Super Natural Thang

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Few people live off the land with more gusto than Alan Muskat.

Andrew Zimmern, host, Bizarre Foods

Too much of anything isn't good for you, but you probably haven't had enough of Alan. I greatly enjoyed hunting mushrooms with him.

Andrew Weil, MD

You are hilarious! You make me laugh. You have a very creative mind that never ceases. And yes, you are crazy, but in a good way.

Erika Dobrin, Producer, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition

I love Alan's sense of humor. It kind of sneaks up on you and grabs you and then you can't stop laughing.

Maureen McCarthy, Creator, The Blueprint of WE

I haven't laughed this much in months.

Michael Sitzer, Thai Yoga Instructor

Whenever I’m around Alan, I feel like I want to play like a kid.

Bari Gilbert, Graphic Designer

Amazing and inspiring... From the poetry to the picnic, it was wonderful.

Dodie Stephens, Senior Communications Manager, Asheville Convention & Visitors Bureau

As an international speaker, I can tell you that your presentation was top notch.

Bill Hubiak, Multi-National Corporate Trainer and Consultant

Accessible, passionate, truly enchanting!

Billy Jonas, Singer Songwriter

I love the way that you bring your heart and presence to this beautifully inspired work to provide fellow humans an opportunity to reconnect with our Mother Earth. What a delicious adventure!

Rebecca Chaplin, Somatic Sexologist

Alan constantly expands my culinary horizons. He is an intrepid explorer, a thorough and tireless researcher, and a committed teacher.

Sandor Katz, Author, The Art of Wild Fermentation

I was absolutely captivated; really blown away. You made it fun and got our mouths watering. It made me want to go out and find mushrooms I've never tried before.

PBS's Slangman, David Burke

You really know everything.

Wendy Lippman, Herbalist

You really are the most creative person I have ever known.

Ada Lea Birnie, Ceramic Artist

There is not a time that I see a mushroom that I don't think of you.

Commander Florence Kapoor

Alan is a carnival barker for fungus.

Lisa Lust

Alan's vast knowledge and magical ability to bring people together must be experienced to be understood. He is kind of my hero.

Mike McGirr, Chef and Food Activist

You are the cosmic crusader of eye-bugging enchantment.

Molly Curry, Permacultural Designer

Thank you for upholding one of the many corners of the universe and doing the things I would do if I wasn't doing the things I am doing.

Robert Frito Seven, Preacher in the Church of Intertwangleism

Alan is like Borat, just not as tall.

Caleb Gross

For THIS he went to Princeton?

Alan's grandmother

We had a great time on our outing. We were amazed at the abundance of interesting stuff we saw and we loved the stories you told about the forest.

Robert Stehling, 2008 James Beard Best Chef of the Southeast

Alan is a great resource person for me– good on identifications, great cross-cultural perspectives, lively sense of humor, and he doesn't mind saying 'I don't know.'

Doug Elliot, Author, Wild Roots

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! You have a sensitivity to what's going on at a very small level of detail that most people don't have.

Susun Weed, Author, Healing Wise

I appreciate your playfulness and great spontaneity. You model for me a way of being that brings smiles to my heart. You hold so much wisdom, beautiful and free. May your work be filled with blessings as you continue to touch the hearts of those that you teach.

Anne Massey

You are a truly genuine personality with a tremendous ability to excite people, not only about mushrooms but preservation of natural habitat and culture.

Michael Rich

We can't thank you enough. What a glorious day. We will never forget it. It was the perfect remembrance for our 40th anniversary. Our dinner was unbelieveably great. Chef Josh at Zambra took the mushrooms and created three tapas masterpieces! Oh so yummy. I really think the two of you should submit your story to the Food Network for a show, no kidding! Hopefully our paths will cross again someday.

Bonnie and Stann Givens

What wonderful memories. I loved driving around the magnificent mountains in your convertible, coming home and cooking up that huge cluster of honey mushrooms with comfrey fritters and beauty berries, then chaga mushroom tea and kousa dogwood berries for dessert. Wow and YUM! Hooray for a great day.

Elizabeth Roth

We really enjoyed our forage and look forward to the next one. Zambra did a wonderful job with our finds. We had nettles sauteed with mushrooms and onions in a wrap that was superb. Then we had spiderwort in a boullion with daylilly blossoms and then we had the nettles with elderberry and crispy birch leaf topping that was really good. Last night I made shitake in a birch reduction that was great. So many good ideas, so little time. Thank you.

Steve and Terry Royster

My dad said our walk was one of the most enjoyable vacation activities he's ever done and he is not easy to please. Dinner was also fabulous. We loved Zambra all around, and the mushrooms were great.

Robin Senor

Our hunt took place at Laughing Frog Estate. The property is so breathtakingly beautiful that I knew on the drive in it was going to be a magical day. On the hunt for morels we all reverted to our five year old selves on an Easter egg hunt. You should have seen us scatter and the excitement we felt when one was found. We covered a long list of wild edibles like violet leaves, sweet cicely, ramps, autumn olive, chickweed, sedum, burdock root, reishi, solomon’s seal, day lily, nettles and a few more that I’m going blank on at the moment, but we ended up collecting so much food that Alan was kind enough to cook it all up for us and even share his homemade wild blueberry wine.

Alan is a wealth of information and such a fascinating person. I couldn’t get enough and I didn’t want the day to end. If you are an Asheville local or close enough to drive in for a class, it's well worth it!

Anna Morgan

Anonymous comments:

fantastic instructor... articulate, intelligent,

extremely knowledgeable and cute as a button (mushroom)

Alan breaks all molds; perhaps never had a mold.

If Alan wasn't a mycologist he'd be a great actor.

I've never seen my group stay focused on one person for so long.

very personable, caring, and kind... invests a great deal of himself in the class...

Mushrooms are bad ass – officially.

I didn't know I liked mushrooms as much as I do now.

I never even noticed mushrooms before; now they're everywhere.

This is about the coolest thing I've ever done.

an unforgettable experience

uplifted my spirit

I could do this forever.

On a scale of one to five, 5+++!

 

On our forage-to-table banquets:

Yesterday's extravaganza was an experience to remember. Tasting the fine wine pairings gloriously greased the glibness. I think Alan and Chef Josh have what it takes to write an informed, creative, gloriously photographed book about living off the land in healthy high style, come what may. I would buy several copies.

I can’t thank you enough for such a delightfully informative and exciting evening. I’m still reliving the amazing food combinations and mapping out my spring planting to include some of the "weeds" we tasted. I so hope you will consider writing a book sharing your knowledge. You would sell a million copies!

I didn’t really know what I was getting into, but holy moly: que delicioso! Every bite was a pleasure.

Some of the best food I have ever had. The flavors were so unique and wonderfully surprising.

Exceptional! Absolutely super job by every member of the staff.

I’m very glad to have experienced this. Nearly every ingredient was new to me. The goal of introducing people to wild foods was met completely.

Beautiful scenery, palatial home. I felt a little like royalty.

Very well put together. Delicious food. Gorgeous sunset: incredible location.

The service was sweet and attentive, the chefs were skilled, dedicated, and creative, and the music and the wine were cherries on the top!

The musicians were excellent and made the event more special. The food was intriguing and delicious. It was a good balance of comfortable/accessible food like the venison meatloaf and mashed potatoes and oddities like ants!