Mad about Mushrooms . . .

Dreaming of truffles? Australian truffles may be your dream come true!

It’s been some time since the lovely Linda presented me with a small chest of tempting truffle products: Truffles and Salt, Acacia Honey and Truffles, and Carpaccio of Truffles. It’s such a pleasure when company comes to add these delicacies to the appetizer table for special friends to savor. Given the price and scarcity of truffles, these little wonders are always welcomed by our guests.

Having said that, I have to rejoice at the news that black truffles may soon become more available and perhaps more reasonable in price, thanks to information contained in a recent BBC news release about the rise of Australia as a truffle producer.

Mushroom Log Cultivation, thanks to the folks at Fungaia Farm

We had the good fortune to attend a presentation on "The Art of Cultivating Mushrooms on Logs" at the Wild Rivers Mushroom Festival on November 3, 2019.  Levon Durr, owner of Fungaia Farm, a family run farm in the foothills of Humboldt County, instructed and offered insight into the mystery of log farming. 

Captivating his audience with not only his knowledge but also his ability to share that knowledge, Levon offered both instruction and demonstration.   Attendees walked away with a fully inoculated alder log and the directions on how to care for it over the upcoming months.

We've decided to share these instructions with you, dear reader, and encourage you to purchase your plug spawn and other supplies directly from Fungaia Farm.  Check out their workshops, videos and activities in mycoremediation.  You are sure to find them helpful and encouraging.  We did!

 Levon's a captivating speaker who enthusiastically shares his experience.

 

Does the world really need another cookbook, especially a mushroom cookbook?

That certainly is a worthwhile question to ask, and that is exactly what I asked myself when I heard that the Wild Rivers Mushroom Club in Brookings, OR was going to publish their own cookbook.   After all, it's a relatively small club in a rather remote area.  What can they possibly bring to the table?

Well, it seems that they can bring a lot, a lot of which is the sweetness of a personal collection of recipes, complete with individual photographs and compelling stories. 

The more remote southern Oregon coast is renowned for
spectacular, natural beauty.

November, 2019's Recipe of the Month: Shelburne Inn's Chicken Stew with Wild Mushroom Dumplings

Once again the Long Beach Peninsula is hosting their Wild Mushroom Celebration, and you're invited.  As their website announces:

The annual celebration is a culinary and cultural event honoring the Pacific Northwest’s delectable, edible wild mushrooms. The six-week celebration features expert-led hikes through an Oregon state park, chef-inspired menus at some of the Long Beach Peninsula’s finest restaurants and lodging specials at acclaimed inns and vacation rentals.

We're joining in the celebration in our own special way.  We're preparing a satisfying Chicken Stew with Wild Mushroom Dumplings, created by Laurie Andersen of The Shelburne Inn (the longest continuously operating hotel in Washington State) and China Beach Retreat. 

If you don't find yourself in the Long Beach area before November 15 when the festivities wind down, consider this recipe the next best thing to everything mushroom on the Peninsula.

These freshly cleaned white chanterelles
would be a great choice for the dumplings.