đ Itâs 'shroom season đ
It's a bumper fungi year, but can it really save the world?
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FREE BAG OF COFFEE WITH EVERY ORDER OVER ÂŁ50
Just for this week weâre offering a free bag (worth ÂŁ12) of the delicious Origin Coffee Sail Boat coffee with each order over ÂŁ50. We adore this coffee from the Cornish B Corp which is transported from Brazil by, yup - you guessed it - a sailboat to save on carbon emissions.
Just remember to add the coffee to your basket and when your total reaches ÂŁ50 it will apply a discount automatically.
â GET FREE COFFEE
This weekâs theme is⊠mushroom season đâđ«
Itâs not news that mushrooms have certain superpowers. The Fly Agaric mushroom, for example, pictured top, could be described as the Superman of the fungi world; perhaps the most iconic, looks-wise, with legendary status in Scandinavia and religious uses in Siberia. They even have their own emoji.
âShrooms are shrouded in mystery, what with some being deadly poisonous (and looking almost identical to those that are not) and many possessing â as my Collins Nature Guide to Mushrooms and Toadstools describes it â âdisturbances of consciousness and hallucinationsâ. The more we discover about these mythical beings though, the more fascinating, and useful, they become, especially when it comes to our own health and that of the planet.
Mycelium â the root-like network of fungi that does everything from breaking down organic matter to allowing trees to âtalkâ to each other â is fast becoming a buzz word in planet-friendliness. The Royal Horticultural Society, which would have traditionally considered mushrooms to be a problem in a garden, have recently done a U-turn and are now encouraging us all to embrace them for the sake of soil health. Fungi are able to store CO2 and stabilise it in their network of fine mycelium filaments. The carbon can stay safely stored here, providing nutrients and improving soil health, for thousands of years.
But its superpowers donât stop there, as mycelium is now being put to use as an alternative to materials like plastic and leather. Sam Shoemaker made a canoe out of mycelium and paddled for 12 hours in it. His mentor, Phil Ross, is the co-founder of MycoWorks, best known for its âmushroom leatherâ. One of last yearâs EarthShot prize finalists was MYCL, an initiative to use palm oil waste to grow a viable low-carbon leather alternative while incentivising farmers to stop burning their crop waste. And itâs now being used as low-impact packaging for the goods we buy (more on that below).
Fungi are also incredibly good at helping us humans out when we mess stuff up. They even assisted during the aftermath of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant disaster. In 1991, scientists discovered a thick black fungus growing in the remains that was thriving on and able to âeatâ radioactivity, decomposing radioactive materials like hot graphite in the reactor by absorbing them and converting them into energy for growth. Mycoremediation, meanwhile, is the practice of using fungi to clear up hazardous waste, including oil spills and heavy metals.
Add all this to our growing use of adaptogenic mushrooms â functional mushrooms that can help us to manage stress and improve our immune system â as well as the potential therapeutic benefits of psilocybin (the hallucinogenic stuff), itâs clear that mushrooms are more than just good for us and the planet, they really could help to save it.
This year has been declared a bumper one for mushrooms, thanks to warm, damp weather, with an increase in rare and unusual species. So get out there with your pocket book or an app this weekend and admire the most mysterious things that nature has to offer â and check out the links below for other surprising ways to weave their magic into your life.
Team up, tune in and letâs turn the tide,
BRiMM x
Today packaging represents around 40% of global plastic demand (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, 2022). But brands like Magical Mushroom Company are innovating new planet-positive alternatives. They combine agricultural waste with mycelium to grow protective packaging that can replace expanded polystyrene foam. It biodegrades in about 45 days yet is strong enough to ship cosmetics or electronics.
Read more in Mark Shaylerâs fascinating article, over on our Journal.
â DISCOVER MORE
BRiMM PICKINGS
We love hearing feedback from our members on which products theyâve been digging, so thought weâd share some with you so you can enjoy them too:
HOTEL MIKE HAND/BODY WASH AND LOTION: Based on how many rave reviews weâve received, this probably ranks as our member favourite right now. In particular they âlove the smellâ â which we can attest to, too. Check them out.
UPCIRCLE SHAMPOO AND CONDITIONER: This one is âall about the latherâ, oh, and the scent as well. The pots last ages and because theyâre made from glass you can either re-use them or easily recycle them. Find them here.
CITIZENS OF SOIL OLIVE OIL: We hear that our members love âusing this as a base for salad dressing,â as much as âhow great the bottle looksâ in their kitchens. Oh and did you know they support regenerative farming practices as well? Too good to miss.
KINFILL KITCHEN CLEANING PRODUCTS: The aluminium forever bottles from this Dutch B-Corp brand have brought âa touch of glamourâ to the kitchen sinks of our members. Looking for some kitchen glamour?! Head over here.
FROM THE COLLECTIVE
Hannah had the pleasure of sampling Knightor organic Cornish wines last week, which are made in small batches and, thanks to the British climate being colder than many wine producing regions, have a lower ABV
Amy loves this crafting project that pairs children with older people so that they can exchange artwork theyâve made for each other
Hardeep of Age of the Steward presents What Do I Owe The Cosmos?, a free
one-day immersive experience dedicated to radical slowness, led by Furoshiki artist-in-residence Tomoko Kakita and including lunchtime activation. Wednesday 29 Oct, registration essential
We love to hear what our collective is finding. Share your links with us in our Substack chat or send us an email
THIS WEEKâS LINK RECCOS
FUN GUYS
The Wolves is a Brixton-based slow fashion label giving vintage French workwear and other hand-picked finds like jackets and jumpsuits a new lease of life with beautiful hand-embroidered embellishments. Weâre especially keen on the mushroom-inspired designs, but others include jellyfish, wild carrot and wolves (obvs).
â SHOP SOME EMBROIDERY
MYGLU IGLOO
Alternatives to problematic concrete in the construction industry are always welcome â not only is it energy-intensive to produce, but it has added drawbacks like causing increased runoff and the urban heat island effect. So could mycelium be the answer to low-cost building solutions in hot climates? These architecture students from Frankfurt University think so, and have built an igloo from this lightweight, modular material.
â FIND OUT MORE
LEGAL HIGHS
Since truffles containing psilocybin â which can have therapeutic benefits â are still legal in the Netherlands, itâs possible to travel there to have an above-board psychedelic experience. The Synthesis Institute holds supervised sessions and the 5-day retreat is preceded by a 7-week programme of preparation plus a health scanner quiz to see if youâre ready for it (or not).
â SEE MORE
MUSHROOM MAPO TOFU
An extremely good dish that is about as umami as it gets. This centuries-old Sichuan meal is packed with meaty mushrooms and tofu â and is really easy to make. We love saving some for leftovers, so be sure to make a big batch.
â MAKE ME
The carbon footprint of an email depends what device you use to open it, but sending you this one used about 3.5g of carbon.
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Mushrooms are fascinating to me. Like how could they be so varied!! Thanks for sharing, I really enjoyed this post.
Such an interesting article.
Good enough to read twice. đ