LEF
TOVERBeetrootFUTUREPROOFWHATDIDTHEmushroom
sayonhisfirstdate? “Hi,
I’ma funguy.”
Whatthemushroom
shouldhavesaidwas,“I’m
anundercoversuperhero”,
becausemushroomsareleadingthewayin
improvinghumanandenvironmentalhealth
andsolvingnot-so-smallglobalissuessuch
asworldhunger,ecologicaldegradation,
rehabilitationafternaturaldisasters, and
diseaseandpestoutbreaks.
FoodandagriculturewriterMichael
Pollanhasdedicatedhislatestbook–How
toChangeYourMind– to’shrooms,soit’s
nosurprisewherethenextfunctionalfood
frontierlies.Fixyourselfa cupofsuperfood
mushroomcoffeewhileyoureadon.
Pollanis researchingthepotentialfor
psilocybin,thepsychedeliccompoundin
‘magicmushrooms’,totreatvariousmental
disorders.Butdisruptorsgloballyare
unlockingtheapplicationsoffungibeyond
foodandmedicineforsustainabletextiles,
biofuel,buildingmaterialsandpackaging.
Thereare1.5millionspeciesoffungion
theplanet,andit’sthisuntappedresource
thatUSmycologistsTraddCotterand
PaulStametsareexploring.Stametsis
consideredtheObi-Wanofmycology,
andis workingwiththeUSGovernment
todevelopmushroom-baseddefencesfor
biologicalwarfare,whileCotteris in the
fieldofmicroremediation,usingfungi to
cleanpollutedwaterandsoil.
Ikeais replacingallStyrofoamwith
Ecocradle,a biodegradablemushroom-
basedmaterial,whilein Zimbabwe,activist
entrepreneurChidoGoverais teaching
womenhowtogrowmushroomsfrom
cornstalkandcoffeewasteasa meansof
foodsecurityandfinancialindependence.
Suchalchemicabilitymakesmushrooms
so important for our future.delicious.com.au/food-files
Formoretipsonmaking the
most of ingredients.FERMENTATIONIS AN
excellentwaytopreserve
whatwouldnormallybe
thrownin thebin– and
I hatetoseeanyfoodgo
towaste.A significantpartofwhatI do
atRoughRiceis basedaroundwaste
minimisation,workingwithorganisations
likeMONAtoreducewhatvegetable
mattergoesintotheircompost.For
example, 350 kilogramsofleftover
vegetablesfromlastyear’sDarkMofo
havebeenfermentedintoa ‘salsa’that
willbetheirbasesauce for this year’s
festival.Fullcircle.
AroundHobartI havea networkof
small-scalefarmerfriendswhowilloften
callmesaying,“I’vegot 60 kilograms
ofcucumbers(orturnips,squash,
tomatoes...)thataren’tprettyenough
toselltorestaurants– is thereanything
youcandowiththem?” The answer is
nearlyalwaysyes.
Beetrootis a vegetableI’mplayingwith
alot.For1kgofbeetroot,removethe
leavesfromthebeets.Rinsebulbsin cold
water(butleaveunpeeledastheskinsare
where the good bacteria and yeast live).STOREANDSELECT
Buybeetrootthathavea firm,
untarnishedbulbandbright,crisp
leaves.Trimtheleavesandstorein a
plasticbagorwrappedin a cleantea
towelin thefridge.Storebulbsin the
crispercompartmentofthefridge.
GOESWITH
Goat’scheese,lemon,garlic,pumpkin
seeds,chickpeas,tahini,wholegrains,
vinegar,cumin,coriander, salmon, dill,
parmesan cheese.Thismonth,ShannonHarley
finallyhasanexcusetoshare
her very own dad joke.R n it comes
tproves.ILLUSTRATION
ALICE CLEARY
Combine30gsaltto1Lboilingwaterand
stirtodissolvesalt.Add1 tspeachcumin
seeds,dillseedsandblackpeppercorns.
Cooltoroomtemperature.Quarterbeets
andplacein a sterilisedglassjar(orjars).
Pressdownasmuchaspossible,thentop
withthebrineto2cmfromtopofjar.Add
leavesandpresstosubmergeeverything
underthebrinetomakeit anaerobic.
Setasideat roomtemperaturefor
1 month,openingevery3 daystorelease
thecarbondioxide.Fora probioticdip,
drainbeetsandwhizin a foodprocessor
withleavesandenougholiveoiltomake
a smoothpuree.Add1 tspcumin,1 tsp
nigella seeds and 1 tbs fresh dill. Season.INSIDER.@roughrice @misspamplemousseFollow Adam Follow Shannon