Poppy's Perspective

"They concentrate the flavor of the sea".

I heard a radio show a while back and on old French oyster farmer was speaking of his love of oysters.

Mushrooms are that for me and our Ozark forest. Their taste and smell are the forest. It might make more sense to say that forests concentrate the flavor of mushrooms.
I am in awe of mushrooms. I love their bizarre shapes, beautiful colors, alien textures, and intricate details. I love looking for them, finding them, observing them, and of course eating them.

My buddy Toby (A twenty-somthing fifth grader) tells the joke... "Why was the mushroom the most popular guy at the party?"

Give up?

"Because he was a fun guy"

It is true.

This year was amazing for mushrooms. Our harvest of morels, shitakes, chanterelles, corals, woodears, oysters, sulphur shelfs, and lion's manes has been the culinary force to be reckoned with.

This week I have had just such a couple mushroom forces to reckon with. Raven made a mushroom lasanga of corals, chantererlles, oysters and shitakes that was so.........(well, probably shouldn't use expletives).....good that the king's chef would have been beheaded had his majesty known what the peasants were feasting upon. And then the next day my brother comes up with some pate of fresh chicken liver (we had just butchered) and chanterelle. Chef better hide.

Any way, thanks to Aunt Susan for the Paul Stament CD and DVD. The future is looking brighter as for our ability to cultivate these culinary treasures. And it is also looking brighter as for how we can employ these tasty organisms to minimize nutrient runoff from our farm and better enable our land to take care of itself. We are looking forward to experimenting with many of the techniques and varities he describes. Thanks Susan also for getting Alisen on the boat: once she boards there is no turning back.

There is a decent chance of rain today and tomorrow. Prime weather to excite the wood ears and oysters.

Untill next time----HAPPY SHROOMING!