Farm Lesson #6: Wash dried mushrooms before you cook them
Everything seems to grow in Oregon, everywhere, all the time. This includes a variety of different mushrooms that are very popular in this region. Some people go "mushrooming" in the nearby forests to forage for hidden fungi treasures. We stuck with Market of Choice to begin our mushroom experimentation. The above picture shows some re-hydrated morels that I used in some paella (recipe to follow soon). Apparently, the hot water used to re-hydrate the shrooms can into a delectable broth to use in cooking. It was fragrant and nutty and rich, and full of dirt and sediment at the bottom of the pan. Hence, the reasoning behind my new rule.
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| Why look! These popped up in the yard! Maybe we'll try some and see what happens! |
Mushrooms aren't the only thing growing in our yard. There is a patch of ground which was occupied by some petunias this summer outside the kitchen. I have great plans to convert the bed into an herb garden, but while I have been procrastinating this endeavor, a mountain of plant species have voluntarily sprouted up without warning. It is like a jungle in there - honestly, it kind of scares me. I have no idea what most of the plants are, but I do know the light green leafy guy on the left side of the picture is called hemlock and it has an ancient claim to fame: it was the plant used to poison Socrates! Woah. We have really got to clean up the herb garden.
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| There was seriously only dirt here before! |
