- During the pandemic, many people have turned to home
gardening to grow their own food. - One company said sales of introductory mushroom-growing supplies had risen by 400% over the past year.
- Growing kits make the at-home farming experience more accessible while promoting
sustainability .
During the pandemic, interest in home
There's something super satisfying about seeing something change over time. For people like me who don't have a green thumb or access to a yard, growing kits have been a way to make the at-home farming experience more accessible. They also help more people understand the labor involved in producing food, while using materials like wood waste that might have otherwise gone to landfills.
For the past few weeks, I've been using Back to the Roots kits to grow two types of oyster
Observing the daily growth was incredibly satisfying. It's also an experience that has proved popular enough that mushroom-kit companies have sprouted in several countries, with some offering varieties like lion's mane and reishi. Even the director Lulu Wang said she grew a box.
While searching for growing tips, I also learned that mushrooms are part of a growing number of sustainability initiatives. Sawmill waste and coffee grounds are used to make growing kits. Startups are developing mycelium-based products as greener alternatives to building materials, plastic foam, bacon, and leather. And decades' worth of research has examined varieties that could be used to clean up oil spills, toxic waste, and even bug infestations.
Often, sustainability is about figuring out how to reduce or deal with waste efficiently and cheaply. It turns out the secret might have been through nature all along, waiting for its chance to rise to the surface.