Anyone know where to find Chaga Tinda Fungus?
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Is it to sell on your site? And will we get a share of the profit?
There are two ways that to go:
1) I buy from you and do as I please with price of Chaga after that ... No Shares in profits. The price per kilo we must agree upon before I buy, Or,
2) You give to me, and when I sell you get shares in profits. Problem may be with trust issues not mine, but yours, I know Im honest, but you dont know that I am.
Number 1 is less fuss and keeps everything above board. Also need it as a regular supply.
Problem is that if it's suddenly a commercial venture then the few areas where it grows are ripped apart.
It's not a fast growing species, it's found in only a few specific areas and to most those are kept quiet.
I know that you have been refused supplies in the past by people concerned about the exploitation of this fungus; people talk, y'know?
It's pretty rare in the UK, we take and use in small quantities, we share in a quiet barter network.
Up to the individual to choose to trade with you, but I think you might be better looking to a country where it grows profusely for supplies.
cheers,
Toddy
It's not a fast growing species, it's found in only a few specific areas and to most those are kept quiet.
I know that you have been refused supplies in the past by people concerned about the exploitation of this fungus; people talk, y'know?
It's pretty rare in the UK, we take and use in small quantities, we share in a quiet barter network.
Up to the individual to choose to trade with you, but I think you might be better looking to a country where it grows profusely for supplies.
cheers,
Toddy
What Toddy said. I know some of the places where chaga is readily available, but even those places couldn't support commercial exploitation. It is cultivated in Russia, and it would be better to import cultivated stuff. It might be expensive, but still less than I would have to charge if I were minded to commercially exploit it.
Point taken, Toddy.
I would like to say, however, that I have never, ever, to my face, been refused by anyone ever, a supply of Chaga because it might be damaging or be destructive; what goes through their mind is another matter‼! The last person I ever dealt with, supplied me enough for my own use, but not enough to make it a really commercial concern, and I was quite insistent that no exploitation of his local had taken place by my purchasing what he already had harvested.
Back to the point of selling it. It is something, experience tells me, that I would not be selling in vast quantities, perhaps 4 to 5 Kilos per year. The price is too expensive for it to be a high quantity trading Tinder, and as you say its local within the UK is fairly limited. My issue is that I live in Kent near London and Chaga likes to grow way up North, and since I only ever get to Scotland once every decade, it makes sense to ask if anyone can supply it. The things I can get in abundance here in Kent may not be so easily obtained elsewhere in the UK, and Vicky Verky, so the poor sods like me who live in warmer climes are scuppered unless someone like me can sell it to them or it can be bartered for.
As much as would make a rugby ball doesn't weight a kilo so you're after a heck of a lot of it............you must have a market in mind; totally different from our occasional forage and very slow use and waaaay outwith any normal small swap of resources.
Unless one owns the land and trees, to take for commercial gain is agin the right of access, etc., so that's another nono. You could try some of the Eastern European sites ? or Scandinavian ?
I can't see any of the woodland owners here being happy to supply such quantities, though you could contact the Forestry Commission and ask about the commercial fungi harvestering that they permit? If the harvest occurs before felling anyway then that's within the lifecycle.
Specialised gatherers will charge a daily fee as well as a bounty for the materials they gather however and most of the places I know of it growing aren't commercial plantations.
Last I heard though 100g was over $40, so at $400 a kilo (what's that in £ ?) it's obviously a high value item.
cheers,
Toddy
Unless one owns the land and trees, to take for commercial gain is agin the right of access, etc., so that's another nono. You could try some of the Eastern European sites ? or Scandinavian ?
I can't see any of the woodland owners here being happy to supply such quantities, though you could contact the Forestry Commission and ask about the commercial fungi harvestering that they permit? If the harvest occurs before felling anyway then that's within the lifecycle.
Specialised gatherers will charge a daily fee as well as a bounty for the materials they gather however and most of the places I know of it growing aren't commercial plantations.
Last I heard though 100g was over $40, so at $400 a kilo (what's that in £ ?) it's obviously a high value item.
cheers,
Toddy
For someone that's heavily into natural tinder's, Inonotus obliquus is very rare in the UK. Almost the holy grail.
To see it exploited for cash is rather disturbing.
To see it exploited for cash is rather disturbing.
Especially when it makes such good tea apparently, never tried it but I'd like to one day
http://utica-newyork.olx.com/chaga-...gus-inonotus-obliquus-1-lb-14-99-iid-10505057
has a phone number and seems cheap. USPS flat rate boxes are good value on postage. There are a lot of Canadian suppliers on Alibaba.com too. Just be careful if you choose to use Alibaba and insist on samples via DHL or Fedex as it will demonstrate their willingness to do business. Check feedback etc etc.
