Mycosymbiotics Mushroom and Arts Festival

Join Olga Tzogas from Smugtown Mushrooms as she showcases the fantastic world of the mushrooms, fungi and flora of Greece. Olga has been going to Greece their whole life. It wasnt until recently that she realized that the part of that country where their roots are from have mountains and forests of Oak, Beech, Chestnut, Black Pine and Fir. Where spring water comes out of the faucet and the air is clean. In fact, there's a vibrant and incredible mushroom culture there. Over the past 5 years Olga has been returning to her ancestral homeland seasonally to explore not just the ancient ruins of Greece but also the ancient mycelial networks present there. The typical image of Greece is usually coastlines and sparkling beaches of clear Mediterranean Sea water. Of course, those vistas are worth the rave, but Greece is more than the beach and islands, its the mountains, the water, the hot springs, the forests, the plants, its the slow paced villages & the busy late night streets of Thessaloniki. Not often is this diverse country noted for its wide ranging cuisine, ecosystems and its flora and fauna. Take a look into the relationships the locals have with certain species of mushrooms & plants, & the recipes for use. Together we will experience the different bio-regions visited and the life that grows there during the fall months. See the similarities of fungal life that lives there and here in the Eastern States. Enjoy a visual journey through the mountains, coastlines and villages of Greece.