Yum yum Portobello and Cremini, Porcini and Chanterelle... not until I
lived in the Netherlands did I taste Cremini, (I believe they are "young"
Portobellos) - they were the only mushrooms sold at the green grocers... and
now, I cannot even TASTE white mushrooms, they seem so bland. The only time
I use them is when I make curried mushroom rolls, when the curry and chili
powders so the trick.
I took a short course in Mushrooms -- and we went out foraging (around Bear
Mt, NY in the fall) -- that was the first time I ate wild collected
mushrooms. We found Hen of the Woods, little Puffballs, and a huge growth
of something called Big Laughing Jim - which none of us ate (it's a
hallucinogin, that makes you laugh at everything -- what's wrong with THAT?
Nothing, but we were all a bit nervous about it...I told a funny story about
that species previously on the LIST.
Anyway, we were living here for a year when last Autumn I was astonished to
find huge puffballs in our own backyard! Solid white inside, sliced up,
fried in butter.. delicious. Then, this spring I found (& picked, ofcourse)
3 morels - & spent lots of time with my face close to the ground for weeks
after that, looking for more of them.
About 4 years ago drove past the stump of an Oak tree with an enormous Hen
of the Woods on it.... I quickly backed up, looked around, it wasn't on
anyone's property (well, maybe a private school, way off the road) so cut
about a third of it off, & we ate it 2 nights in a row... I wonder if that
stump is still there? (It's in Ardsley, NY near Sprainbrook nursery, on
Ashford Ave if anyone's interested)
karen, nj
not
> least....Lee Ann, for your lovely and warm welcome.
> My favorite mushrooms are Portobello, Porcini, Oyster, Chanterelle,
Shiitake
> and Maitake.....these days I only pick mushrooms at the grocery store! I
> haven't picked mushrooms in the "field" since my youth growing up in
Germany.