Cheers
Paul
has a phone number and seems cheap. USPS flat rate boxes are good value on postage. There are a lot of Canadian suppliers on Alibaba.com too. Just be careful if you choose to use Alibaba and insist on samples via DHL or Fedex as it will demonstrate their willingness to do business. Check feedback etc etc.
Cheers
Paul
That's a shame, when I've seen it on vids it looks quite dark and rich, I imagined it to be a good cowboy coffee
xylaria
Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Have you got cancer that has been deemed incurable? it is only real "need" I can see for it. I would give to someone with terminal cancer i would never sell it.
http://www.chagatrade.ru/
Fiona
Would you please point me in the direction of any publications on its use against terminal cancer. We have a close family friend that has terminal liver cancer and I would like to tell him about this please. He has maybe a couple of months but you never know. According to this site in the link, it's the birch chaga but it seems only effective against other kinds of cancer. I wish I had heard about this sooner
I found some more pubs links via the site
so I will pass these onAny help appreciated.
ATB
Craeg
I never even knew it was a sought after tinder, I thought it was desired for the reasons in the above two posts. I'd rather know it was going to someone that needed it for their health as opposed to my tinder kit! Plenty of natural materials to use out there, no need to go for the holy grail of them when they take so long to grow...
Several points here:
It seems that some of you guys, rightfully might I add, have a strong sense of moral virtue here and are somewhat protective of this fungus. The over exploitation of anything is morally reprehensible, to that I am in 100% agreement. Living and enjoying one of the most beautiful countries on Earth, it boils my blood when I see top London (and other areas) chefs selling professionally foraged fungi, snails etc in their restaurants for top dollar to the public who eat there. However, how far do you take this argument, and who do you place the blame on, the professional forager, the Chef, the people who eat it or all of the above, or those that just sit by and watch it happen?
Raping the plant of its resources for commercial exploitation is not something I condone, but everyone who is alive, who has ever been alive or who will ever be alive needs to consume to remain alive, even those that try to live in harmony with the planet, taking only what they need and no more. It is sad, but it is a fact of this life, everyone, and I mean everyone, exploits something to some degree or other. So I’ll add this amazing concept which I live my life by, even though I am not a Christian, “Let he is without sin cast the first stone!”; it is a moral guidance that all who think and reason should bear I mind when it come to condemning the actions or motives of others, without first trying to understand them.
Living off the land and only foraging for what is available on the land, is a moral luxury that is not possible to any but the exceptionally lucky few. But even those lucky few, I presume, still need to pay cold hard cash to others who don’t take a pound of carrots, a chicken or side of beef as payment in the form of barter, like, for example, the government to pay your taxes etc. I also presume that the lucky few who live the Good Life and who secretly condemn the world and those that live in it and exploit it, still need things that they are not able to make for themselves like computers, vehicles, clothing, nails and screws, radios, light bulbs etc, all these things need to be made and are damaging to the environment, to a larger or lesser degree.
Are those that are morally, ethically and socially aware of just how precious this world is, but don’t have the wherewithal, the means, the ability to live such a charmed and apparently moral life as those who were fortunate enough to own or inherit their own land, because by a quirk of fate they live in a tenement block in a big city or somewhere like it, supposed to not have dreams of going back to nature, or living in harmony with it? With this in mind, why is it so wrong to be curious about, and want to own, a bit of Chaga for a bit of fire lighting? I understand that it is not practical to rely on any resources that are not locally available to you for any form of sustainable lifestyle, and I certainly would not condone the over exploitation of the environment for such a purpose, but there are some curious people out there who like to play and experiment with fire lighting, by whatever means that nature and the mind of man can provide … is this an issue?
I guess that some people who don’t know me, my personal and business kudos, my sense of ethics and morality, those people who see what they want to see, not what is there, will find my request for a supplier of Chaga to be a morally reprehensible, environmentally exploitative even a hypocritical request, but to those people I would say that you should not judge a book by its cover, and no good judgement of a man’s worth ever came from listening to the opinions of others, no matter how well intentioned or opinionated that person may be. Mostly I would like to point out that not everyone lives where Chaga grows, but some of us would still like to give fire lighting with Chaga a go!
