Mushroom Minute: Matsutakes and More
This post is part of our Fall Blog Blitz! For the next few weeks, we’ll be bringing you special posts in support of our Slow Food Fall Membership Campaign. Come back often for more recipes, photos, tips, and resources as we celebrate Slow Food in all its forms!
Slow Food membership supports sustainable food production, teaching children how to grow food, preserving traditional foods, and celebrating food cultures. Together we are linking the pleasure of good food with a commitment to local communities and the environment. There is a place for you at our table here in our local Seattle chapter. Join now!
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Fall is a great time for mushrooms, and so here is a quick round-up of some local mushroom news.
The Last Season, a documentary about two matsutake mushroom hunters, will be showing at 4pm at SIFF on Saturday, September 20. From SIFF's website: "Amid the bustling world of Central Oregon's wild mushroom hunting camps, two former soldiers discover the means to gradually heal their wounds of war, bonding over the search of the elusive and lucrative matsutake mushroom."
Speaking of matsutakes, before or after you watch them hunted at SIFF, pick some up at Foraged and Found at University District Farmers Market (Sat) or West Seattle or Ballard (Sun) as they should be in now.
Becky Selengut's cookbook Shroom is out now. If you get some matsutakes this weekend, you could try out her recipe for grilled ones with rosemary and lemon. Or maybe Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Matsutakes and Lemon. Or both. For a sneak peek at some of the recipes from her book for other mushrooms, check out this post on her publisher's blog. The post includes recipes for Roasted Chanterelles with Bacon and Sweet Corn Sauce; Black Trumpet and Roasted Poblano Chilaquiles with Crema; King Trumpet “Scallops” with Carrot Purée, Leek, and Parsley Vinaigrette; and Shiitake-Noodle Salad with Nuoc Cham and Herbs. If that list doesn't make you hungry...well, I don't know what to tell you.
Here's also a quick interview with Becky AND in case you ever asked yourself "What kind of mushroom would I be were I a mushroom?" she can help you answer that question right here in this handy flow chart.
Our tickets for our November event with Becky and The Mushroom Hunters author Langdon Cook will be going out for pre-sale this week to members, and then open up to public if space available sometime next. Keep an eye out!
If you are interested in learning more about foraging edible mushrooms, the best (and safest!) place to start is with our friends at the Puget Sound Mycological Society.
For a free event that's not necessarily focused on identifying exclusively edible mushrooms, but will give you a great overview of how the kingdom of fungi works and how they contribute to healthy biodiversity, check out this free mushroom walk with Seattle Parks.
