Mushrooms

A Republican state representative from St. Charles wants to legalize psilocybin, aka magic mushrooms, for medical treatment in Missouri. Plus: Manor Records closed its brick-and-mortar store in Strawberry Hill and is focusing on its true mission: making money for local musicians.

Psilocybin, the psychedelic drug commonly referred to as "magic mushrooms," is outlawed in most states, including Missouri, but a Republican legislator is trying to change that. He shares how the drug could be used to treat some ailments.

Urban farms can take blighted vacant lots and turn them into green space that provides food for neighborhoods, but in Kansas City and the Midwest, they struggle to get that land from private owners and city land banks. Plus: For one local forager, fall weather is the best time for hunting mushrooms.

Springtime morels mark the beginning of Missouri's mushroom season, but fall foliage in mature forests can hide a wide variety of edible fungi — when the conditions are just right.

Robin Moore sells mushrooms at the City Market, Parkville Farmers’ Market, and to more than 20 local restaurants. But this year MyCo Planet expanded into a warehouse space in North Kansas City, where she is planning to open a storefront and expand her operations.

Advocates say growing niche market food, herbs and botanicals lowers the entry cost to farming and can also make smaller farms more profitable.