They can weigh up to 800 grams. They look for all the world like snowy white cauliflowers.
And they are enjoying a big blast of popularity at the moment.
They are Lions Mane mushrooms, one of the various exotic fungi grown by the Stokers
Siding-based Shroom Brothers. I’m at the stall chatting to Julia, who’s manning it, who tells
me how they are the most popular mushroom at the moment, a fact confirmed by the
majority of the customers.
The first thing I want to know is what to do with them. A beautiful girl with a nose-ring tells
me she slices them then pan-fries them with butter and herbs. ‘They’re really satisfying’, she
says. ‘They’re meaty, like a steak.’ Julia chips in to say that she herself cooks them as
schnitzels, tossing them in egg and breadcrumbs then frying them. Another purchaser is
buying some for her friend, who has cancer. She tells me that Lions Mane is very good for
the brain and for memory. Then there’s the customer who has heard you can dry the
mushroom out, turn it into a powder and drink it – and while it’s not available at the stall
yet, it’s only a matter of time.
Andrew Mohanu, co-owner of Shroom, tells me that in response to lots of requests from
customers for this medicinal powder, they have created Mala Wellness, a company
committed to selling Australian-grown and certified organic mushroom powder. He says
that Lions Mane has two compounds unique to it: ‘it’s shown to improve memory’, he says,
‘and it reduces the chances of Alzheimer’s, dementia, depression and anxiety.’
It’s the funniest mushroom I’ve ever seen but if it has all those virtues – as well as being a
meat substitute and, like tofu, a wonderful absorber of flavourings – I can quite understand
that it’s a big-seller. As I’m sure the Mala Wellness powder will be too.
Shroom Brothers are at Mullumbimby every Friday from 7 – 11am
Victoria Cosford
