological accelerators- they move this process forward. They keep the carbon cycle, the water cycle, etc. from getting out of whack." [13:50]

"For every ton of grain produced, seven tons of topsoil are lost." [17:50]

-- Judith Schwartz on The Farm Report