The Beauty of Mushrooms
Many mushrooms love rainy and balmy temperatures and depending on the annual rainfall, late summer is the best time to hunt for mushrooms around the Northwest, Midwest and even on the East Coast. On the West Coast the mushroom season is best during the fall when the rains are heavy. On the West Coast as well, mushroom hunting and foraging can last clear into the winter since the rains keep them thriving. When the temperatures get colder, the mushrooms tend to go dormant.
Wild mushrooms are a natural resource and knowing which mushrooms to pick and find you can add a wild range of new additions to any dish. Before you head out and just pick and choose mushrooms, you may want to pick up some literature on which mushrooms are the best ones to choose.
Over at Backyard Nature, they go into detail about what mushrooms are best and what mushrooms to stay away from right in your own backyard.
At Mykoweb they offer an extensive mushroom identification guide that any newbie to mushroom foraging can’t live without.
Try this mushroom recipe:
Fungi with Olive Oil
3 cups diced mushrooms of your choosing
2 cups white wine vinegar
1 cup of extra virgin olive oil
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 red onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, finely minced
Blanch the mushrooms for three minutes in boiling water. Drain and transfer to a bowl. Add some vinegar and the chopped veggies. Pour in the olive oil and combine till everything is mixed together. Store in a cool location till ready to serve.
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Earthly Eating Recipe
Stuffed Shells
Serves: 4
16 jumbo pasta shells
13 ounces marinara sauce
15 ounces extra firm tofu, drained
1/2 medium onions, peeled and quartered
1/2 lb. spinach leaves, steamed, drained and chopped
1/4 chopped fresh basil leaves
2 cloves garlic, peeled
2 tbs. to 1/4 cup of olive oil
1 tbs. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cook pasta shells according to the way the package directs. Drain and rinse under cold water.
Spread 1/2 cup marinara sauce over the bottom of a 9×13-inch baking dish.
Put the tofu and the remaining ingredients minus the marinara sauce, shells and cheese in a food processor and puree adding oil as needed.
Transfer the tofu mixture to a 1 gallon sized sealed plastic bag and snip off the bottom corner of the bag and use as a piping bag to fill the shells with about 3 tbs. Arrange the shells in a baking dish and drizzle with the marinara sauce. Bake for 20 minutes covered with foil. Remove the foil and sprinkle the with cheese and bake for another 5 minutes or until the cheese melts.
Happy Eating!
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