Today we’d like to introduce you to Reilly Steidle.
Reilly, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I started Lucky Ranch Foraging Company in February of 2023. My company was born out of a desire to save my backyard, and Evergreen from burning in a wildfire, because it is ranked number one for fire risk in Colorado. I first became inspired to do something about wildfires when I was nearly evacuated by helicopter from Hanging Lake when I lived in Carbondale during the Grizzly Creek Fire in 2020.
The fire burned all summer, jumped I-70 and the Colorado River, and confined the Roaring Fork Valley to a 40-mile radius. Carbondale was the most beautiful place I had ever been, and I couldn’t believe more people weren’t trying to do something to stop the fires. I was listening to a podcast and was introduced to the idea of “Cold Fire” or doing fire mitigation via native fungi. This idea made so much sense to me, and I wanted to be a part of a project.
In 2021, I moved to the Lucky Ranch in Evergreen and quickly began to realize my horses and I would have a challenging time evacuating if there was a fire. There were many signs that the ranch needed fire mitigation, but the owner was unwilling to apply for burn permits. A healthy forest burns about every 70 years and has around 100 trees per acre. Due to the homes, that portion of Evergreen hasn’t burned in over 200 years.
This has allowed the forest to proliferate to a density of about 400 trees per acre. I knew we desperately needed to do something, but it was an overwhelming amount of work without equipment. The first year I lived at the ranch, my landlord and I removed over 2,500 lbs of slash, with just a chainsaw and a pair of clippers. This was hard and I knew there had to be a way to run a Cold Fire Project at the ranch, but I didn’t quite have the funds or resources to start.
To accomplish my goals, I knew I had to start a business that had a low startup cost. I spent 2 years teaching myself about all the mushrooms and plants that grew at the Lucky Ranch, and with the help of some amazing mentors, I felt confident enough to start teaching others. While I was trying to learn these things, I discovered there was not an easy way to access this type of education in Evergreen or nearby. This inspired me to share my backyard with others and start Lucky Ranch Foraging Company.
My goal is to teach the community how many amazing plants and fungi are at risk, if the area were to burn, and hopefully inspire them to save it. I believe the best way to do this is by showing people how to incorporate all the edible plants and mushrooms into their daily lives. I believe in the healing power of the outdoors and animals. Creating unique classes and opportunities to show others how to heal through nature and continue that journey once they have left, is also a big part of what we do.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Any outdoor business is at the mercy of nature, and this can make the road a little bumpy at times in Colorado. I based my predictions for the 2023 mushroom season on the two previous years I had been in Colorado. What I did not know was the previous two years had been exceptional mushroom years, not typical.
This was kind of alarming and my visions of bountiful forays transformed into identification sessions, because there weren’t enough foraged mushrooms for everyone to take home. Luckily our cultivated mushrooms still did well and there were plenty to share. Nature will always humble you and teach you lessons. At the beginning of the season, I was fighting with the wild roses.
I was so sick of getting thorns in my legs while trying to work on mitigation in certain areas, that I nearly dug them all up and gave them away. It was a blessing in the Fall when the only foraged food that truly thrived was the rose hips! It served as a reminder to me to always keep my head up and try to adjust and go with nature, not decimate what you don’t love.
Our location can be a bit challenging at times as well, but it is my favorite part of the whole experience. After living at the ranch, I realize how rare it is to be able to completely unplug from the stress of society and be able to coexist with nature in an uninhibited way. Not having a cell signal poses some challenges, but we have made finding the ranch as easy as possible.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Lucky Ranch Foraging Company?
Lucky Ranch Foraging Company teaches people of all ages, skill levels, and economic backgrounds, how to find wild food in their backyard! I offer classes throughout the season (June-September) for various prices (even free!) and added a retreat at a venue that has camping, to accommodate people from further away, who would like to access our offerings.
I teach the large majority of the classes, from Mushroom Cultivation 101 to Intro to Conifers and Syrup Making. My mentors also help me teach a few times a year, by offering more in-depth or advanced classes, to build on the foundation I have given my students. In addition to foraging wild food, we teach people how to utilize it through the practice of wildcrafting or cooking.
One of my most favorite things to craft are tinctures from the mushrooms at the ranch. We have some highly medicinal species such as Red Belted Polypore, Artist Conk, and a new subspecies of Amanita pantherina. The Amanita is special to me and has helped me find significant pain and insomnia relief, despite its reputation and plethora of misinformation.
My goal is to teach people how to identify and use what is around them, so that they develop a deeper connection to nature, and try to preserve it. There is so much medicine and food around us, but it is not always easy to find good information on how to identify or utilize it. Through my hands-on approach, I try to eliminate all fear and ambiguity about using plants and fungi.
I also try to rescue live aspen trees that must be removed for fire mitigation, by teaching people how to turn them into mushroom logs, or fuel for a mushroom bed. I’m proud to be able to reduce carbon emissions through this process and repurpose a beautiful tree in a way that produces food for years to come. We grow mushrooms a little differently because we emphasize using native fungi and growing outdoors.
Instead of relying on the sale of mushrooms to fund our endeavors, we teach people how to grow their mushrooms, or safely identify the ones that grow around them. I have found a lot of healing in my life through spending time outside and with my horses. I am starting to incorporate other classes, like Intro to Forest Bathing and Equines, that teach people techniques that they can practice outside of class, to ease stress and anxiety.
I am currently a healthcare worker and experience chronic illness. It’s very difficult to heal every part of a person through the current healthcare system. I think providing these services is essential and can truly help heal the human spirit. Fostering a community and a welcoming environment is important to me and I hope to see you at a class this year!
What has been the most important lesson you’ve learned along your journey?
I think the most important lesson I have learned is to trust my gut and find the right people. Things have flowed much better when I “let people come to me”, instead of trying to be so generous, in hopes that other people will be generous in return. Don’t beg others for attention or time they are not freely willing to give you. When you do that, you waste a lot of time not working with the right people, who care about you and your mission.
It’s important to focus on what you are doing and not worry about what other businesses are doing. Comparison truly is the thief of joy. When you find people who care about you, they will do whatever is in their power to help you succeed. This company has been a dream of mine for a long time, and it can be tempting to want to accomplish things quickly.
I used to worry that if I didn’t take what was offered to me, even if it wasn’t the best fit, I may never be offered something again. This isn’t true and as an entrepreneur, the best lesson I have learned is to trust my gut and not convince myself that the vision I have is too large or impossible. The universe truly does have infinite ways to help you achieve what you desire most. I wish I would have acknowledged and leaned into that sooner.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.luckyranchforaging.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/luckyranchforaging
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LuckyRanchForaging
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/reilly-steidle-1b304453