I am perfectly aware of how much a conk of Chaga weighs, wet or dry, what parts of the conk are good for fire lighting, what parts are said to have anti-cancer properties and what a tea made from it tastes like (personally I like the flavour). My request for about 4 to 5 kilos per year is about right, since I don’t see the population at large wanting it simply because it is there, I only see a few curious Bushcrafters who are inquisitive about it as a fire lighting aid for traditional fire lighting methods who would want it. This being the case, I hardly see supplying Chaga in these quantities as being highly commercial, planet stripping or of exploitative concern. As for exploiting it for excessive profits, I will point out to you all that the last batch I ever purchased was at a price that would give platinum a run for its money, the supplier stating his price per kilo was based upon what the rest of the world would pay for it; he was adamant that he wanted what he could get away with … who was exploiting whom?
So why do I want to sell it?
This is quite an easy question to answer;
To recap the salient points:
Although I like a good verbal debate to sink my teeth into, I have not intended this response to become an open conflict with anyone, as such I leave the last word to any who wants it, I’ll let my actions do all of the talking. And whilst I have written rather a lot, please do not mistake anything I have said as being in anyway an antagonistic response to any comments made to me, or about me, by other members of this forum, I only wished to state for the records my altruistic principles and beliefs about Bushcraft and Nature.
“Even altruism has business implications.” – Josep Venport (The Sisterhood of Dune by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson).
“Kill only when necessary; take only what you need and give when you can; do unto others (including animals and plants) only what you would have done unto yourself; respect all life and be happy.”
If you have read this far, you can go and get yourself a cup of tea … you’ve earned it.
Cheers.
It seems that some of you guys, rightfully might I add, have a strong sense of moral virtue here and are somewhat protective of this fungus. The over exploitation of anything is morally reprehensible, to that I am in 100% agreement. Living and enjoying one of the most beautiful countries on Earth, it boils my blood when I see top London (and other areas) chefs selling professionally foraged fungi, snails etc in their restaurants for top dollar to the public who eat there. However, how far do you take this argument, and who do you place the blame on, the professional forager, the Chef, the people who eat it or all of the above, or those that just sit by and watch it happen?
Raping the plant of its resources for commercial exploitation is not something I condone, but everyone who is alive, who has ever been alive or who will ever be alive needs to consume to remain alive, even those that try to live in harmony with the planet, taking only what they need and no more. It is sad, but it is a fact of this life, everyone, and I mean everyone, exploits something to some degree or other. So I’ll add this amazing concept which I live my life by, even though I am not a Christian, “Let he is without sin cast the first stone!”; it is a moral guidance that all who think and reason should bear I mind when it come to condemning the actions or motives of others, without first trying to understand them.
Living off the land and only foraging for what is available on the land, is a moral luxury that is not possible to any but the exceptionally lucky few. But even those lucky few, I presume, still need to pay cold hard cash to others who don’t take a pound of carrots, a chicken or side of beef as payment in the form of barter, like, for example, the government to pay your taxes etc. I also presume that the lucky few who live the Good Life and who secretly condemn the world and those that live in it and exploit it, still need things that they are not able to make for themselves like computers, vehicles, clothing, nails and screws, radios, light bulbs etc, all these things need to be made and are damaging to the environment, to a larger or lesser degree.
Are those that are morally, ethically and socially aware of just how precious this world is, but don’t have the wherewithal, the means, the ability to live such a charmed and apparently moral life as those who were fortunate enough to own or inherit their own land, because by a quirk of fate they live in a tenement block in a big city or somewhere like it, supposed to not have dreams of going back to nature, or living in harmony with it? With this in mind, why is it so wrong to be curious about, and want to own, a bit of Chaga for a bit of fire lighting? I understand that it is not practical to rely on any resources that are not locally available to you for any form of sustainable lifestyle, and I certainly would not condone the over exploitation of the environment for such a purpose, but there are some curious people out there who like to play and experiment with fire lighting, by whatever means that nature and the mind of man can provide … is this an issue?
I guess that some people who don’t know me, my personal and business kudos, my sense of ethics and morality, those people who see what they want to see, not what is there, will find my request for a supplier of Chaga to be a morally reprehensible, environmentally exploitative even a hypocritical request, but to those people I would say that you should not judge a book by its cover, and no good judgement of a man’s worth ever came from listening to the opinions of others, no matter how well intentioned or opinionated that person may be. Mostly I would like to point out that not everyone lives where Chaga grows, but some of us would still like to give fire lighting with Chaga a go!
I am perfectly aware of how much a conk of Chaga weighs, wet or dry, what parts of the conk are good for fire lighting, what parts are said to have anti-cancer properties and what a tea made from it tastes like (personally I like the flavour). My request for about 4 to 5 kilos per year is about right, since I don’t see the population at large wanting it simply because it is there, I only see a few curious Bushcrafters who are inquisitive about it as a fire lighting aid for traditional fire lighting methods who would want it. This being the case, I hardly see supplying Chaga in these quantities as being highly commercial, planet stripping or of exploitative concern. As for exploiting it for excessive profits, I will point out to you all that the last batch I ever purchased was at a price that would give platinum a run for its money, the supplier stating his price per kilo was based upon what the rest of the world would pay for it; he was adamant that he wanted what he could get away with … who was exploiting whom?
