Chicken of the Woods!

The Elusive Mushroom

      My husband and I went mushroom hunting one beautiful summer evening a couple of weeks ago.  Mostly we were after oyster mushrooms because we are not seasoned mushroom hunters at all and they are easy to spot.  We did find some but then we spotted beautiful orange-yellow mushrooms growing on a dead cherry tree!  We stopped to get a better look. The mushrooms had a very nice mushroomy smell and a firm but spongy feel.  We picked some and stopped at his brother's house to investigate further in his mushroom book.

      Sure enough these are a hard to find, edible, choice mushroom!  What a find!  We harvested them for about a week but then a big storm came along and smashed tree, ruining what was left of the mushrooms.  It was nice while it lasted...

 

If you would like to hunt for the Chicken Mushroom make sure to do your research.  There is a lot of information online, YouTube I think is the most helpful.  One thing we learned that it's just as important to know your trees as it is to know your mushrooms. (Chicken Mushrooms love cherry trees,  do not eat if found on coniferous trees.)

             To prepare these mushrooms we cut them into slices, sauteed in butter and then simmered in chicken broth.  They have a dense, buttery texture- absolutely amazing!  Also, another great thing is that they freeze well.  When we want to use some of the frozen mushrooms we just put them frozen into a little chicken broth and simmer until they are warmed through.

Shrimp Alfredo with Chicken Mushrooms

Oyster Mushrooms!
Vermont white gold.

 Finding: Our Vermont woods are perfect in the summer for finding oyster mushrooms!  Keep your eye out especially on fallen or decaying hardwood.

 Washing: "They" say not to use too much water, if any, when washing mushrooms.  I like to soak them for just a couple of minutes in salt water,  then spin dry in a salad spinner and let dry flat for 30 minutes.  When you find oysters mushrooms in the wild, often time they have bugs in them that will float to the top when submerged in the saltwater.   I still check each one out after the quick wash and pat dry.

 Cooking: We like to cook our mushrooms with just butter, salt, pepper and garlic powder.  Some like to add white wine too.

Freezing:  I just spread the cooked leftover mushrooms out on a tray a freeze.  Then, I transfer to a freezer bag.

 Eating:

 Wild Oyster Mushroom Bruschetta

      This should only be made on fresh bread sliced and baked with olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper.   Once the bread is baked a little while with just oil and garlic, I layer sliced tomatoes, a mushroom and Oaxaca cheese (quesillo) and bake untill the cheese started to bubble.

Don't forget a glass of wine!

 A Simple Seasonal Cake.

I found a fool proof, simple cake recipe that can be combined with any seasonal fruits.   Have fun!

 Wild black berries and fresh peaches makes a great combination!

1 stick of unsalted butter

1cup sugar

1 tsp vanilla (or what ever kind of extract will complement you fruit choice.)*

2 eggs

1&1/2 flour

1&1/2 tsp. baking soda

A reasonable amount of fresh fruit*

 Preheat oven to 350 , spray cake pan with cooking spray and sprinkle with flour.

1.  In a mixer beat butter and sugar until fluffy. ( I let it go for a while I prepare the dry ingredients in a separate bowl.) Add vanilla and eggs one at a time.

2.  Add the flour and baking soda.

3.  Stir in fruit.

  

 

Bake for 50 or so minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.  Run a knife around the edge and let cool for 10 minutes and then remove from pan to a cooling rack. Sprinkle with confection sugar.

 Enjoy with homemade whip cream!

* So here are some ideas for fruit combinations:

*Cherries with dark chocolate chunks.  Substitute vanilla for almond extract. Sprinkle shaved almonds on batter.

* Blueberries  and lemon zest.  Poke holes in the baked cake with tooth picks and drizzle a lemon glaze on the top. (2 cups of confectioners sugar, 3 tables spoons of buttermilk and a dash or two of fresh lemon juice.

