Mad about Mushrooms . . .

February, 2011's Recipe of the Month: Soft Apricot-'Shroom Oatmeal Cookies

Last year Marybeth Mank sent this delightful recipe for our recipe contest.  We're pleased to offer it as the recipe of the month.  It's a wonderfully creative use of wild mushrooms.  Thanks for the submission, Marybeth!

We find that the hedgehogs, which are still fruiting in the woodlands, are a good substitute for the chanterelles that the recipe calls for.

We're all shaking our heads:  hedgehogs fruiting at the same time that turkey vultures (our first sign that spring is just around the corner) have returned to Port Orford!  What a mushroom season this has been!

The turkey vulture is a sure sign that Port Orford's weather is moderating. 

Jack's Bar & Grill - Redding, CA

Can you go to Redding and not stop at Jack's?  I don't know, but I do know that people have been patronizing the eatery since 1938. 

Steven and I made our first attempt to dine at Jack's in the summer of 2009.  We'd happened upon it quit unexpectedly on a hot summer evening.  But it was overflowing with customers, some spilling out the door, and we quickly left not wanting to wait for a table.  We had determined that we were not going to be detoured from Jack's again on this trip.

Jack's Grill circa 1940. 

Peggy Sue's 50's Diner - Yermo, CA

The first we knew about Peggy Sue's 50's Diner was from the large billboards on the highway.  Fascinated by the signage, we decided to stop for a quick bite to eat before heading over to Los Angeles to visit friends.  We weren't disappointed.  It was like visiting a museum filled with 50's and 60's memorabilia:  photographs and objects lined the walls, paraphernalia hung from the ceiling, cutouts were propped up against posts...it was almost visual overload.  The gift shop was also a museum, overflowing with all sorts of kitschy items from Betty Boop to Marilyn Monroe and James Dean and everything in between.

Peggy Sue's is an original roadside diner, built in 1954, with 9 counter stools and 3 booths.  It sits in the shadow of the Calico Mountains, constructed out of railroad ties and mortar from a nearby Union Pacific yard.   Today the diner has been enlarged to include a spacious dining area.  

It's almost visual overload, but fun! 

Benji's French Basque Restaurant - Bakersfield, CA

Frankly, Steven and I were quite disappointed when we awoke one morning on our recent California vacation and found out the highway leading East was impassable, thanks to a major snow storm.  We altered our plans, headed south towards Death Valley and decided to spend the night in Bakersfield, at the northern entrance to the park.  We arrived in the early part of the evening, checked into the motel and headed right out for dinner.  From previous experience, we knew that it was getting near to closing time for many restaurants.

It was 8:45 when we arrived at Benji's, an eatery that had caught our attention as we were driving into Bakersfield.  At that time, we had turned to each other and exclaimed in unison:  a French Basque restaurant!

We spent several hours at the Sacramento Wildlife Refuge on our way south. 

Sebastian's General Store and Cafe - San Simeon, CA

What do elephant seals and Sebastian's Cafe in San Simeon have in common?  Well, not a whole lot except that we were driving up the California coast, having spent the night at the wonderful Apple Farm in San Louis Obispo to Piedras Blancs where elephant seals come ashore for birthing, breeding, molting and resting.

Feeling the urge for something to tide us over until dinner, we made a short detour into San Simeon and stopped at Sebastian's General Store and Cafe.  Imagine a cute and rustic cafe seemingly in the middle of nowhere with an inviting deck, congenial staff (owners?), and a delicious soup.  You're imagining Sebastian's Cafe.

It's a short trip from the cafe to the elephant seal refuge. 

Sweet Tooth Mushrooms and Black Truffles in Curry County, Oregon

Sweet Tooth Mushrooms and Black Truffles - what could they possibly have in common?  They are both here in Curry County this February. 

