Morel Justice

Ha ha ha ha ha!!! Last year, my friend Michael, sent me photos of his morel picking frenzy. I thought it was just plain mean and torturous of him to flaunt them so. I mean, LOOK at him! However, THIS year, awesome chocolate colleagues in Petoskey, Michigan sent me a jar of their morels to taste. (I think they felt badly that I was a tad too early for mushroom picking while there in April.) Of course, I took their suggestion and made a little roux for the morels to top a grilled grassfed NY steak. They are so different from the mushrooms in Northern California.  A wonderful texture and mild flavor.

Justice is served.

Call of the Wild

I heard their little voices calling to me for days. It was several more days before I could go out mushrooming and even then, only a few showed signs of deterioration. Most of the chanterelles were Goldens but a few Whites were found as well. Here is a photo of the second wave of chanterelles. Big, beautiful and luscious. Nothing like the slightly sad ones I saw at the Ferry Plaza shop in the city last week.

This year, the Boletus came and went with a bang. It's definitely been a good mushroom season. Already, I have reports of hedgehog sightings on the south coast.

What is there to say? I am continually amazed and awestruck at Nature's generosity and largesse.

Wild crafted mushrooms are best after cleaning and holding for several days to a week in a paper bag in the fridge, particularly after a recent rain. My favorite chanterelle dish this winter is to slice them thinly, caramelize well in a searing hot pan with olive oil then add to a wild rice pilaf with the seasoned stock and chopped, toasted almonds. Bacon never hurts. If you are lucky enough to find a lot of mushrooms, you can either slice and dry them or slice and sauté them before freezing to use another day.