* Strawberries and rhubarb.  Add orange zest and drizzle with orange glaze. (2 cups of confectioners sugar, 3 table spoons buttermilk and a dash or two of flesh orange juice.)

*Apples.  Add 1/2 tsp ground ginger and 1 tsp cinnamon. Serve with vanilla ice cream.

Do you have any ideas?

Pesto!

A taste of summer!  I have a very simple recipe for pesto that I made up.  It doesn't have any nuts in it and it makes an excellent base for many recipes.  Here it is.....

Combine in a food processor:

4 Cups Basil

1/2 cup olive oil

1 tsp garlic powder (2 crushed garlic cloves)

1 tsp salt

cracked pepper to taste

5 oz goat cheese

yields about 1 1/2 cups of creamy pesto

To freeze, I just put a cup in a freezer bag and seal.

The pesto is great for a pizza base!  Also, sometimes I cut the pesto with Greek yogurt and add it to hot pasta.  It makes for a very creamy pesto pasta. - Add in some artichokes and Greek olives...maybe some grilled shrimp...

roasted broccoli pesto pizza

* My friend Kylie lived in Vermont for almost ten years.  When she moved back to Maine, her Dad said that Kylie  "Vermont-ified " everything by adding goat cheese to it!  I think he has a point.*

Do you have any ideas for pesto?

Freezing Rhubarb. Hey, I never knew you could!

So when someone told me you could freeze rhubarb it totally changed my life! (ok that might be going a little overboard)  There is always a ton of rhubarb around, but it's not something I can use all at once.  Plus, strawberries are so delicious with rhubarb, but strawberries are not going to be ready for picking for a little while yet.  Freezing makes everything so much easier.

Freezing the rhubarb pieces first on a pan makes everything freeze faster and not stick together in one clump.

Find the recipe at- marthastewart.com
Rhubarb Upside-down Cake

 This is an upside-down cake I made. It's one of my favorite recipes using rhubarb (I had some strawberries in the refrigerator I added). Of course, my cake looks a little different then Martha Stewart's.  Maybe I should call mine, It May Have Fallen From a Three Story Building Cake.  Either way, it's delicious!
Do have a any favorite rhubarb recipes?  Let us know!

I keep my cut rhubarb in a glass of water until I can chop it up.  Look what is did on it's own!   I thought it looked really neat.

Pickled Leeks!

So, wild leek season is just about over, but I wanted to add one more thing. Pickling Leeks.


Pickled leeks are so good and we are finding they go really well with so much!

Here is how my husband did it. (Basically)  He made it up as he went along. (Typical)


First, he cleaned and trimmed the leeks.  Then he mixed a fair amount of white vinegar and water together in a big pot. 2/3 water and 1/3 vinegar.  He simmered it with some salt and a small amount of sugar.  Then he add dill, pepper corn and red pepper flakes. He let all of that cook together while he prepared the properly disinfected canning jars. 

Second, he filled each jar with the brine,  two cloves of garlic and a dried chili pepper. He packed each can with the trimmed, cleaned leeks.

Lastly, the cans where closed and processed in a "canner" for 15 minutes. And then allowed to cool on the counter until we heard the tops make a little popping noise, signaling they had sealed.

Enjoy!

Note:   Please, be careful during the canning process.  We've done it many times before.  If you've never done it before please make sure you've done the reading on how to  safely can.  Have fun!

Wild Asparagus hunting!

This is not a "foraging for wild food" blog, but it's part of the fun during spring in Vermont.  I've never gone wild asparagus hunting (or even seen wild asparagus) but it's been all around me!  Our friend took us around to some of the "hot spots" her Dad took her to as a kid.  Thank you Alenna!

Sometimes the asparagus was hard to spot, so we looked for last years dead growth.  I think later this week will be best hunting time, when they get just a little taller.

 Roast the asparagus with salt, pepper and olive oil for about 15-20 minuets.  Sprinkle with goat cheese and enjoy!