The Sweet Tooth Mushroom is like a hedgehog on steroids - see our post Hedgehogs 101. They are a favorite of locals who tend to consider them an entirely different mushroom from a hedgehog.  Our friend Curt brought a bag full of them to the office the other day, and at this size, it didn't take long for him to fill the bag!  Curt typically finds the sweet tooth mushroom around 200-250 feet elevation in the Cape Sebastian area.  Every year he returns to the same patch, and claims that the mushrooms have moved over about 25 feet and straight up.  Here in the Port Orford area, we're still finding hedgehogs peeking through a thick cover of oak leaves, although they are the  much smaller cousin of these sweet tooths, with caps averaging 3/4 to 1" in diameter.  

The "Sweet Tooth" Mushroom: Hedgehogs  on Steroids!

 

Truffles or moon rocks?

Our 2011 Winner: Maple Mushroom Creme Brulee with Crispy Bacon

"A mushroom creme broulee? Really? How daring!"  That was our immediate reaction when we received Cheryl Perry's winning recipe a few weeks ago.  Dessert items are rare indeed for our contest, and we'd be less than candid if we didn't admit to some doubts.  But of course, we had to try it, and the sooner, the better.

It turned out to be delicious.  It was sweet but not too sweet, had precisely the right consistency, and definitely had a distinct, mushroomy flavor along with a lovely light chocolate color.  It was one of the most original mushroom recipes we've seen, and we are very proud that it is our 2011 winner!

Congraulations to Cheryl who created our winning recipe! 

New Hope in Mushroom Poisonings

Clinical trials are now under way to determine the effectiveness of a new treatment for the unfortunate few people each year who consume poisonous mushrooms containing the deadly amatoxin.  The program is led by two doctors from Dominican Hospital in Santa Cruz, California, an important mushrooming area of the Golden State, and uses Legalon-Sil, a European antidote derived from the common milk thistle. 

Initial results are very positive.  So far, three persons in the US have been treated under the study, and all three are doing well. 

This is great news for the mushrooming community.  Even though deadly poisonings are very rare among experienced and properly cautious mushroomers (hopefully, that includes all of our readers!), it seems that every year there is at least a case or two, sometimes more.  Such cases were usually fatal.

Please read the article in the Santa Cruz Sentinel.  Here's a link:

http://www.santacruzsentinel.com/localnews/ci_15052836?source=email

 

New Taylor Lockwood Video

Taylor F. Lockwood is, in our humble opinion, the best mushroom photographer on the planet, and that's really saying something.  There have been quite a few outstanding photographers who have chosen to pursue mushrooms as there nain quarry, but Taylor is simply in a class by himself.

As we've gotten to know him over the years, we've recognized that he is much more than that: smart, knowledgeable, relentless, a born perfectionist, and hugely entertaining.  Combine those attributes with his skill with a camera, and good things can't help but result.

To add to his prior accomplishments - books, calendars, videos, etc., he has recently added Mushrooms of America.  This hour-long video is beautiful, informative, funny and surprising, and it will leave you grinning at the same time as you ponder just exactly how Taylor find such absolutely perfect specimens to photograph.  I've talked with him for hours and seen several of his lectures, and I still can't do it.  Oh, well, it certainly gives me (and perhaps you) something to strive for.  Here's a link to his website:

www.kingdomoffungi.com/a_pages/moa/moa/dvd.php.

Logging Helps Matsutakes?

A recent article in Oregon Business described winter thinning operations in the Crescent Lake area, a legendary spot for Matsutakes, that are part of a multi-year study being conducted by Oregon State University and the Forest Service.  The theory is that forest floors that are only 40% to 70% covered by forest canopy are ideal for Matsutake growth.  Maybe, and the reduction of fire risk would seem to be an additional benefit.  It will be interesting to see the conclusions of the study when they're available.  One refreshing aspect is that even thinking about mushroom habitat is a welcome departure for this oft-maligned agency.  Here's a link:

http://www.oregonbusiness.com/articles/94-january-2011/4579-study-examines-mushroom-habitat