Down to Earth with Zac Efron (2020) s02e02 Episode Script
Regenerative Agriculture
1
[somber music playing]
[man 1] Let's do it, guys.
Come over this way. Here.
Ooh
[Zac] Have you ever been
Have you ever hunted mushrooms before?
[woman] Oh my God.
[man 2 screaming]
[Darin] Hey, guys
[Chris] They're everywhere.
They take over the brain.
It is a literal zombie fungus.
[suspenseful music playing]
Are we really doing this again?
That's not at all what happened.
But the truth does lie
deep within the soil.
You see, in this episode,
we're gonna be down and dirty,
because we're talking about
regenerative agriculture,
a natural approach to farming that yields
more nutritious food for consumers
and sequesters carbon into the ground
for healthier soil and a better planet.
And it really boils down
to talking about one thing. Dirt.
More specifically,
it's about how to manage the land,
whether it's how crops are planted in it,
or how livestock are raised on it.
These basic principles
of regenerative agriculture,
or "RegAg" for short,
apply to all farming on the entire planet,
and we can all do something to help.
Our new friend Bruce Pascoe,
author of Dark Emu,
has a lot to say
about the soil here in Australia.
And how the Aboriginal people used it
versus how its treated today.
I'm looking after the soil.
You know, what we've done
to the soil in this country
by introducing
hard-hoofed animals and plowing
Our soils are so light in Australia.
This is the least fertile
country on Earth.
We should never have plowed these soils.
They're too light. They blow away.
Erosion is horrific in this country.
Is that something
that's, uh, emerged postcolonialism,
or has that always been the case?
Has the soil always been this light?
[Bruce] The soil has always been light.
It was managed by Aboriginal people,
and it was incredibly fertile,
but the plants that grew in it
didn't need a lot of fertility.
The combination is unique,
and then putting plants
that need a lot of fertility,
you have to keep adding
more and more chemicals.
And superphosphate
was one of the early ones.
It's a poison, used the wrong way.
So that poison has been killing the soil.
And now we're trying to rebuild it.
So how could we bridge that gap,
you think,
between this "taking" mentality
into more of a balance in a global way?
Like, how can
How can that make sense moving forward?
- Whatever we do has to be done slowly.
- [Darin] Yeah.
Um, has to be considerate
of existing farmers.
We don't want to do something
which damages
the well-being of millions of people,
'cause that's what we're arguing against.
[Zac] There are many farming techniques
the Aboriginal people of Australia
used long ago that can
and should be applied
to modern farms today.
We're on our way to meet a local couple
who have been doing great business
by following this very advice.
And the results are not only profitable,
they're helping the planet
at the same time.
Triple mark.
Tammi, I think we made it
to the right spot.
- [Tammi] Hey, you did!
- [Darin] Hey!
Thought I'd do
a little weeding while I waited.
- I'm Zac, Tammi. Nice to meet you.
- Hey. Darin. Pleasure.
- Yeah. Welcome.
- Thanks for having us.
- What a spot.
- This is Jonai.
[Zac] This is Jonai Farms, 69 acres
of land dedicated to sustainable farming.
Owned and operated by head butcher
Tammi Jonas and her husband, Stuart.
What does "Jonai" stand for?
Our last name is Jonas,
so collectively we're known as the Jonai.
- You wanna look around? [laughs]
- Like the Jonas Brothers called the Jonai.
No, please don't call them that.
It's our name.
I like Jonai more.
- Hey.
- Hi.
- That's Luna.
- [Darin] Hi, Luna.
[Zac] Hi. Look at you. Ooh, man.
- You are happy, aren't you?
- [Zac] You're healthy, aren't you?
As the Jonai say themselves
in their mission statement,
they grew tired of having to choose
between saving the world and savoring it.
And so, they figured out how to do both.
- [Tammi chuckles]
- Wow, what a beautiful spot.
- How long have you been here?
- Almost ten years.
When we got here,
this was all sheep paddocks.
Instead of being a big industrial farm
that has one guy on a tractor
on thousands of acres,
we have four people fully employed here,
plus we have interns come,
so that more of us can observe
and make sure that we're responding
to what the ground needs.
[Zac] As Bruce Pascoe told us,
regenerative agriculture
is all about the soil.
Minimizing any and all disturbance
to the land is key,
and that includes
adding harmful chemicals, plowing,
and having large herds
of animals packing down soil
in the same plot of land for too long.
[Tammi] We move animals a lot.
That's a really important part
is movement on landscape.
And, you know, traditional farming,
they leave animals in the same paddocks
for a really long time.
They eat everything down.
It's just awful.
I'm sure you've seen the countryside.
It looks clapped-out and sad.
[Zac] Another key
to regenerative agriculture
is animal integration and rotation.
Much like crop rotation,
switching up the livestock
lets the soil rest and regenerate.
Whether it's crops or animals, the soil
gets tired of the same thing over time.
Imagine eating the exact same thing
every day for years on end.
You'd get burned out too.
Large industrial farming factories
generally don't switch it up like this,
and short-term profit goals
don't necessarily coincide
with the long-term benefits
of animal rotation.
Tammi praises the old solutions
from the past,
as explained by Bruce Pascoe,
and how they've helped Jonai Farms
make changes for the better.
Bruce Pascoe's book gave us eyes
for landscape that we didn't have before.
It's about leaving
a self-sustaining resource.
So here, we know with climate change,
a major part of the resource
we need is carbon in soils
and organic matter in soils,
because that's what's helping
with the drawdown, right?
Then we need to make it
look more like that.
We need to When we walk on the grass,
it needs to be a bit spongy,
instead of hard-pack like this rock.
Because if it's hard-pack,
there's no microbial life under there.
When we arrived, these paddocks
were hard-pack, and now they're springy.
A total change
to the productivity of the paddocks.
[Zac] A paddock is just an area of land.
By letting some sections rest and limiting
the cattle's grazing time on others,
the soil on all of the paddocks
has had a chance to recover.
This process also allows the animals
to naturally maintain the land
by grazing down the growth
one section at a time.
The bottom line is, take care of the soil,
and it will take care of you.
Hi, Clarabelle! There she is.
That's my girl.
[moos]
[Tammi] Yeah, we milk her every morning.
[mooing]
I haven't milked anything for
It's been a couple years.
- That's right. Zac's milked some
- [Zac laughs]
- You milk cows?
- [Zac] It's a long story. I milked a goat.
[laughs]
Shout-out to my pal in Puerto Rico.
What up, Jimbie?
- Come over around this
- [Tammi] It's how we break interns in.
- We don't tell 'em about the wire.
- Here.
[grunts]
- Nice.
- Good job.
- Got it?
- [man] Thank you.
[Zac] Now we're about to meet
the real star of Jonai Farms.
May I present to you, Aphrodite!
And her little piglets.
- Hi.
- Hi, Mama.
- [Zac] My goodness.
- [Darin] My God. They're adorable.
Hi, Aphrodite.
- [Darin] Hi.
- [oinks]
[Zac] Wow, look at this. It feels so
- Oops. [laughs]
- [Tammi chuckles]
- [Darin] Hi, guys.
- They're dense.
- Hi, guys.
- Hi, sweeties.
- Hi.
- Come here, littles.
[Zac] Ooh! [laughs]
[snorts]
- [Zac] Ohh, wow, what a beautiful
- [Darin] Oh my goodness.
Look how big you are!
- [Tammi] She's huge.
- [Zac] You are huge.
[Tammi] She's a big mama.
[somber music playing]
Every system that's been put in place,
everything started really to flourish
as a result of having the pigs,
and the by-products of the pigs
has fed the soil.
So, have you guys grown into
all kinds of different things now?
[Tammi] I'm milking Clarabelle now,
and we're making cheese for ourselves.
We're now actually
self-sufficient in cheese.
We're trying to work out if we could have
a very small micro-dairy
as part of the system,
because we feed the whey
from our cheese-making to the pigs.
And so if we can keep
building in more of those,
then we can grow slightly less pigs
if we had two dairy cows,
and we sold a little bit of cheese.
So, the more harmony you find and
highlight in the natural order of things,
the way nature intended,
the more you're really producing.
Yeah. You just keep integrating them.
It's so interesting to constantly have,
"I think we could
make some cheese now," you know?
I grew my first crop of wheat this year.
Wow, congratulations.
This is really fascinating. It's so cool.
It's fun.
Yeah, it's fun to know about.
It's fun to see it all working.
Our philosophy is to use
no fossil fuels unless we have to.
We have a rule. You're not allowed
to drive anywhere on the farm
unless you have to carry heavy equipment.
So if you're coming back
to check the animals,
you're either walking, or we've got bikes.
Is there any system here
you haven't nailed?
It seems like everything
comes full circle.
When the solar comes in,
I'll be feeling pretty good.
Yeah, neat.
And then when
we can have electric vehicles.
Then we'll be done.
[Zac] Aside from all of her
other duties as co-owner,
Tammi is also the head butcher.
[mooing]
[Zac] You didn't think these were pets,
did you?
The hardest part for me
is the butchering and that side of it.
And, I mean, the thing that I celebrate
is the way that you're doing it
in a balanced way.
