Monday, November 23, 2009

The Mother Lode!

A cluster of oyster mushrooms like this one will gladden the heart of any woods worker, and these delicacies can grace your table any month of the year after rains dampen the wood on wounded or dying trees. I keep a sharp knife in my pocket just in case I run onto a batch of these beauties when I am out. I also keep string in my vest so I can lash my knife to a stick and reach mushrooms up the trunk too far for my arms.

Unfortunately, this batch of fresh, ultra-prime oysters was not in the woods; it was in the front yard of a home in Albion, Illinois. I went around the block, stopped and took my photos, and bid a sad good-bye to the best bunch of mushrooms that I have ever seen.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Were you not so scrupulous a fellow, how would you have prepared these items? -gsc1039

David aka True Blue Sam said...

Normally, you would rinse these to remove the little black and red beetles that like to eat them, but this batch was so fresh there were no bugs. Refrigerate what you will use in the next week; blanch and freeze the rest. They also can be dried, but they don't dry as well as morels. We like them sauteed and served with the main course, but they can also be added to pizza, omelettes or scrambled eggs. Mrs. TBS makes the most incredible mushroom soup with oysters that I bring home. Your imagination is your only limit.

It is good to hear from you again; I was beginning to worry about you. EJ just bought a house in Chicagoland, and is coming south to visit the farm for Thanksgiving. He has been very busy at work with numerous projects, and has not been posting on his blog. I hope that you and your family have a great Thanksgiving. Thanks for writing!