Sunday, October 23, 2011

October: grey and overcast with some orange leaves

This is about 2lb of chanterelles that I picked in a secret location up here. The chanterelle is one of the more eagerly desired of the wild mushrooms, with a scent of apricots while raw and a mild-to-peppery mushroom taste. So far I made some mushroom risotto (okay) and some mushroom cream sauce over chicken (good). I'm going to have to use up the rest on some quiches.

I went with one of my new co-workers. I have just arrived at my final job destination, and it's as true here as anywhere else in my particular job role at my company: hunting, fishing, cooking, outdoors. These things are incredibly popular. Easy to make friends when everyone shares your passions.

But isn't mushroom hunting dangerous?

Well, yes and no. The chanterelle can only be mistaken for a few other species. One is the false chanterelle, which doesn't taste as good but is still edible (disappointing dinner). The other is the jack o lantern, which is poisonous but not deadly, but tastes delicious. They say people have been poisoned multiple times by jack o lanterns, as they taste so good gosh dern it, they couldn't have been poisonous! Anyway, I digress:

It takes a real good hunter to distinguish between all of the little brown mushrooms you see, which is why I stick to the delicious easy ones (morels, chanterelles, and I'd love to find some tasty boletes).

Have guidebook, will repeat.


M: I made apple pie cookies. They're pies! The size of cookies! Shockingly, I did not come up with this on my own. It's an idea from one of my favorite food blogs, Smitten Kitchen.


In the Pacific Northwest, even the coffee is trees. Swear this was not modified in any way, this is what remained in a french press cup of joe after I done drank the joe out of it.


M: And these are dead now, but I bought a dozen lovely dahlias at Pike Place Market that are worth sharing. They were an explosion of red and yellow; even the scent was peppery. They made me smile.