Rob Ferrett and Veronica Rueckert talk about people who make a living foraging for wild mushrooms. Then, we’ll look at today’s Congressional debate over proposed cuts to the federal food stamp program. And, find out what’s behind the belief that so-called “right-brained” people are more creative.
Featured in this Show
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Professional Pickers Make A Living On 'Mushroom Trail'
Hunting is a favorite pastime for many, especially in Wisconsin, but those who venture into the wilderness for a prized kill aren’t always looking for game. Some may be on the hunt for wild mushrooms.
That’s the case for Langdon Cook, author of “The Mushroom Hunters: On the Trail of an Underground America.” Cook’s obsession with foraging mushrooms began about 20 years ago, and he soon learned that others even do it professionally.
“Of course, you have to be a great optimist,” Cook said. “You have to be thinking that over the next ridge is the mother lode and that you’ll strike it rich, and a lot of them are!”
From chanterelles to “yellow feet,” professional foragers are known to camp in national forests and hike what pickers call “the Mushroom Trail” searching for a wide variety of rare mushrooms as they change with the seasons.
“The wild mushrooms are very special,” he said. “They come in all different colors and shapes and sizes, and of course they have different taste profiles. There’s all kinds of different wild mushrooms and they really are a fascinating and almost other-worldly-looking pantheon.”
Cook, who lives in Seattle, said the Pacific Northwest’s climate is conducive to year-long foraging. For those who live on the frozen tundra of Wisconsin, a constant supply of wild mushrooms will be hard to come by, no matter how optimistic people might be.
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The Underground World Of Mushroom Hunters
A look at the men and women who make a living foraging wild mushrooms.
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Federal Funding For Food Stamps
Today Congress is debating a bill that would cut $40 billion dollars from the federal food stamp program over the next decade. We’ll talk with the president of a Wisconsin food bank about what this proposed cut would mean for recipients.
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The Right-Brain Fallacy
It’s a common notion that creative people are “right-brained” and that analytical people are more “left-brained.” But it’s also a myth, according to our guest science writer who explains why this belief caught on. She also discusses how to become more “scientifically literate.”
Episode Credits
- Rob Ferrett Host
- Veronica Rueckert Host
- Cynthia Schuster Producer
- Chris Malina Producer
- Langdon Cook Guest
- Daniel Stein Guest
- Maggie Ryan Sandford Guest
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