The emotions definitely change when
you've been in these ecosystems longer.
Um, you don't I don't stop feeling them.
I still care.
And as our Indigenous brothers
and sisters here in Australia think,
we're custodians of everything
from the land to the air,
but we're not exceptional from nature.
We're still just part of it.
I feel that it's acceptable
and okay that we take them,
that we take their lives for our lives.
[Zac] As a vegan, Darin believes
that no animal or creature of any kind
should be used for human consumption,
which is why he'll sit the next part out.
Because inside here is where
Tammi butchers all of the meat.
[Tammi] Welcome to my boning room.
[chuckles]
- [Zac] What did you call it?
- [Tammi] My boning room.
- Your burning room?
- Boning room.
[Zac] I'm gonna leave that alone.
Americans love that. That's a ham.
If we took this aitchbone out of here,
then you'd have a perfect Christmas ham.
Okay. Got it.
- So you just pull this bone out?
- Yeah. I'll show you how.
This is the aitchbone.
You've got one too. It's, um, your pelvis.
[Zac] Got it.
Ultimately, how do you sell this?
Do you have a store or
Well, you're standing
in our tiny little farm gate shop.
So, yes, we do have a store,
but the predominant way
we sell is through a CSA,
Community Supported Agriculture.
So, what that means is people
sign up for a minimum of one year,
and they get a monthly delivery from us.
How would you get on the list for the CSA?
Well, from Melbourne,
we've got a 20-year waiting list.
- So, like Do you have kids?
- [Zac] Where's she going with this?
- Not yet.
- You could sign 'em up.
Sign 'em up now. Be a 20-year wait.
[Zac] Noted. If I have kids,
I'll sign them up on the waiting list
for the Jonai Farms CSA.
Pay attention, farms.
If there is a 20-year waiting list,
there is a high demand
looking to be filled.
And to the consumers,
do a little research,
and you might find local farms
offering fresh produce subscriptions
in your area too.
Now, you might be thinking,
"Why doesn't she just expand
so she can meet all of that high demand?"
Jonai Farms doesn't want
to be 50 times bigger.
Tammi would rather teach 50 new farmers
how to do what she's doing
in order to meet that need.
Because if one farm expands that big,
it'd be defeating
the entire purpose of their mission.
And so Tammi is actively
working to pass along her knowledge
and teach others the ways
of regenerative agriculture.
How do you feel about
eating animals you know?
When people say to me,
"How can you eat an animal you knew?"
My response is always,
"How can you eat one you didn't?"
Yeah. That's really correct,
when you think about it, isn't it?
I don't think I need
to say more than that.
Yeah. That makes total sense.
Clearly, we know that these
This led a really good life, and you know
where it's been, where it's come from
Yep. I know what it's eaten.
- You've managed to take great care of it.
- That's right.
[Zac] Are you able to use
more of the animal, ultimately?
We use everything.
So, for example, this fat here
is not very good for sausages.
This, we call it globular fat.
And it doesn't render soft.
So that will get rendered
instead for soap.
And then any trims,
so, like, off this bit of silverside,
that'll go into sausage.
[Zac] Beautiful.
[soft guitar playing]
[Zac] Break time!
There might be a long waiting list
for a Jonai Farms food subscription,
but here's a chance to try some
of their freshest fare right here and now.
Hey, look! Darin's back.
[speaking indistinctly]
[Zac] Lunch was amazing.
There's something delicious
about eating food so close to its origin.
And eating right here on the farm,
that's measured in food yards
rather than food miles.
[Darin] Well,
this has been absolutely amazing.
- Thanks for having us.
- [Zac] I'm incredibly inspired.
And thank you so much for
opening up to us and sharing all this.
Everything you're doing is magical.
[Tammi] Thanks for coming up to see it,
bear witness, and share it.
- It's been really good.
- [Zac] It's such a pleasure.
- Thank you very much.
- Thank you.
- Thank you.
- [Tammi] Darin.
Maybe we can start a blog.
The Vegan and the Butcher.
- [Darin] That's kind of cool.
- [Tammi laughs]
- Right?
- [Darin] That's kinda cool.
[Zac] Our talk with Bruce about livestock
led us to Tammi,
and how she's using animals with the soil.
Bruce also had something to say
about sustainability and plants.
[Bruce] During COVID here,
we weren't flying.
So we weren't bringing in vegetables
from overseas, which is a crazy thing.
You know, like,
"Let's get a Californian carrot
and send it to Australia."
"That's a good idea." You know?
If we pull that carrot out of the ground
that has been grown
on a cocktail of chemicals,
and then we spray it with preservative
so that it will make it to Australia
as a carrot, not as mush,
then we're consuming
so many chemicals in that process.
It might be cheap,
but how long can you do that for
before the soil starts to collapse?
And that's the point at which we have to
blow the whistle and say that's
As humans and as a capitalist environment,
we're not going to allow that,
because we're going to disappear,
and that's not good business.
[Zac] Good farming practices
can make good business sense.
We're about an hour and a half
drive southwest of Melbourne,
to visit a place called Brae.
The name comes from
the Scottish word for hillside.
And on this hillside
lies a zero net emission
boutique bed-and-breakfast
and award-winning restaurant,
all surrounded by a 30-acre organic farm.
And this is the owner of it all,
Chef Dan Hunter.
- Welcome.
- Chef, how's it going?
- Hey. Zac.
- Welcome to Brae. Hi, Zac.
Hey, Chef. How are you? Darin. Pleasure.
- [Dan] How's things?
- So good.
We're here to see
how Chef Dan incorporates
regenerative agriculture methods
to create a world-class,
farm-to-table dining experience at one
of the best restaurants in Australia
This is sweet.
proving that "sustainable"
can also be incredibly healthy,
satisfying, and delicious.
The kitchen is super clean,
simple, and very well laid out.
And that is a perfect representation
for the menu itself.
What makes Brae sustainable,
and how are they following
regenerative agricultural practices?
We meet our suppliers.
We go to their properties.
We use people who are committed
to regenerative agriculture.
And even down to artisans and people
we use to make dinnerware.
In this plate, there's ash
from our wood-fired oven,
and there's clay
from this dam that's out here.
Yeah, when you eat at Brae,
you eat the place.
Everything is really
just connected to this land.
Ultimately, we hope
that people taste the food and go,
"Hang on a minute.
There's a reason behind all this."
"It makes total sense now."
- Legit. Look at these ingredients.
- I know.
[Dan] This is just a salad.
We tend to just build it in a way that
Take it if you want.
is aesthetically pleasing for the guests.
Holy [bleep].
[Zac] Oh.
Wow.
[Zac] Looks like we're taking a
tomato break.
That's already the best tomato
I've ever eaten in my life.
Oh my gosh, it's so sweet.
[Dan] I think texture is one of
the things you notice with organic food
- You can have it back.
- [laughs]
[Dan] Something you might buy
from a farmers market,
or something you might buy
off a small market,
as opposed to something
that's been packaged and stored.
- You know, strawberries
- [Zac] Hope that comes out.
- That's good. I was hoping that'd happen.
- That's a sign of a good
Wow, that's good.
I have strong memories of food like that
- [Zac] Happy tomato.
- you know, all over you.
I haven't seen two
of the same thing go on there.
- [Dan] No, there's not.
- Every single ingredient is different?
- [Dan] Yeah.
- How many different ingredients?
- There's about 60.
- Sixty?
[Dan] Yeah.
There's about 60 different plants
growing at the moment
in our garden, in this plate.
[Zac] Try to think about how many
different fruits and vegetables
you eat in just one week.
I've never really given it much thought,
but I'm almost positive
I've never eaten 60 different ingredients
on one plate before.
So, bring it on.
- I don't even know where to begin.
- I don't know. What do you choose?
[Zac] I feel like I need tweezers.
I'll just pick a flower first.
Oh.
Wow.
So just a few
little accompaniments as well.
So, this is a golden zucchini
and tomato tart.
[Zac] Whoa.
And here is, uh, cucumbers
pickled with Australian spices.
This is a mushroom cream
with pistachio and cocoa.
And there's peas
with raspberries in a potato skin.
[Zac] Oh, everything's stunning.
I've never had vegetables
like this in my life.
How do you not immediately want to
start your own garden after having this?
- Do you guys get hungry when we're eating?
- [man] No! Never.
- No, not staring at
- [Zac laughs]
I know I would.
- All I know is I'm starting a garden.
- Yeah, you are.
[Mitch] You can totally hear
the crunches of the vegetables.
Mitch, do you wanna taste this?
[Zac] That's a rhetorical question.
Mitch will never turn down
a food sample, ever.
- [Darin] He's obsessed.
- I'm obsessed. Yeah.
[Darin] "That was good.
I gotta go back to work now."
- All right. That's all for you.
- [Mitch] Thank you, boss.
Oh man.
And to think
this is all grown right out there.
What a cool place.
The area around the restaurant
was designed for guests to walk
and explore after their meal,
as a way to connect with the land
from which their food came.
And after dozens of courses
from a tasting menu
that lasts for hours, it's also
a great way to stretch your legs.
[Dan] A farm, it's not just
that flat place with no trees
with soil getting turned over.