So why do I want to sell it?
This is quite an easy question to answer;
- I try (try being the operative word) to make a living from selling my skills and wares in leather working, sharpening and fire lighting, I enjoy teaching these skills to others, I also enjoy this way of life and I don’t see that what I’m doing as being any better or worse than anyone else who also gives a dam!
- Many of the curious Bushcrafters and fire lighting enthusiasts who I talk to, and demonstrate to, at the shows that I attend throughout the country and year, often ask how they can get some Chaga to play with. And to be honest, I would rather be the one to sell it to them than some “Professional Forager” who does not give a hack about anything other than profit, especially when I know that I can regulate (as much as I am able), how and where it is ethically harvested. I would rather sell it in small quantities to the curious, rather than they go to the woods and slash away at a living tree to get what they want.
- The transfer of money in exchange for goods and services is the universal bartering tool, is it not? It is quantifiable, easily carried, easily given and taken and easily understood by all … good and bad! And although I’m not pooh-poohing good old fashioned barter, the exchange of money is easier than haggling – especially since I am not practiced at it! : -)
- Having spent many hours writing articles and descriptions about Chaga, both on my web site and for others, my need for a reliable, honest and conscientious supplier does not seem unreasonable. And since I would not buy Chaga, or anything for that matter, from just anyone, no matter who makes the offer, I can be state that buying from overseas suppliers who sell on places like ebay, is out of the question, since I cannot (to the best of my abilities) confirm the honesty, morality standard and conscience of that supplier, hence my request for a supplier here in the UK and not from China or Siberia etc.
To recap the salient points:
- I guess, that since you all are all Bushcrafters, you’ll probably know that even a small amount like say 10 grams of Chaga would last your average Joe a pretty long time.
- I only want to make it available to people like myself who are curious about its fire lighting properties AND are unable, or unwilling, to take out the 12 hours, or so, it would take to drive up to Scotland, the day or two, to perchance find a conk in the woods that are so secretively guarded, and then the 12 hours, or so, it would take to travel back to the south of England … I think that you would need to be pretty obsessed with the wondrous fire lighting properties of Chaga to want to do that, even if you could afford the £200+ it would cost in fuel alone, to make the 1,000 mile round trip, wouldn’t you?
- I have only ever talked to three people about requesting a constant supply of Chaga (Please note: - Only three (3) people). Two of which were together at the Wilderness Gathering last year and one person who initially approached me a couple of years ago about my selling Chaga through my web site, I can honestly say that I made every effort to demonstrate to all three people that through deed and action, my intentions to sell this fungi have only every been honourable. I, in no way, have ever stated that I wish to overly exploit the sale of this product, and I thought that I made it quite clear to both parties that I was not interested should the environment, or beauty of the woods it would be harvested from, were to be callously damaged. The chap at the Wilderness Gathering did make it quite clear that his interest in money was out of the question, but that he was willing to barter for it … again this hardly seems to be a condemnation about me exploiting Chaga for commercial gain, the last thing I said to this chap was that sound good to me.
Although I like a good verbal debate to sink my teeth into, I have not intended this response to become an open conflict with anyone, as such I leave the last word to any who wants it, I’ll let my actions do all of the talking. And whilst I have written rather a lot, please do not mistake anything I have said as being in anyway an antagonistic response to any comments made to me, or about me, by other members of this forum, I only wished to state for the records my altruistic principles and beliefs about Bushcraft and Nature.
“Even altruism has business implications.” – Josep Venport (The Sisterhood of Dune by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson).
“Kill only when necessary; take only what you need and give when you can; do unto others (including animals and plants) only what you would have done unto yourself; respect all life and be happy.”
If you have read this far, you can go and get yourself a cup of tea … you’ve earned it.
Cheers.
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Fair enough, as I say I wasn't even aware of it being used for lighting fires. I did know about the supposed medicinal properties of it, that's why I was surprised to hear people wanted it for tinder. I'll be happy to stick to what I can source myself locally for free, there's no shortage of normal natural tinders.
Hi Sasquatch. My points were not directed at you, but were generalized to make it clear that I'm not here to exploit a recourse, just offer it to others who like to play as well. I dont know about you but I never grew up at least thats what all the women in my life say about me.
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