Fungi Friday's - Sept 2nd, 2022
Issue #46
Fungi Friday fam, we’re back yet again with another release of Fungi Friday! Man oh man, what a quick week this felt to be, can hardly believe 2/3 of the year has already come and gone… only around two good months left of growing here in the midwest :(
On that note, last weekend we finally upgraded the batteries, giving the farm 2 times as much amperage. The real test will be this weekend, when we hopefully show up to two full batteries! After we switched out the batteries last weekend, we packed another 10 bags of spawn, which are now nearly one week in to incubation, which ended up using the rest of our pink oyster spawn. We’ve also had the fully incubated bags in fruiting for almost two weeks now, so as long as our lack of reliable power, pre last weekend didn’t spoil them, there’s a chance we may have some fruiting going on too! Will we finally grow a healthy mushroom? As of my writing this it’s too soon to know, but fingers crossed!
That’s all for updates this week, so let’s get on to the fun stuff!
Singapore scientists on track to commercialize fungi-based protein that upcycles food waste
Feature number one this week is an article documenting how scientists have developed a technique to cultivate a fungi-based food product that could serve as a healthier, high-quality tasting, and greener alternative to plant-based protein. The protein is cultivated from fungi that grow on a base of nutrient-rich food waste, and is being scaled up with collaborators in New Zealand.
Growing from a base of food waste infuses the fungi with more essential nutrients, such as protein, iron, and amino acids, which makes them more nutritious than ingredients commonly used in plant-based alternative meat, such as peas, chickpeas, wheat gluten, and soy, according to the team of scientists from NTU Singapore’s Food Science and Technology (FST) program.
The science here is pretty fascinating in my personal opinion, so i’d certainly recommend checking out the article for more info!
HERE COMES THE SHROOM!!! Booze Traded For Psychedelics At Weddings
Weddings can be a trippy thing ... especially these days, when the wedding party gets all psychedelic with shrooms!!! And that’s exactly the idea behind feature number two for the week.
You see, it seems that there's a super interesting trend -- trading mushrooms for booze going on lately. Lots of folks -- especially millennials -- don't want that awful hangover the next day, so they're choosing to party with mushrooms .... usually in the form of tasty chocolates.
Yeah, it's a hallucinogen, but it's become very common to relieve anxiety and depression and for lots of folks it's just a pleasurable experience ... within limits, which beats getting drunk.
A 35-year-old wedding guest told The Times, '"I think it is a combination of no weddings for two years and the younger generation moving away from getting really p*****, which can make people get quite angry. With this, everyone was having a great time."
New plant-based leather made from mushrooms
And for our final feature this week, we’re circling back to a new invention we covered a few months back on this rag, mushroom leather.
Per the article, there's a new plant-based leather on the scene, and it both looks great and performs well. It's definitely a much-needed innovation, as manufacturing real leather is incredibly destructive to the environment.
Smithsonian magazine explains:
The use of plant-based leather comes during a time when scientists and innovators are trying to come up with solutions for the climate crisis and animal agriculture. Manufacturing bovine leather wreaks more havoc on the environment than any other type of fabric—even plastic-based leathers—because of deforestation and methane emissions connected to animals raised for leather and meat, the Guardian reports. Livestock alone make up nearly 15 percent of the globe's greenhouse gas emissions, EcoWatch reports.
Plant-based leathers have the potential to revolutionize the fashion industry. Now, MycoWorks, a California-based biotech company, has created a new eco-friendly, vegan leather derived from fungi. The leather turns mycelium—threads from the root structure of mushrooms—into a material that imitates the look and feel of animal-based leather, reports Jess Cartner-Morley for the Guardian.
Want even more? Here are some other interesting, mushroom focused reads of the week:
A ‘fungi’ guide to the benefits of mushroom that’ll keep your health out of ‘truffle’
Psilocybin ‘trips’ combined with therapy reduce alcohol use, study finds
Wild mushrooms are curious organisms that require respect
As always, thank you for reading this weeks edition of Fungi Friday’s! If you enjoyed what you found, please feel free to forward to friends also interested in the Fungi Community!
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