Saturday, October 23, 2010

Oyster mushrooms:

 ...they're what's for dinner.

They were picked from a log on the outskirts of Shohola, Pennsylvania (one store, one bar, about six houses, three churches and a little post office, and the Delaware River), just after noon today. Ellen's husband, Michael, slowed the car down as we approached the fallen logs that often have born the mushrooms, and Ellen spotted them at once, with a yelp of joy. We should have brought a knife, said Michael,

I have a knife! said Ellen.

Foragers are prepared.

She kindly packed some up for me to carry back to the Brooklyn. The butter for them is melting as we speak. A hint of lemon, salt and pepper and that's all I'll do. For our main course we'll have some fresh hot baguette with button mushrooms that I am a la Grecquing...

9 comments:

  1. Mmmm...mushrooms!
    (We ate calamari last night. Not quite the same as wild 'shrooms!)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Wow so cool! I don't know if I am brave enough to forage for mushrooms. I always have this fear of eating a poisoned one.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Dit lyk wonderlik. Weet jy hoe mens weet watter veilig is om te eet?

    ReplyDelete
  4. I'm going to try your a la grecque recipe...being grecque it seems de rigeur.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Dinahmow - same colour?

    For meems - well, you wouldn't want to forage for shrooms if you don't know how to ID: there are so many mushrooms, obviously, and many are not safe to eat. And many are. Some are easy to recognize, with book and the help of someone who KNOWS from much experience. So I know the oysters from foraging trips with experienced mushroom hunters. Start off with a couple that are easily identifiable, learn how to recognize them, learn whether there are any poisonous lookalikes (and with the easy ones there usually are not), and most of all, have your find verified in person by someone experienced. Never gather or eat anything that has no been ID'd by an experienced mushroom hunter. Once you are comfortably familiar with at least one edible, you can go out on your own. If you really are interested, You could join a foraging trip with Steve Brill in November, and you might find some - we did last year.

    Arcadia - boeke, en mense wat weet. In die Kaap is daar wonderlike Pine Rings, wat onder dennebome groei, in the herfs. Platterig, oranje, with a clear ring in the stem if you cut it across.

    Rob, they were yum. Do you have mushrooms around your French hood?

    Ellen - thank you for those mushrooms. When I unpacked them they smelled just like rising bread dough. And Estorbo says he LOVES oyster mushrooms :-)

    ReplyDelete
  6. Meems, if you go with Brill, watch out for those fences... ;-)

    ReplyDelete
  7. Thanks for the great tips!! I definitely want to learn more about foraging and about mushrooms. I'll look into Steve Brill, sounds awesome.

    ReplyDelete

Comments on posts older than 48 hours are moderated (for spam control) . Yours will be seen! Unless you are a troll. Serial trollers are banned.