Mushrooms...Yummy

There are a lot of blogs that I really like. They seem to fall into categories: sheep, food, people whose lives I just like to read about, cute animals, etc. Well, in the food category I really enjoy Farm Girl Fare. She has some mouthwatering recipes and lots of tips on food.

After reading "The Omnivore's Dilemma" by Michael Polland a year ago Kerry and I have really changed our eating habits. We know where our meat comes from (not large feedlots or poultry raisers). Our eggs come from chickens we know who live across the road. Vegetables and fruits come from local farms or the farmer's market. No where in that mix did I mention mushrooms.

I've been trying to figure out how to get seasonal mushrooms without buying them in the grocery store where I don't know their origin or going mushroom hunting. Well Farm Girl Fare solved that mystery. She mentioned a store called Marx Foods where they sell real mushrooms found in the woods. Right now chanterelles are in season. Being a locavore I was concerned that they didn't grow near here. Turns out you can find them in Tilden Park near Berkeley. That's within 100 miles. So I ordered to two pounds that will arrive by FedEx next Tuesday. We are going to be eating a lot of these things next week. I'm also going to use my dehydrator to save some for later.

Mushrooms have been in the back of my mind for a while, but a recent book "Animal, Vegetable Miracle" by Barbara Kingsolver sort of got me looking once again for a source. She has a recipe in her book for morel mushrooms and asparagus bread pudding. Asparagus isn't in season right now but I'm sure I can find another vegetable to substitute. It's nice to find that someone has figured out how to enjoy bread pudding without all the sugar.

Oh, and I signed up to be on the Marx mailing list to receive announcements about which mushrooms are popping up in the forest when. I can hardly wait for spring and the morel season.