Pine Longevity; Cloud Leisure. Deirū Kutsu (Kanshū Sojun) 1895-1954
Origins of the Name
In Zen Buddhism, the ensō is a circle that is hand drawn in one or two uninhibited brushstrokes to express a moment when the mind is free to let the body create. Similarly, when foraging in nature the mind must be empty yet sharply aware.
Enso’s Mission
Ensō's mission is to celebrate & protect nature's inherent genius as exhibited through fungi, with education, low-impact foraging practices, & cultivation. Michael Burke Heim founded Ensō to unite his passions for foraging, land stewardship, farming, & sharing the joy that all those things bring with his community.
“Wild food is pure, honest. I want to honor that purity. Ultimately leaving behind a legacy of good habits & a protected environment, cultivating ethical standards that become industry standards.”
-MBH
Michael Heim
Owner-Forage-educator
Based in Boulder, Colorado, Michael has lead forays for the Denver Botanic Gardens, the Center for Integrative Botanical Studies, & the Boulder Living Arts School. In 2014 chefs from all over the U.S. joined Michael on a wild mushroom foray sponsored by the Chef's Collaborative Summit. That same year he presented at the annual Bioneers Conference, held at CU Boulder, exploring the exciting topic of myco-remediation. He produced and facilitated a 2-day medicinal mushroom workshop with Robert Rogers, author of The Fungal Pharmacy and revered herbalist based in Alberta Canada. In 2015 Michael studied lab technique and mushroom cultivation under Dr. Daniel Tura of Aloha Medicinals. He has taught mushroom cultivation classes for Boulder High Country Mushrooms, Cow Town Grangers, Botanica: A Festival of Plants, & Denver’s The Growhaus.
Each year has been busier and more exciting than the last; leading identification workshops for the Denver Botanic Gardens, The Living Arts School, Hatch Lab, Walking Mountain Science Center, & Swedish based outdoor company, Fjallraven. Michael has worked in restaurants for 2 decades & has experience working with wild mushrooms in that context. He is a proud member of the Colorado Mycological Society.
Please stay tuned for information on forays, workshops, or any forthcoming cool projects.
Friends of Enso