A healthy farm, a healthy environment,
has an ecosystem that helps
for organic food production.
[Zac] They've planted more than
1,000 different native species
of trees and plants on the property.
And 90% of the plant-based food
they serve in the restaurant
is all grown here.
Biodiversity is once again
a key to regenerative agriculture.
And this diversity of plants
also helps encourage
a nutrient-dense soil,
which reduces the amount of
carbon released into the atmosphere.
Things that have come from this garden,
they've passed through the kitchen.
They've been prepared, so obviously
there's a large percentage of waste.
They've made their way back out here.
That'll be soil that goes back in.
[Zac] Nothing goes to waste here,
and that includes most of the food scraps.
By maintaining a compost pile,
they keep about 100 kilos of waste
out of the landfill every day.
And that compost
then goes back into the soil
to start that cycle all over again.
This here is the salad
that you ate earlier.
[Darin] Yeah, that's
So that right there
is what you ate before.
[Darin] Look at that.
Dark and black and rich that is.
[Dan] And that's the cycle.
[Zac] It's taking any plant life,
and instead of throwing it away,
turning it into a carbon-rich mulch,
and putting it back onto land.
And anyone can do it.
You're sort of unaware of
how bad the food system actually is.
Is it really that difficult
to grow this on a mass scale
and just know that society in general
has a health quality
that's a bare minimum?
[Zac] There are things governments can do,
like step in to help
encourage smaller farming.
But until legislative ideas
are implemented,
small farm-to-table businesses like this
are overshadowed
by mega industrial farming.
A strawberry plant is one of
the easiest things that you can grow.
They're prolific.
So one plant produces so much food.
A strawberry in a supermarket
has the texture of an apple,
which is incorrect. It's like wood.
It doesn't have any juice.
A fresh strawberry is delicious.
And then there's that connection of, like,
"You grow food and it tastes better."
You pretty much ate
this piece of land on a plate.
[Zac] This garden's one delicious thing
next to another.
[Dan] Yeah, it really is. It's a small
restaurant doing small numbers,
showing what you can do on a small acreage
that can produce quite
a lot of really diverse, quality food.
[Zac] Just like at Jonai,
once again, size matters.
Being a smaller operation
is actually easier on the soil.
And for Brae, caring for the land
by using regenerative agriculture methods
produces a quality, healthy product
and a thriving business.
We're up early and have a long drive.
So Darin's making us breakfast
in the car.
- Yeah!
- [whirring]
Dude, that is full.
Cheers, buddy. To your health.
- Yeah. To yours too.
- You will live a hundred years.
[driver] Is it okay if I have some?
Is there any left?
[Zac] Sure, man, there's plenty.
You know, Darin came up with this formula.
What we got? Ashwagandha.
We got schisandra, matcha, reishi
- [Zac] And he's not shy to talk about it.
- [Darin] Dude, like
[speaking indistinctly]
When she told me that she was going ♪
We're on fire ♪
[Zac] Even if you don't ask,
he'll tell you all about it.
Our next adventure takes us
about an hour north of Melbourne
and deep within the complex
ecosystem of this forest.
So far, we've seen how
both animals and plants affect the soil,
but this last trip is about
a different kingdom altogether.
Because under the canopy of these trees
lies a symbiotic relationship,
a chemical process
that not only enriches the soil,
but also constantly helps our climate
by absorbing carbon
and locking it into the ground.
Like a network of miniature compost piles,
a special type of mold feeds off
the decayed material of the forest,
and in turn,
provides nutrients to the soil.
Technically, they aren't plants,
and they aren't animals.
They're a fungus,
but we know them
as their fruiting bodies, mushrooms.
Studies have identified
an entire microbiome
living in our digestive system
and playing a big part in our health.
And there's a similar world
of bacteria and fungi living in the soil.
Excuse me, but I like
to pronounce it "fun guy."
Oh, uh, sure. Because you are
A microbial fungi.
Like you said, we live in your gut,
just like we live in the soil,
and we're havin' a pretty good time.
Oh yeah? So, what's going on in there?
Whether it's in your digestive tract
or in the ground,
microbial fungi
keep the system strong and healthy.
Microbial fungi play an essential role
in nutrient uptake, metabolism,
growth, energy, and disease resistance.
[Zac] I know in the human gut,
you take the food we eat
and break it down into nutrients
that our bodies can absorb and use.
[mushroom] Yep. And in the soil,
we work in a similar way,
digesting organic material
that other organisms can't break down,
turning it into food
and nutrients that plants can use,
keeping the soil rich and healthy,
which promotes robust plants and crops.
[Zac] So, how does all of this
fit in with regenerative agriculture?
[mushroom] RegAg methods create
a healthier soil microbiome
that yields healthier food,
which restores your gut microbiome
and makes for a healthier you.
And even better, it reduces
CO2 in the atmosphere in the process.
All that? Wow.
You know, you are a pretty fun guy.
Yeah, well, thanks.
I always say, if you give me enough time,
I'll grow on you,
like a fungus. [laughs]
- Nice to see you.
- Chris.
- Pleasure.
- Nice to meet you.
- I'm Zac. Nice to meet you.
- How's it going?
It's going great. What do you think?
Ohh! This is unreal.
Here to meet us in the forest
are Jim and Chris of Fable Food,
a company specializing
in gourmet meat substitutes
made primarily from mushrooms.
This forest is flourishing
with life of all kinds,
and it's because of the rich layer
of nutrient-packed soil
caused in part
by the life cycle of mushrooms.
Usually, it's raining and misty
around this time, but look at this.
Well, that's good for fungi, right?
- Is it "funji" or "fungi"? "Fungi."
- You could say either, really.
- Really?
- You're a fun guy.
You're a fun guy. I like that,
because it's all about the fun.
[laughing]
[Zac] Jim, an agricultural scientist
and engineer,
and Chris, a budding entrepreneur
studying regenerative farming,
discovered they had a lot in common.
A healthy appetite
for the alchemy of mushrooms.
Together, they've created a healthy,
sustainable, and ethical way
to turn almost any meat-based dish
into a plant-based delicious marvel,
all with the magic of mushrooms.
And these guys really know how important
shrooms are to the science of soil.
[Chris] Looking into the soil science,
and that's how I first got into
farming and regenerative ag was,
"We're gonna run out of topsoil
and go hungry."
Like, we took that much topsoil,
and in 60 years,
once we dumping chemicals all over it,
it's now like this much.
And, you know, another 20-30 years
of that, good luck. [chuckles]
So it was a conscious
We need to consciously be allying
and partnering with these species
to reintroduce them
into environments we've damaged
and stripped them from.
And we need to learn from them
and figure out how to
amplify and advocate for them
and push them into environments
where they can help us grow more food
in sustainable ways.
- So it's really all about topsoil.
- Correct.
Every single nutrient, everything we eat,
comes out of that top layer.
So if we get rid of that, then
- [Jim] We all depend on that.
- [Chris]cactus.
[soft music playing]
[Zac] Just like Bruce told us
at the beginning of this adventure,
our ability to live on the earth
depends on how we treat the earth.
I mean the actual dirt
on the ground "earth,"
because it's the topsoil
that gives our plants their nutrients.
Soil needs a steady source of food
in the form of microorganisms,
and mushrooms are a huge part
of creating that diet.
Not only that,
but mushrooms help prevent erosion,
increase water supply to the ground,
and help keep carbon in the soil
versus adding it to the atmosphere.
And it all starts with mycelium.
The mycelium is
a really massive underground network,
almost like nerves
running through the human body.
- Absolutely. That's a great reference.
- Yes.
- How far do you reckon this one goes?
- It's attached to those trees.
- All there.
- Really?
So this particular mushroom,
it's evolutionarily lost its ability
to be a saprophyte and degrade material
'cause it used to do both.
But it's fully gone into living with
the tree and the tree's nutrients,
and it giving the tree back
nutrients that it explores for.
So these are carbon capturers.
That mycelium is now in the soil.
That organic matter is now in the soil.
And it's a massive expansion
of those trees' roots.
[Zac] So mushrooms are like
little eco-warriors,
feeding the plants and protecting the air.
There are thousands and thousands
of different types of mushrooms
on the planet,
with many more yet undiscovered.
And although there are plenty of delicious
and nutritious edible mushrooms,
there are also those that are deadly.
So please, leave wandering around
the forest and eating random shrooms
to the experts.
This is some real
Alice in Wonderland stuff right here.
Eh, I better not.
These are the ones that we'd regularly
forage for culinary purposes.
[Jim] You can see
these orange mushrooms here.
These are called saffron milk caps.
Lactarius deliciosus,
because they're delicious.
Yeah, Lactarius deliciosus
is the scientific binomial.
- How many kinds are there?
- [Jim] Thousands.
And we only know,
like, 10% of what there are.
And of the ones that we know about,
how many have the psilocybin?
Awful lot. Yeah,
we've discovered a lot of those.
[Chris] We've found all those ones.
For obvious reasons, those are around.
So if it poisons you or it gets you high,
humans figure out which parts
of the biosphere they are pretty quickly.
[Zac] That's right. Psilocybin
is a naturally occurring psychedelic
that activates the serotonin receptors
in the brain,
affecting mood and perceptions.
