How to make the most out of National Mushroom Day
As October plays host to both UK Fungus day and the US’ Mushroom Day, here’s how you can get in on the action!
Much Ado About Mushrooms, Fuss over Fungi
For all you mycophiles out there, UK Fungus Day (2nd Oct) is upon us! While the day for celebrating mushrooms of the psychedelic variety ran a few days prior (20th Sep), for the culinary kind we have both days, and if you need a little more time to prepare, Mushroom Day in the US (15th Oct)!
Celebrating mushrooms on your own or with friends and family is easy, and the UK Fungus Day website has a host of suggestions as to how best to grow, gather, or gobble down your own mushrooms.
But if you’re a business searching for some inspiration, then look no further! Just as toadstools are but the tip of a dense underground network that helps trees to communicate and share nutrients, in the forest and in our food are far from the only places we find fungi trending today!
How Mushrooms Are Sending Plastic Packing
Though mushroom awareness might not be at the top of everyone’s list of talking points, environmental conservation is. And today, mushrooms are making and metabolising new solutions to the climate crisis that may surprise you. In the case of one of the most destructive materials for the environment, mushrooms are literally eating the competition, with mycelium fungus being dubbed ‘the plastic of the future’, whilst newly discovered species of fungi that feast on plastics (as well as oil spills) are being used in the fight to clean our oceans. And of the myriad of mushroom-based material replacements, plastics are only one; IKEA have already capitalised on ‘fungus foam’, using it for packaging, and in the construction industry its properties promise applications for panelling, flooring, and insulation.
But if that doesn’t sound quite glamorous enough, greener garments by luxury fashion designers Hermes, and Stella McCartney, are also using fungi for faux leather in their high-end sustainable range (learn more from us about sustainability in fashion here). Very soon shrooms should be appearing in shoe insoles, facial sponges, artificial skin, ink and dye carriers, cushioning, soft furnishings, and textiles. With such a wide variety of applications across the industry, why not commit to seeing what your business could do to incorporate these sustainable substitutes?
Meat Off, Mushrooms On!
If these new-fangled fungal alternatives seem out of reach for your business, you can still reduce your carbon-footprint through more conventional methods: catering. Thought to be the food of the gods in ancient Rome, and exclusively eaten by Pharos in ancient Egypt, mushrooms occupy a special place in our culinary history. And with meat and dairy accounting for almost a 1/6 of global emissions, few foods are better disposed for the task, having served as a central ingredient in vegan and vegetarian diets for centuries.
As these diets become ever popular, the recently converted who still have a taste for the dark side might like to try a portobello burger or steak, and if it’s fried chicken you’re craving the Laetiporus mushroom is said to taste almost identical! They also form the basis of many mock meat replacements such as Quorn, so whether you’re partial to mushrooms yourself, you can still reap their environmental rewards by swapping mince for a mycelium made alternative. Even if the environment isn’t your top priority, truffles and truffle-based ingredients have become so popular over the last few years that the use of synthetic flavourings has been necessary to keep costs down and help supply meet demand! So, whether you’re a food retailer, caterer, or simply their customer, why not consider mushrooms on the menu?
Why Mushrooms Have Reached Superfood Status
And if not for the planet, then for you! Tremella and Reishi mushrooms have featured in Chinese Traditional Medicine as a healing tool for over 800 years*, being used to fight inflammation, and keep the body in balance. And this has been supported by science; mushrooms have a high protein content, and they contain B vitamins, vitamin C, calcium, potassium, and zinc, so much so that companies like Mushroom Design have harnessed the healing power of mushrooms to create a daily multivitamin. That’s not to mention the mushroom coffee trend sweeping the world this year, with new brands such as Four Sigmatic and Laird Superfood putting cap to cup in their ‘jitter-free’ coffee, and performance blend which you can mix in along with, tea, smoothies, and other drinks!
Trending: Mushrooms in Skincare, Fungi in Fashion
And what doesn’t go in you can go on you; mushrooms have long been used in restoring complexion and after last year’s trend their use in skincare has become the norm, with brands like Kora Organics, Moon Juice, and Youth to the People, all offering mushroom-based beauty products. Fungi are now in fashion, and we’re not just talking about the leather! They’ve appeared on Bella Hadid’s T-shirts, Ashish dresses, Brent Neale necklaces; Van Herpen and Rahul Mishra’s spring 2021 collections both drew heavily from hyphae and toadstools with embroidery, embellishments, and shroom shaped dresses; and Eden Power Corp even made a bucket hat exclusively from a single amadou mushroom. So, don’t be afraid this Mushroom Day, mycoculture is a part of culture from Mario to the mugs trending on TikTok, they are always in, and now more than ever!
How to Celebrate National Mushroom Day Online
Like with so many awareness days, half the clout comes just from being in the know. Promoting Mushroom Day on your social media provides a controversy-free way of staying lively and relevant – and if you want to drive further engagement, try a more interactive post. An art competition where followers with some free time submit their best take on your logo, mushroom-infused, for a chance to win a prize? Or a Quiz? Or delve into your sector to highlight how mushrooms are rooting for new changes. Trust us, there’s no shortage of fun facts out there about the oldest kingdom of life on the planet, of which we share not just a cultural fascination stretching back 5000 years, but our very DNA!
Takeaway
UK Fungus Day and National Mushroom day are both major opportunities to engage customers and promote your brand. The vast applications for fungi across the industry, and their privileged place within the vegan and vegetarian diet, make them crucial in the fight against climate change (something always on everyone’s radar!). And their recent renaissance in high-fashion, health, beauty, and internet trends, make these dates an unmissable marketing moment!
And if you do miss them, there’s always…
- Meat-free Mondays
- Veganuary (Whole month of January
- Psychedelic Mushroom Day (20th Sep)
- And more to be announced on our Key Dates Finder
Written by Rhys Skinner
