CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE OF MUSHROOMS

Fungi and truffles are neither herbs, nor roots, nor flowers, nor seeds, but merely the superfluous moisture or earth, of trees, or rotten wood, and of other rotting things. This is plain from the fact that all fungi and truffles, especially those that are used for eating, grow most commonly in thundery and wet weather. Jerome Bock (Hieronymus Tragus) 1552

Two Seattle area couples joined Vaughn and me over the weekend at Sandy Point for some late season crabbing, fishing and good conversation. Dave and Betty arrived carrying a large box filled with several kinds of mushrooms and a mushroom soup recipe. We oohed and aahed and set the box aside as the sun was shining and the mission was to fish and crab for our evening dinner. George and Lynn, who were already here, had been shown their quarters in our detached "bunk house."

Soon George emerged in full fishing regalia ready for some serious hunting and gathering on the Strait of Georgia. The men left for the marina to board our 20-foot Trophy, with rods, pots and licenses. The women went beach combing, while I spent some quality time in the kitchen making a gravenstein apple pie.

Vaughn, George and Dave returned a few hours later fishless. However, they did catch three fine crab which we promptly cooked, adding them to our evening menu of steak, twice baked potatoes, corn on the cob, and salad. We sat out on the heated outdoor patio facing the sea, giving thanks for the view, abundance of good food and great fellowship.

We turned in early and awoke the next morning to cloudy weather and drizzle. George and Lynn had to leave early because of a family obligation. With fishing off the agenda the rest of us turned our attention to the box of mushrooms. It contained a pound or more of chanterelles, some puff balls, some shrimp russulas and a lobster mushroom which, because of its reddish color and shape, seemed well named.

My mushroom knowledge was restricted to the button variety found in our local QFC, and I looked skeptically at the various shapes and sizes in the box, not quite sure if they were safe to eat. Dave brushed aside my fears. He explained that he and Betty had gotten into mushroom gathering ten years earlier and were now well informed amateur mycologists. They had their favorite mushroom manuals with them, one of which was called The New Savory Wild Mushroom, by Margaret McKenney and Daniel Stuntz. The pages were filled with descriptions and pictures of every kind of mushroom both edible and non-edible, and I breathed a sigh of relief when I identified the mushrooms in the box as the former.

Dave said that the mushroom season had just started, explaining that they were best found in September, after a stint of cool, wet weather, and lasting until the first freeze. He added that mushroom hunting had so grown in popularity that thousands were now competing for these tasty fungi, and some "pot hunters" kept their favorite sites a closely guarded secret.

After Dave's mushroom mini-workshop, and under Betty's direction, we began the process of making mushroom soup. Cutting the mushrooms in small pieces took the most time. Putting together the ingredients, and cooking the soup took about 20 minutes. A half hour saw us sitting down to a great meal of soup, salad and rolls with more apple pie for dessert. It was a satisfying project for a cloudy and gloomy day, and I thought I just might take up a new hobby - that of amateur mycologist.

Dave turned me on to the Puget Sound Mycological Society Web Site in case I wanted to pursue a new hobby, that of musroom gathering. I checked out the site and found recipes, art projects and contests, identification classes, and more. There is a small annual fee to be a member of the society, and a $40 fee for identification classes, but other than the cost of gas it's a cheap and healthy form of entertainment. In fact, maybe we should just forget crabbing and go looking for edible fungi. Those three crab we caught probably had a value of $200.00 or more

If you are a hunter, or simply do your hunting at your nearby supermarket, here is a tasty mushroom soup recipe that I can guarantee will tantalize your taste buds.

BETTY'S AMAZING MUSHROOM SOUP

2 T. butter
2 T. olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
1 minced garlic clove
1 lb. sliced mushrooms (chanterelles, button, etc.)
6 cups of chicken stock
1 cup of dry white wine
3 T. tomato paste
2 cans of Cannelli beans
1/4 cup fresh minced parsley
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Melt butter and olive oil in a frying pan and saute the onions until soft, not brown. Add garlic and continue to saute. Add mushrooms. Saute until they begin to soften and release juices. Add remaining ingredients and simmer for 15 minutes. Serve with fresh parsley.

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BOOK NOOK

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mushroom_hunting

Wikipedia has an excellent article on mushroom hunting, the contents of which include identification, regional importance, guidelines, safety issues and commonly gathered mushrooms.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mycology

An overview of the study of mycology including the history and medicinal aspects.