In layman's terms, you trip and get high,
but that's not why we're here.
We're here to see
the sustainable and culinary magic
that mushrooms can provide.
- Shall we go find Cordyceps now?
- [Zac] Yeah!
- [Jim] Sweet!
- [Zac] Yeah, sweet.
Oh, and there's one more variety
to note while we're here.
Possibly the most
notorious mushroom of them all.
The zombie mushroom.
Cordyceps.
Cordyceps is a parasitic fungus
that hijacks the bodies and brains
of living organisms, usually insects,
feeding off of the host
and eventually killing it.
This blew my mind that we were gonna
be hunting Cordyceps in Australia.
- Yeah.
- So how did that happen?
They're everywhere.
There's a Cordyceps
for almost every insect.
They're species specific.
So the Cordyceps species
actually matches with a species of insect.
They've evolved together.
They take over the brain.
It is a literal zombie fungus.
- Whoa.
- So, it really does.
It follows the natural cycle
of whatever insect it is.
So, a really good example was the ant.
The ant has an infected brain and
[Darin] And he's doing
whatever the fungus wants him to.
Absolutely. It's just like, "I gotta up!"
It'll go up a blade of grass,
a fern or whatever.
Once it's up, and it's in place,
the Cordyceps stops driving it,
gets it to clamp down,
then it'll fully grow through it,
like water filling a container.
Take the shape of it, digest it.
- Right.
- Fully.
Except the chitinized eye
because the fungal cells
are made of chitin.
The only thing that's left,
the only thing non-vegan in Cordyceps,
is that chitinized eye,
which is the original material.
A couple of fresh ones here.
- Yeah, I think we're in the spot.
- Yeah.
This is really it.
[Chris] When they're fresh,
they're this bright yellow color.
I'm going to try and pull it out.
It has been wet, so, uh
- They're cool, man.
- You got it. You got it.
- You got the worm. Beautiful.
- Look at that.
So it consumed that worm totally.
- Yeah.
- That was a caterpillar.
- Yep.
- Yeah.
You can feel it's very
- That's incredible, the Cordyceps.
- It's very mushroomy.
[Zac] What we're looking at is the remains
of what was once a caterpillar,
now mostly consumed by
its fungal attacker, the Cordyceps.
Guys, let's go back to the lab
and do some cooking.
All of my favorite things.
[Jim] Let's do it! Let's go.
- Thanks, guys.
- Thank you.
[Zac] Why am I still holding it?
Darin certainly seems
pretty stoked to be in the lab.
A little too stoked, really.
Okay, buddy, put the knife down.
From the forest,
we went back to Jim's workspace,
which is part chemistry lab,
part test kitchen, and all delicious.
This is where he experiments,
creates, and crafts
all of the Fable Food
mushroom-based meals.
Oh, and it's really just his garage.
This is my garage. Yes.
That little device over there
is for mushroom cultivation.
Everything about that is sterile.
Inside there, there's a filter
- Protecting it from spores, bacteria?
- [Jim] Yeah, absolutely.
In that clean air, on a sterile substrate
where everything has been eliminated,
we can watch it grow, so that
I can then turn it into an extract.
So that I can then take
whatever is in the mycelium
and turn it into a nice beverage,
something functional.
And we can access even more of it
by using a fermentation process.
There is, like, plant and fat
and protein and all that.
- But there should be a wedge.
- This is a whole kingdom of foods!
It's a kingdom. Absolutely,
as big as the vegetable kingdom.
We eat a lot of wheat.
We eat pasta, bread.
We have all that stuff. Cereal grains.
But after that, we've got all the straw,
all the holes in the grain.
It's an agricultural waste product.
We can compost that
and grow mushrooms on it.
We can grow food out of that.
Right before I chose to go vegan, it was
spending years talking about the idea,
the bigger picture,
talking and wanting to live
that big, sustainable circle,
and then coming home and eating
a super high-resource-dependent thing.
And day-to-day,
having a steak and realize, like,
- "That's 11 kilos of grain"
- Conflict.
"which is 11,000 gallons of wa"
- Like, am I needing that? Like, I don't.
- Yeah.
[Zac] Remember, reducing meat consumption,
especially beef,
reduces greenhouse gas pollution.
One study found that a typical
quarter-pound burger
you get from an average
fast food restaurant
has a bigger environmental impact
than you would ever imagine.
That all led to the decision,
"I've got to cut it all out."
"All meat, all dairy," and decided,
"I need to trick myself
that what is here is that protein thing."
I just want that experience,
like that succulence all of it.
All of it. The fiber, the succulence,
the tear, the smoke. That's what I needed.
[Zac] As a native Texan
who loves his barbecue,
Jim combined his 12 years
as a great mushroom scientist
and a decade as a fine-dining chef
to perfect a variety of
mushroom-based meatless dishes,
designed to give
the ultimate meaty experience,
while using no animals whatsoever
and creating
a much smaller carbon footprint,
all at the same time.
What's this?
[Jim] The least healthy thing
I'm going to give you.
It is the entrée to open up.
[chuckles]
[Jim] And this here is country gravy,
and those are In Australia,
we don't call it chicken-fried steak.
- We call it schnitzel or crumbed beef.
- [Zac] Yeah. This is just
Whatever. That's chicken-fried steak.
Oh man!
Is it chicken-fried steak?
Please tell me. Just let me Just
I think it's better.
- Oh yeah.
- Yeah! [chuckles]
- I haven't had steak in forever.
- Really, the fibers are incredible.
- [Jim] Yeah!
- Yeah.
[Jim] It gets stuck in your teeth.
I wanted to recreate all of it.
[Darin] No one's going
to miss anything eating that.
[Zac] Oh my gosh.
I'm crying a little bit.
- Oh man. This is so beautiful.
- It's good.
You're creating that bridge
in such a powerful way.
I'm trying. We're trying.
Like, that's the goal.
- Wow, this is lovely.
- [Chris] You see?
Mitch, do you want one?
Of course he does.
- Get in here, Mitch.
- Mitch. Oh my God.
- [Jim] There's enough for a small army.
- Get some gravy.
- [Darin] You guys want some?
- [Joe] I would.
Yeah. I could tell you did.
He, like, suddenly comes.
- "I'm just checking on the shot."
- I know, he's Always let the crew come.
[Zac] Seriously though,
you know the food smells incredible
when the crew
jumps in this fast to try it.
So, I'm gonna roll
into a brisket sandwich.
[sizzling]
[Jim] This is the Texan barbecue touch.
- [chuckles]
- Is that your own sauce?
- That's my own, yeah.
- [Zac] Okay.
I still have a love of barbecue.
[Zac] Travel all the way to Australia
to eat Texas barbecue.
[Jim laughs]
- [Zac] Definitely makes me miss home.
- This is gonna be chewing on camera.
Hmm.
Mmm.
- [Chris] Smoky goodness.
- Oh man.
- [Darin] Oh man!
- [Zac] Mmm.
- [Chris] Finger-lickin' good?
- [chuckles]
- Literally.
- [Chris] All right.
[Zac] When looking to replace meat,
one of the most popular items
people want is, of course, a burger.
Fable food also makes a burger.
There's 110 grams of mushroom.
Hundred and ten grams in there.
What would it be in ounces?
That escapes me all the time.
Hey, Google, how many pounds is 110 grams?
[Google device] 110 grams is 0.243 pounds.
- Thanks, Google.
- Okay.
A quarter pound is perfect.
[laughing]
I took you to a chicken-fried steak place.
We went to brisket town.
I think it's time to do a burger.
Why not?
These guys have really
created something amazing.
It looks like meat, cooks like meat,
tastes and chews like meat,
but it's far more sustainable,
and much easier on the planet,
and better for our bodies.
Thank you. Really cool.
That was unbelievable.
You might need to make more.
These guys look pretty hungry.
Thank you. I will never look at
mushrooms the same way again.
- Thanks, brother, for that.
- Thank you so much.
[Zac] We've learned a lot
looking at the ground of Australia,
but now we're gonna
set our sights a little higher,
about 50 meters up in the air, to be exact
because it's time for me and the crew
to try out an Australian bungee jump.
We're at a jumping off point
with our planet.
Historic levels of carbon dioxide
released into the atmosphere
are changing the climate.
But it's not too late to slow down
and even reverse the damage done.
It just depends on
how we choose to move forward.
find the reasons not to give up ♪
[Zac] Regenerative agriculture
can play a key role.
These practices go beyond reducing
the harm we inflict upon the earth
and can actually work to heal the planet
and our bodies to a healthier condition
before it's too late.
Whether it's big changes
or lots of small ones.
Every little bit
helps to push back the needle
because the real bad trip
would be losing this place for good.
We can change the world ♪
So we got to come together now ♪
We got to come together now ♪
We got to come together now ♪
See I don't like it anymore
Than you do ♪
But if you're ignorant
That bliss is void ♪
So it's about time be humble
And realize ♪
That we are one and the same
Unique and one of a kind ♪
Brighter days come ahead
When we go together ♪
Put your best foot forward
Go and make an effort ♪
This is AY, I spoke to A-Khan ♪
Marvin Gaye
We in the grapevine ♪
Let's have a great time ♪
[somber music playing]
[man 1] Let's do it, guys.
