Photo: Viktor Talashuk | Unsplash
Meet Lactarius indigo, otherwise known as the blue milk cap mushroom. Researchers previously found the mushroom possesses a rare pharmacological ability to combat cancer cells. Until recently, they also found another ability: it is packed with protein, dietary fibers, and essential fatty acids, which could enable the coexistence of forest and farming in the future. Harnessing these unique features, scientists experimented with inoculating young tree saplings with the fungi. As the tree grew, so did the blue milk cap mushroom, producing mushrooms wonderfully packed with proteins and rich nutrients. The novel farming method has a potential to substitute pastoral beef farming, as the former can produce 7.31 kg of protein per hectare per year, compared to 6.99 kg per hectare per year by the latter. The blue milk cap mushroom can also remove carbon from the environment -- an added benefit to combat climate change -- and is much less labor intensive.
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