Tag Archives: Ganoderma sp.

Dry Season Days.

Oh I haven’t been writing…it’s the usual dry season time when I just feel too hot and too tired!  We are out by 6ish every morning and it is hot by 9am.  The geese hide under the shade of the house and run off to the pond when they get the chance; I kind of get the feeling that they think we are just being plain silly for our insistence in working in this heat.  Anyway, Gnome has been clearing more of the back area; when we first arrived here, we planted a whole lot of samwood trees for timber.

Cutting up trees.

They are all bunched up and too close to the house (we were once very silly and planted willy-nilly).  Gnome is systematically removing one tree at a time, chopping the wood to dry for later charcoal making.  This is craboo wood from a wild tree that has grown into a monster…we had to take this one down too; the colour is very pretty:

Craboo Wood

The charcoal area has been moved…sort of to the side…so that it is not right in front of the house!  Of course, Gnome did not re-locate for aesthetic reasons…he simply ran out of room and needed more space.

Charcoal Area

Another reason for moving the charcoal place is because Gnome wants to build an outside kitchen bunker next to all this.  He is going to make it out of used tyres…how romantic..recycled furnishings for Munchkin.   Anyway, it will be very helpful to have another food station as my present kitchen is crammed so full of food, I can hardly get into it.

Oh and Gnome is putting these everywhere as sitting stools; they are every-where…under the house, under the rosewood trees and a couple under the bread-fruit.  His reasoning behind all this is that the common habitat for munchkins and gnomes are under trees  sitting on stumps (when it is too hot).   😉

Tree Stumps.

I will leave you with a nice picture of mushrooms growing on our samwood.  This is Ganoderma lucidum; you can grate it and make a tea out of it.  It’s one of those immune booster type things that the Chinese use in Traditional Chinese Medicine.

Ganoderma Lucidum.

Mushroom Medicine.

Munchkin.DrinkingI guess I shouldn’t complain about the rains when lots of very interesting mushrooms are coming up on our farm.  It is amazing that we have found such a wide variety, each within a few yards of each other.

The Lingzhi mushroom is worth its own post because it is a fungus which has been recognised for its medicinal properties by the Chinese for 2000 years.  In addition to this, medical scientific research has shown that it boosts immune function and it has been explored as a possible adjunctive therapy with patients undergoing chemotherapy.

The lingzhi mushroom (Ganoderma sp.), in Traditional Chinese Medicine, is used to strengthen the heart and improve the memory and is viewed as a medicine for longevity.  It is seen as a divine, sacred and en-lightening mushroom by the Chinese.

These polypore mushrooms are very easy to spot because they have a shiny surface and when fresh, have a soft cork-like consistency.

Varnished Conk Mushroom.
Varnished Conk Mushroom.

The mushroom can be prepared by thinly slicing, or pulverising (when dry) and then boiling it in water for a couple of hours to make a tea.

About a couple of years ago, I noticed that there was a sudden surge in interest in this mushroom as an anti-cancer tea in Belize.  It appeared that someone was actively bringing in sachets of this “mushroom tea” made by a natural herbal company in the States.  I saw them everywhere…in the pharmacy in Punta Gorda and in the main supermarkets in Belize City.  And, they weren’t cheap too…something like a $100 for a pack.  I could not believe that this stuff was getting imported at such an exorbitant price and it was growing in our own back-yards!

This one is definitely a fungus to go hunting for.  When we conducted our foraging tour at Belcampo Lodge, we also spotted it growing in the bush:

Lingzhi Mushroom.
Lingzhi Mushroom.