Come over this way. Here.
Ooh
[Zac] Have you ever been
Have you ever hunted mushrooms before?
[woman] Oh my God.
[man 2 screaming]
[Darin] Hey, guys
[Chris] They're everywhere.
They take over the brain.
It is a literal zombie fungus.
[suspenseful music playing]
Are we really doing this again?
That's not at all what happened.
But the truth does lie
deep within the soil.
You see, in this episode,
we're gonna be down and dirty,
because we're talking about
regenerative agriculture,
a natural approach to farming that yields
more nutritious food for consumers
and sequesters carbon into the ground
for healthier soil and a better planet.
And it really boils down
to talking about one thing. Dirt.
More specifically,
it's about how to manage the land,
whether it's how crops are planted in it,
or how livestock are raised on it.
These basic principles
of regenerative agriculture,
or "RegAg" for short,
apply to all farming on the entire planet,
and we can all do something to help.
Our new friend Bruce Pascoe,
author of Dark Emu,
has a lot to say
about the soil here in Australia.
And how the Aboriginal people used it
versus how its treated today.
I'm looking after the soil.
You know, what we've done
to the soil in this country
by introducing
hard-hoofed animals and plowing
Our soils are so light in Australia.
This is the least fertile
country on Earth.
We should never have plowed these soils.
They're too light. They blow away.
Erosion is horrific in this country.
Is that something
that's, uh, emerged postcolonialism,
or has that always been the case?
Has the soil always been this light?
[Bruce] The soil has always been light.
It was managed by Aboriginal people,
and it was incredibly fertile,
but the plants that grew in it
didn't need a lot of fertility.
The combination is unique,
and then putting plants
that need a lot of fertility,
you have to keep adding
more and more chemicals.
And superphosphate
was one of the early ones.
It's a poison, used the wrong way.
So that poison has been killing the soil.
And now we're trying to rebuild it.
So how could we bridge that gap,
you think,
between this "taking" mentality
into more of a balance in a global way?
Like, how can
How can that make sense moving forward?
- Whatever we do has to be done slowly.
- [Darin] Yeah.
Um, has to be considerate
of existing farmers.
We don't want to do something
which damages
the well-being of millions of people,
'cause that's what we're arguing against.
[Zac] There are many farming techniques
the Aboriginal people of Australia
used long ago that can
and should be applied
to modern farms today.
We're on our way to meet a local couple
who have been doing great business
by following this very advice.
And the results are not only profitable,
they're helping the planet
at the same time.
Triple mark.
Tammi, I think we made it
to the right spot.
- [Tammi] Hey, you did!
- [Darin] Hey!
Thought I'd do
a little weeding while I waited.
- I'm Zac, Tammi. Nice to meet you.
- Hey. Darin. Pleasure.
- Yeah. Welcome.
- Thanks for having us.
- What a spot.
- This is Jonai.
[Zac] This is Jonai Farms, 69 acres
of land dedicated to sustainable farming.
Owned and operated by head butcher
Tammi Jonas and her husband, Stuart.
What does "Jonai" stand for?
Our last name is Jonas,
so collectively we're known as the Jonai.
- You wanna look around? [laughs]
- Like the Jonas Brothers called the Jonai.
No, please don't call them that.
It's our name.
I like Jonai more.
- Hey.
- Hi.
- That's Luna.
- [Darin] Hi, Luna.
[Zac] Hi. Look at you. Ooh, man.
- You are happy, aren't you?
- [Zac] You're healthy, aren't you?
As the Jonai say themselves
in their mission statement,
they grew tired of having to choose
between saving the world and savoring it.
And so, they figured out how to do both.
- [Tammi chuckles]
- Wow, what a beautiful spot.
- How long have you been here?
- Almost ten years.
When we got here,
this was all sheep paddocks.
Instead of being a big industrial farm
that has one guy on a tractor
on thousands of acres,
we have four people fully employed here,
plus we have interns come,
so that more of us can observe
and make sure that we're responding
to what the ground needs.
[Zac] As Bruce Pascoe told us,
regenerative agriculture
is all about the soil.
Minimizing any and all disturbance
to the land is key,
and that includes
adding harmful chemicals, plowing,
and having large herds
of animals packing down soil
in the same plot of land for too long.
[Tammi] We move animals a lot.
That's a really important part
is movement on landscape.
And, you know, traditional farming,
they leave animals in the same paddocks
for a really long time.
They eat everything down.
It's just awful.
I'm sure you've seen the countryside.
It looks clapped-out and sad.
[Zac] Another key
to regenerative agriculture
is animal integration and rotation.
Much like crop rotation,
switching up the livestock
lets the soil rest and regenerate.
Whether it's crops or animals, the soil
gets tired of the same thing over time.
Imagine eating the exact same thing
every day for years on end.
You'd get burned out too.
Large industrial farming factories
generally don't switch it up like this,
and short-term profit goals
don't necessarily coincide
with the long-term benefits
of animal rotation.
Tammi praises the old solutions
from the past,
as explained by Bruce Pascoe,
and how they've helped Jonai Farms
make changes for the better.
Bruce Pascoe's book gave us eyes
for landscape that we didn't have before.
It's about leaving
a self-sustaining resource.
So here, we know with climate change,
a major part of the resource
we need is carbon in soils
and organic matter in soils,
because that's what's helping
with the drawdown, right?
Then we need to make it
look more like that.
We need to When we walk on the grass,
it needs to be a bit spongy,
instead of hard-pack like this rock.
Because if it's hard-pack,
there's no microbial life under there.
When we arrived, these paddocks
were hard-pack, and now they're springy.
A total change
to the productivity of the paddocks.
[Zac] A paddock is just an area of land.
By letting some sections rest and limiting
the cattle's grazing time on others,
the soil on all of the paddocks
has had a chance to recover.
This process also allows the animals
to naturally maintain the land
by grazing down the growth
one section at a time.
The bottom line is, take care of the soil,
and it will take care of you.
Hi, Clarabelle! There she is.
That's my girl.
[moos]
[Tammi] Yeah, we milk her every morning.
[mooing]
I haven't milked anything for
It's been a couple years.
- That's right. Zac's milked some
- [Zac laughs]
- You milk cows?
- [Zac] It's a long story. I milked a goat.
[laughs]
Shout-out to my pal in Puerto Rico.
What up, Jimbie?
- Come over around this
- [Tammi] It's how we break interns in.
- We don't tell 'em about the wire.
- Here.
[grunts]
- Nice.
- Good job.
- Got it?
- [man] Thank you.
[Zac] Now we're about to meet
the real star of Jonai Farms.
May I present to you, Aphrodite!
And her little piglets.
- Hi.
- Hi, Mama.
- [Zac] My goodness.
- [Darin] My God. They're adorable.
Hi, Aphrodite.
- [Darin] Hi.
- [oinks]
[Zac] Wow, look at this. It feels so
- Oops. [laughs]
- [Tammi chuckles]
- [Darin] Hi, guys.
- They're dense.
- Hi, guys.
- Hi, sweeties.
- Hi.
- Come here, littles.
[Zac] Ooh! [laughs]
[snorts]
- [Zac] Ohh, wow, what a beautiful
- [Darin] Oh my goodness.
Look how big you are!
- [Tammi] She's huge.
- [Zac] You are huge.
[Tammi] She's a big mama.
[somber music playing]
Every system that's been put in place,
everything started really to flourish
as a result of having the pigs,
and the by-products of the pigs
has fed the soil.
So, have you guys grown into
all kinds of different things now?
[Tammi] I'm milking Clarabelle now,
and we're making cheese for ourselves.
We're now actually
self-sufficient in cheese.
We're trying to work out if we could have
a very small micro-dairy
as part of the system,
because we feed the whey
from our cheese-making to the pigs.
And so if we can keep
building in more of those,
then we can grow slightly less pigs
if we had two dairy cows,
and we sold a little bit of cheese.
So, the more harmony you find and
highlight in the natural order of things,
the way nature intended,
the more you're really producing.
Yeah. You just keep integrating them.
It's so interesting to constantly have,
"I think we could
make some cheese now," you know?
I grew my first crop of wheat this year.
Wow, congratulations.
This is really fascinating. It's so cool.
It's fun.
Yeah, it's fun to know about.
It's fun to see it all working.
Our philosophy is to use
no fossil fuels unless we have to.
We have a rule. You're not allowed
to drive anywhere on the farm
unless you have to carry heavy equipment.
So if you're coming back
to check the animals,
you're either walking, or we've got bikes.
Is there any system here
you haven't nailed?
It seems like everything
comes full circle.
When the solar comes in,
I'll be feeling pretty good.
Yeah, neat.
And then when
we can have electric vehicles.
Then we'll be done.
[Zac] Aside from all of her
other duties as co-owner,
Tammi is also the head butcher.
[mooing]
[Zac] You didn't think these were pets,
did you?
The hardest part for me
is the butchering and that side of it.
And, I mean, the thing that I celebrate
is the way that you're doing it
in a balanced way.
The emotions definitely change when
you've been in these ecosystems longer.
Um, you don't I don't stop feeling them.
I still care.
And as our Indigenous brothers
and sisters here in Australia think,
we're custodians of everything
from the land to the air,
but we're not exceptional from nature.
We're still just part of it.
I feel that it's acceptable
and okay that we take them,
that we take their lives for our lives.
[Zac] As a vegan, Darin believes
that no animal or creature of any kind
should be used for human consumption,
which is why he'll sit the next part out.
Because inside here is where
Tammi butchers all of the meat.
[Tammi] Welcome to my boning room.
[chuckles]
- [Zac] What did you call it?
- [Tammi] My boning room.
- Your burning room?
- Boning room.
[Zac] I'm gonna leave that alone.
Americans love that. That's a ham.
If we took this aitchbone out of here,
then you'd have a perfect Christmas ham.
Okay. Got it.
- So you just pull this bone out?
- Yeah. I'll show you how.
This is the aitchbone.
You've got one too. It's, um, your pelvis.
[Zac] Got it.
Ultimately, how do you sell this?
Do you have a store or
Well, you're standing
in our tiny little farm gate shop.
So, yes, we do have a store,
but the predominant way
we sell is through a CSA,
Community Supported Agriculture.
So, what that means is people
sign up for a minimum of one year,
and they get a monthly delivery from us.
How would you get on the list for the CSA?
Well, from Melbourne,
we've got a 20-year waiting list.
- So, like Do you have kids?
- [Zac] Where's she going with this?
- Not yet.
- You could sign 'em up.
Sign 'em up now. Be a 20-year wait.
[Zac] Noted. If I have kids,
I'll sign them up on the waiting list
for the Jonai Farms CSA.
Pay attention, farms.
If there is a 20-year waiting list,
there is a high demand
looking to be filled.
And to the consumers,
do a little research,
and you might find local farms
offering fresh produce subscriptions
in your area too.
Now, you might be thinking,
"Why doesn't she just expand
so she can meet all of that high demand?"
Jonai Farms doesn't want
to be 50 times bigger.
Tammi would rather teach 50 new farmers
how to do what she's doing
in order to meet that need.
Because if one farm expands that big,
it'd be defeating
the entire purpose of their mission.
And so Tammi is actively
working to pass along her knowledge
and teach others the ways
of regenerative agriculture.
How do you feel about
eating animals you know?
When people say to me,
"How can you eat an animal you knew?"
My response is always,
"How can you eat one you didn't?"
Yeah. That's really correct,
when you think about it, isn't it?
I don't think I need
to say more than that.
Yeah. That makes total sense.
Clearly, we know that these
This led a really good life, and you know
where it's been, where it's come from
Yep. I know what it's eaten.
- You've managed to take great care of it.
- That's right.
[Zac] Are you able to use
more of the animal, ultimately?
We use everything.
So, for example, this fat here
is not very good for sausages.
This, we call it globular fat.
And it doesn't render soft.
So that will get rendered
instead for soap.
And then any trims,
so, like, off this bit of silverside,
that'll go into sausage.
[Zac] Beautiful.
[soft guitar playing]
[Zac] Break time!
There might be a long waiting list
for a Jonai Farms food subscription,
but here's a chance to try some
of their freshest fare right here and now.
Hey, look! Darin's back.
[speaking indistinctly]
[Zac] Lunch was amazing.
There's something delicious
about eating food so close to its origin.
And eating right here on the farm,
that's measured in food yards
rather than food miles.
[Darin] Well,
this has been absolutely amazing.
- Thanks for having us.
- [Zac] I'm incredibly inspired.
And thank you so much for
opening up to us and sharing all this.
Everything you're doing is magical.
[Tammi] Thanks for coming up to see it,
bear witness, and share it.
- It's been really good.
- [Zac] It's such a pleasure.
- Thank you very much.
- Thank you.
- Thank you.
- [Tammi] Darin.
Maybe we can start a blog.
The Vegan and the Butcher.
- [Darin] That's kind of cool.
- [Tammi laughs]
- Right?
- [Darin] That's kinda cool.
[Zac] Our talk with Bruce about livestock
led us to Tammi,
and how she's using animals with the soil.
Bruce also had something to say
about sustainability and plants.
[Bruce] During COVID here,
we weren't flying.
So we weren't bringing in vegetables
from overseas, which is a crazy thing.
You know, like,
"Let's get a Californian carrot
and send it to Australia."
"That's a good idea." You know?
If we pull that carrot out of the ground
that has been grown
on a cocktail of chemicals,
and then we spray it with preservative
so that it will make it to Australia
as a carrot, not as mush,
then we're consuming
so many chemicals in that process.
It might be cheap,
but how long can you do that for
before the soil starts to collapse?
And that's the point at which we have to
blow the whistle and say that's
As humans and as a capitalist environment,
we're not going to allow that,
because we're going to disappear,
and that's not good business.
[Zac] Good farming practices
can make good business sense.
We're about an hour and a half
drive southwest of Melbourne,
to visit a place called Brae.
The name comes from
the Scottish word for hillside.
And on this hillside
lies a zero net emission
boutique bed-and-breakfast
and award-winning restaurant,
all surrounded by a 30-acre organic farm.
And this is the owner of it all,
Chef Dan Hunter.
- Welcome.
- Chef, how's it going?
- Hey. Zac.
- Welcome to Brae. Hi, Zac.
Hey, Chef. How are you? Darin. Pleasure.
- [Dan] How's things?
- So good.
We're here to see
how Chef Dan incorporates
regenerative agriculture methods
to create a world-class,
farm-to-table dining experience at one
of the best restaurants in Australia
This is sweet.
proving that "sustainable"
can also be incredibly healthy,
satisfying, and delicious.
The kitchen is super clean,
simple, and very well laid out.
And that is a perfect representation
for the menu itself.
What makes Brae sustainable,
and how are they following
regenerative agricultural practices?
We meet our suppliers.
We go to their properties.
We use people who are committed
to regenerative agriculture.
And even down to artisans and people
we use to make dinnerware.
In this plate, there's ash
from our wood-fired oven,
and there's clay
from this dam that's out here.
Yeah, when you eat at Brae,
you eat the place.
Everything is really
just connected to this land.
Ultimately, we hope
that people taste the food and go,
"Hang on a minute.
There's a reason behind all this."
"It makes total sense now."
- Legit. Look at these ingredients.
- I know.
[Dan] This is just a salad.
We tend to just build it in a way that
Take it if you want.
is aesthetically pleasing for the guests.
Holy [bleep].
[Zac] Oh.
Wow.
[Zac] Looks like we're taking a
tomato break.
That's already the best tomato
I've ever eaten in my life.
Oh my gosh, it's so sweet.
[Dan] I think texture is one of
the things you notice with organic food
- You can have it back.
- [laughs]
[Dan] Something you might buy
from a farmers market,
or something you might buy
off a small market,
as opposed to something
that's been packaged and stored.
- You know, strawberries
- [Zac] Hope that comes out.
- That's good. I was hoping that'd happen.
- That's a sign of a good
Wow, that's good.
I have strong memories of food like that
- [Zac] Happy tomato.
- you know, all over you.
I haven't seen two
of the same thing go on there.
- [Dan] No, there's not.
- Every single ingredient is different?
- [Dan] Yeah.
- How many different ingredients?
- There's about 60.
- Sixty?
[Dan] Yeah.
There's about 60 different plants
growing at the moment
in our garden, in this plate.
[Zac] Try to think about how many
different fruits and vegetables
you eat in just one week.
I've never really given it much thought,
but I'm almost positive
I've never eaten 60 different ingredients
on one plate before.
So, bring it on.
- I don't even know where to begin.
- I don't know. What do you choose?
[Zac] I feel like I need tweezers.
I'll just pick a flower first.
Oh.
Wow.
So just a few
little accompaniments as well.
So, this is a golden zucchini
and tomato tart.
[Zac] Whoa.
And here is, uh, cucumbers
pickled with Australian spices.
This is a mushroom cream
with pistachio and cocoa.
And there's peas
with raspberries in a potato skin.
[Zac] Oh, everything's stunning.
I've never had vegetables
like this in my life.
How do you not immediately want to
start your own garden after having this?
- Do you guys get hungry when we're eating?
- [man] No! Never.
- No, not staring at
- [Zac laughs]
I know I would.
- All I know is I'm starting a garden.
- Yeah, you are.
[Mitch] You can totally hear
the crunches of the vegetables.
Mitch, do you wanna taste this?
[Zac] That's a rhetorical question.
Mitch will never turn down
a food sample, ever.
- [Darin] He's obsessed.
- I'm obsessed. Yeah.
[Darin] "That was good.
I gotta go back to work now."
- All right. That's all for you.
- [Mitch] Thank you, boss.
Oh man.
And to think
this is all grown right out there.
What a cool place.
The area around the restaurant
was designed for guests to walk
and explore after their meal,
as a way to connect with the land
from which their food came.
And after dozens of courses
from a tasting menu
that lasts for hours, it's also
a great way to stretch your legs.
[Dan] A farm, it's not just
that flat place with no trees
with soil getting turned over.
A healthy farm, a healthy environment,
has an ecosystem that helps
for organic food production.
[Zac] They've planted more than
1,000 different native species
of trees and plants on the property.
And 90% of the plant-based food
they serve in the restaurant
is all grown here.
Biodiversity is once again
a key to regenerative agriculture.
And this diversity of plants
also helps encourage
a nutrient-dense soil,
which reduces the amount of
carbon released into the atmosphere.
Things that have come from this garden,
they've passed through the kitchen.
They've been prepared, so obviously
there's a large percentage of waste.
They've made their way back out here.
That'll be soil that goes back in.
[Zac] Nothing goes to waste here,
and that includes most of the food scraps.
By maintaining a compost pile,
they keep about 100 kilos of waste
out of the landfill every day.
And that compost
then goes back into the soil
to start that cycle all over again.
This here is the salad
that you ate earlier.
[Darin] Yeah, that's
So that right there
is what you ate before.
[Darin] Look at that.
Dark and black and rich that is.
[Dan] And that's the cycle.
[Zac] It's taking any plant life,
and instead of throwing it away,
turning it into a carbon-rich mulch,
and putting it back onto land.
And anyone can do it.
You're sort of unaware of
how bad the food system actually is.
Is it really that difficult
to grow this on a mass scale
and just know that society in general
has a health quality
that's a bare minimum?
[Zac] There are things governments can do,
like step in to help
encourage smaller farming.
But until legislative ideas
are implemented,
small farm-to-table businesses like this
are overshadowed
by mega industrial farming.
A strawberry plant is one of
the easiest things that you can grow.
They're prolific.
So one plant produces so much food.
A strawberry in a supermarket
has the texture of an apple,
which is incorrect. It's like wood.
It doesn't have any juice.
A fresh strawberry is delicious.
And then there's that connection of, like,
"You grow food and it tastes better."
You pretty much ate
this piece of land on a plate.
[Zac] This garden's one delicious thing
next to another.
[Dan] Yeah, it really is. It's a small
restaurant doing small numbers,
showing what you can do on a small acreage
that can produce quite
a lot of really diverse, quality food.
[Zac] Just like at Jonai,
once again, size matters.
Being a smaller operation
is actually easier on the soil.
And for Brae, caring for the land
by using regenerative agriculture methods
produces a quality, healthy product
and a thriving business.
We're up early and have a long drive.
So Darin's making us breakfast
in the car.
- Yeah!
- [whirring]
Dude, that is full.
Cheers, buddy. To your health.
- Yeah. To yours too.
- You will live a hundred years.
[driver] Is it okay if I have some?
Is there any left?
[Zac] Sure, man, there's plenty.
You know, Darin came up with this formula.
What we got? Ashwagandha.
We got schisandra, matcha, reishi
- [Zac] And he's not shy to talk about it.
- [Darin] Dude, like
[speaking indistinctly]
When she told me that she was going ♪
We're on fire ♪
[Zac] Even if you don't ask,
he'll tell you all about it.
Our next adventure takes us
about an hour north of Melbourne
and deep within the complex
ecosystem of this forest.
So far, we've seen how
both animals and plants affect the soil,
but this last trip is about
a different kingdom altogether.
Because under the canopy of these trees
lies a symbiotic relationship,
a chemical process
that not only enriches the soil,
but also constantly helps our climate
by absorbing carbon
and locking it into the ground.
Like a network of miniature compost piles,
a special type of mold feeds off
the decayed material of the forest,
and in turn,
provides nutrients to the soil.
Technically, they aren't plants,
and they aren't animals.
They're a fungus,
but we know them
as their fruiting bodies, mushrooms.
Studies have identified
an entire microbiome
living in our digestive system
and playing a big part in our health.
And there's a similar world
of bacteria and fungi living in the soil.
Excuse me, but I like
to pronounce it "fun guy."
Oh, uh, sure. Because you are
A microbial fungi.
Like you said, we live in your gut,
just like we live in the soil,
and we're havin' a pretty good time.
Oh yeah? So, what's going on in there?
Whether it's in your digestive tract
or in the ground,
microbial fungi
keep the system strong and healthy.
Microbial fungi play an essential role
in nutrient uptake, metabolism,
growth, energy, and disease resistance.
[Zac] I know in the human gut,
you take the food we eat
and break it down into nutrients
that our bodies can absorb and use.
[mushroom] Yep. And in the soil,
we work in a similar way,
digesting organic material
that other organisms can't break down,
turning it into food
and nutrients that plants can use,
keeping the soil rich and healthy,
which promotes robust plants and crops.
[Zac] So, how does all of this
fit in with regenerative agriculture?
[mushroom] RegAg methods create
a healthier soil microbiome
that yields healthier food,
which restores your gut microbiome
and makes for a healthier you.
And even better, it reduces
CO2 in the atmosphere in the process.
All that? Wow.
You know, you are a pretty fun guy.
Yeah, well, thanks.
I always say, if you give me enough time,
I'll grow on you,
like a fungus. [laughs]
- Nice to see you.
- Chris.
- Pleasure.
- Nice to meet you.
- I'm Zac. Nice to meet you.
- How's it going?
It's going great. What do you think?
Ohh! This is unreal.
Here to meet us in the forest
are Jim and Chris of Fable Food,
a company specializing
in gourmet meat substitutes
made primarily from mushrooms.
This forest is flourishing
with life of all kinds,
and it's because of the rich layer
of nutrient-packed soil
caused in part
by the life cycle of mushrooms.
Usually, it's raining and misty
around this time, but look at this.
Well, that's good for fungi, right?
- Is it "funji" or "fungi"? "Fungi."
- You could say either, really.
- Really?
- You're a fun guy.
You're a fun guy. I like that,
because it's all about the fun.
[laughing]
[Zac] Jim, an agricultural scientist
and engineer,
and Chris, a budding entrepreneur
studying regenerative farming,
discovered they had a lot in common.
A healthy appetite
for the alchemy of mushrooms.
Together, they've created a healthy,
sustainable, and ethical way
to turn almost any meat-based dish
into a plant-based delicious marvel,
all with the magic of mushrooms.
And these guys really know how important
shrooms are to the science of soil.
[Chris] Looking into the soil science,
and that's how I first got into
farming and regenerative ag was,
"We're gonna run out of topsoil
and go hungry."
Like, we took that much topsoil,
and in 60 years,
once we dumping chemicals all over it,
it's now like this much.
And, you know, another 20-30 years
of that, good luck. [chuckles]
So it was a conscious
We need to consciously be allying
and partnering with these species
to reintroduce them
into environments we've damaged
and stripped them from.
And we need to learn from them
and figure out how to
amplify and advocate for them
and push them into environments
where they can help us grow more food
in sustainable ways.
- So it's really all about topsoil.
- Correct.
Every single nutrient, everything we eat,
comes out of that top layer.
So if we get rid of that, then
- [Jim] We all depend on that.
- [Chris]cactus.
[soft music playing]
[Zac] Just like Bruce told us
at the beginning of this adventure,
our ability to live on the earth
depends on how we treat the earth.
I mean the actual dirt
on the ground "earth,"
because it's the topsoil
that gives our plants their nutrients.
Soil needs a steady source of food
in the form of microorganisms,
and mushrooms are a huge part
of creating that diet.
Not only that,
but mushrooms help prevent erosion,
increase water supply to the ground,
and help keep carbon in the soil
versus adding it to the atmosphere.
And it all starts with mycelium.
The mycelium is
a really massive underground network,
almost like nerves
running through the human body.
- Absolutely. That's a great reference.
- Yes.
- How far do you reckon this one goes?
- It's attached to those trees.
- All there.
- Really?
So this particular mushroom,
it's evolutionarily lost its ability
to be a saprophyte and degrade material
'cause it used to do both.
But it's fully gone into living with
the tree and the tree's nutrients,
and it giving the tree back
nutrients that it explores for.
So these are carbon capturers.
That mycelium is now in the soil.
That organic matter is now in the soil.
And it's a massive expansion
of those trees' roots.
[Zac] So mushrooms are like
little eco-warriors,
feeding the plants and protecting the air.
There are thousands and thousands
of different types of mushrooms
on the planet,
with many more yet undiscovered.
And although there are plenty of delicious
and nutritious edible mushrooms,
there are also those that are deadly.
So please, leave wandering around
the forest and eating random shrooms
to the experts.
This is some real
Alice in Wonderland stuff right here.
Eh, I better not.
These are the ones that we'd regularly
forage for culinary purposes.
[Jim] You can see
these orange mushrooms here.
These are called saffron milk caps.
Lactarius deliciosus,
because they're delicious.
Yeah, Lactarius deliciosus
is the scientific binomial.
- How many kinds are there?
- [Jim] Thousands.
And we only know,
like, 10% of what there are.
And of the ones that we know about,
how many have the psilocybin?
Awful lot. Yeah,
we've discovered a lot of those.
[Chris] We've found all those ones.
For obvious reasons, those are around.
So if it poisons you or it gets you high,
humans figure out which parts
of the biosphere they are pretty quickly.
[Zac] That's right. Psilocybin
is a naturally occurring psychedelic
that activates the serotonin receptors
in the brain,
affecting mood and perceptions.
In layman's terms, you trip and get high,
but that's not why we're here.
We're here to see
the sustainable and culinary magic
that mushrooms can provide.
- Shall we go find Cordyceps now?
- [Zac] Yeah!
- [Jim] Sweet!
- [Zac] Yeah, sweet.
Oh, and there's one more variety
to note while we're here.
Possibly the most
notorious mushroom of them all.
The zombie mushroom.
Cordyceps.
Cordyceps is a parasitic fungus
that hijacks the bodies and brains
of living organisms, usually insects,
feeding off of the host
and eventually killing it.
This blew my mind that we were gonna
be hunting Cordyceps in Australia.
- Yeah.
- So how did that happen?
They're everywhere.
There's a Cordyceps
for almost every insect.
They're species specific.
So the Cordyceps species
actually matches with a species of insect.
They've evolved together.
They take over the brain.
It is a literal zombie fungus.
- Whoa.
- So, it really does.
It follows the natural cycle
of whatever insect it is.
So, a really good example was the ant.
The ant has an infected brain and
[Darin] And he's doing
whatever the fungus wants him to.
Absolutely. It's just like, "I gotta up!"
It'll go up a blade of grass,
a fern or whatever.
Once it's up, and it's in place,
the Cordyceps stops driving it,
gets it to clamp down,
then it'll fully grow through it,
like water filling a container.
Take the shape of it, digest it.
- Right.
- Fully.
Except the chitinized eye
because the fungal cells
are made of chitin.
The only thing that's left,
the only thing non-vegan in Cordyceps,
is that chitinized eye,
which is the original material.
A couple of fresh ones here.
- Yeah, I think we're in the spot.
- Yeah.
This is really it.
[Chris] When they're fresh,
they're this bright yellow color.
I'm going to try and pull it out.
It has been wet, so, uh
- They're cool, man.
- You got it. You got it.
- You got the worm. Beautiful.
- Look at that.
So it consumed that worm totally.
- Yeah.
- That was a caterpillar.
- Yep.
- Yeah.
You can feel it's very
- That's incredible, the Cordyceps.
- It's very mushroomy.
[Zac] What we're looking at is the remains
of what was once a caterpillar,
now mostly consumed by
its fungal attacker, the Cordyceps.
Guys, let's go back to the lab
and do some cooking.
All of my favorite things.
[Jim] Let's do it! Let's go.
- Thanks, guys.
- Thank you.
[Zac] Why am I still holding it?
Darin certainly seems
pretty stoked to be in the lab.
A little too stoked, really.
Okay, buddy, put the knife down.
From the forest,
we went back to Jim's workspace,
which is part chemistry lab,
part test kitchen, and all delicious.
This is where he experiments,
creates, and crafts
all of the Fable Food
mushroom-based meals.
Oh, and it's really just his garage.
This is my garage. Yes.
That little device over there
is for mushroom cultivation.
Everything about that is sterile.
Inside there, there's a filter
- Protecting it from spores, bacteria?
- [Jim] Yeah, absolutely.
In that clean air, on a sterile substrate
where everything has been eliminated,
we can watch it grow, so that
I can then turn it into an extract.
So that I can then take
whatever is in the mycelium
and turn it into a nice beverage,
something functional.
And we can access even more of it
by using a fermentation process.
There is, like, plant and fat
and protein and all that.
- But there should be a wedge.
- This is a whole kingdom of foods!
It's a kingdom. Absolutely,
as big as the vegetable kingdom.
We eat a lot of wheat.
We eat pasta, bread.
We have all that stuff. Cereal grains.
But after that, we've got all the straw,
all the holes in the grain.
It's an agricultural waste product.
We can compost that
and grow mushrooms on it.
We can grow food out of that.
Right before I chose to go vegan, it was
spending years talking about the idea,
the bigger picture,
talking and wanting to live
that big, sustainable circle,
and then coming home and eating
a super high-resource-dependent thing.
And day-to-day,
having a steak and realize, like,
- "That's 11 kilos of grain"
- Conflict.
"which is 11,000 gallons of wa"
- Like, am I needing that? Like, I don't.
- Yeah.
[Zac] Remember, reducing meat consumption,
especially beef,
reduces greenhouse gas pollution.
One study found that a typical
quarter-pound burger
you get from an average
fast food restaurant
has a bigger environmental impact
than you would ever imagine.
That all led to the decision,
"I've got to cut it all out."
"All meat, all dairy," and decided,
"I need to trick myself
that what is here is that protein thing."
I just want that experience,
like that succulence all of it.
All of it. The fiber, the succulence,
the tear, the smoke. That's what I needed.
[Zac] As a native Texan
who loves his barbecue,
Jim combined his 12 years
as a great mushroom scientist
and a decade as a fine-dining chef
to perfect a variety of
mushroom-based meatless dishes,
designed to give
the ultimate meaty experience,
while using no animals whatsoever
and creating
a much smaller carbon footprint,
all at the same time.
What's this?
[Jim] The least healthy thing
I'm going to give you.
It is the entrée to open up.
[chuckles]
[Jim] And this here is country gravy,
and those are In Australia,
we don't call it chicken-fried steak.
- We call it schnitzel or crumbed beef.
- [Zac] Yeah. This is just
Whatever. That's chicken-fried steak.
Oh man!
Is it chicken-fried steak?
Please tell me. Just let me Just
I think it's better.
- Oh yeah.
- Yeah! [chuckles]
- I haven't had steak in forever.
- Really, the fibers are incredible.
- [Jim] Yeah!
- Yeah.
[Jim] It gets stuck in your teeth.
I wanted to recreate all of it.
[Darin] No one's going
to miss anything eating that.
[Zac] Oh my gosh.
I'm crying a little bit.
- Oh man. This is so beautiful.
- It's good.
You're creating that bridge
in such a powerful way.
I'm trying. We're trying.
Like, that's the goal.
- Wow, this is lovely.
- [Chris] You see?
Mitch, do you want one?
Of course he does.
- Get in here, Mitch.
- Mitch. Oh my God.
- [Jim] There's enough for a small army.
- Get some gravy.
- [Darin] You guys want some?
- [Joe] I would.
Yeah. I could tell you did.
He, like, suddenly comes.
- "I'm just checking on the shot."
- I know, he's Always let the crew come.
[Zac] Seriously though,
you know the food smells incredible
when the crew
jumps in this fast to try it.
So, I'm gonna roll
into a brisket sandwich.
[sizzling]
[Jim] This is the Texan barbecue touch.
- [chuckles]
- Is that your own sauce?
- That's my own, yeah.
- [Zac] Okay.
I still have a love of barbecue.
[Zac] Travel all the way to Australia
to eat Texas barbecue.
[Jim laughs]
- [Zac] Definitely makes me miss home.
- This is gonna be chewing on camera.
Hmm.
Mmm.
- [Chris] Smoky goodness.
- Oh man.
- [Darin] Oh man!
- [Zac] Mmm.
- [Chris] Finger-lickin' good?
- [chuckles]
- Literally.
- [Chris] All right.
[Zac] When looking to replace meat,
one of the most popular items
people want is, of course, a burger.
Fable food also makes a burger.
There's 110 grams of mushroom.
Hundred and ten grams in there.
What would it be in ounces?
That escapes me all the time.
Hey, Google, how many pounds is 110 grams?
[Google device] 110 grams is 0.243 pounds.
- Thanks, Google.
- Okay.
A quarter pound is perfect.
[laughing]
I took you to a chicken-fried steak place.
We went to brisket town.
I think it's time to do a burger.
Why not?
These guys have really
created something amazing.
It looks like meat, cooks like meat,
tastes and chews like meat,
but it's far more sustainable,
and much easier on the planet,
and better for our bodies.
Thank you. Really cool.
That was unbelievable.
You might need to make more.
These guys look pretty hungry.
Thank you. I will never look at
mushrooms the same way again.
- Thanks, brother, for that.
- Thank you so much.
[Zac] We've learned a lot
looking at the ground of Australia,
but now we're gonna
set our sights a little higher,
about 50 meters up in the air, to be exact
because it's time for me and the crew
to try out an Australian bungee jump.
We're at a jumping off point
with our planet.
Historic levels of carbon dioxide
released into the atmosphere
are changing the climate.
But it's not too late to slow down
and even reverse the damage done.
It just depends on
how we choose to move forward.
find the reasons not to give up ♪
[Zac] Regenerative agriculture
can play a key role.
These practices go beyond reducing
the harm we inflict upon the earth
and can actually work to heal the planet
and our bodies to a healthier condition
before it's too late.
Whether it's big changes
or lots of small ones.
Every little bit
helps to push back the needle
because the real bad trip
would be losing this place for good.
We can change the world ♪
So we got to come together now ♪
We got to come together now ♪
We got to come together now ♪
See I don't like it anymore
Than you do ♪
But if you're ignorant
That bliss is void ♪
So it's about time be humble
And realize ♪
That we are one and the same
Unique and one of a kind ♪
Brighter days come ahead
When we go together ♪
Put your best foot forward
Go and make an effort ♪
This is AY, I spoke to A-Khan ♪
Marvin Gaye
We in the grapevine ♪
Let's have a great time ♪