Mushrooms and More!

 Morel Mushrooms

One of the biggest Morels

    Hi everyone! It's mushroom season again. Winter is finally over and the beautiful blossoms of spring fill the air with incredible fragrance. I will just leave that picture with you and not mention all the pollen.  Have you ever heard of morel mushrooms?  My husband, yes, thats the mushroom guy, has been wanting to go on a morel hunt for a very long time, and we finally found a foray in Georgia. So, we made our plans with Gary, my Father-In-Law, our son Cian, Charles (the fun-guy) and myself, and headed to Forsyth, Georgia for the weekend. It was a 2 day hunt. Looking for morels can be difficult. It seems like they hide among the Ash trees and choose when they want to be found. There was about 20 of us on this foray. We really enjoyed making new friends and Charles finally got to talk to several mushroom heads, who spoke the same language as him. He was thrilled!

Gary's morel find.

        Cian was in the lead!      

                                                           It's Shiitake Season!

    Now we are back in Alabama getting ready for our mushroom season. We will be at Pepper Place Farmers Market on May 2nd. We will have our Shiitake's as well as fresh herbs and farm fresh eggs. We are really looking forward to this next season. We hope you guys will come out and join us. We will also be at several other markets in June. We will let you know those markets and dates soon.

Fresh Herbs

I don't know about you, but I love to cook with fresh herbs. I enjoy going out to my garden and picking whatever I need for a meal. I have Basil, Thyme, Rosemary, Oregano, Parsley, Mint, Cilantro, Chives, and there is more to come. We plan to have these fresh herbs available at the markets. There are so many recipes you can do with these herbs. One of the Shiitake guy's favorite's, is an italian dipping sauce. Just take an assortment of fresh herbs, a handful of each…Oregano, Parsley, Basil, and Thyme, then finely chop them up. Add about 6 garlic cloves crushed, more or less depending on your preference,  then add your favorite olive oil, and some salt and pepper. Take some warm crusty bread from the oven and dip till your hearts content. Enjoy!

JULY 4TH WEEKEND

Pepper Place Farmers Market

It was a great weekend! We had family and friends come down from Tennessee. We also worked the market 2 weeks in a row. That is unusual for us. We are always at the mercy of our mushrooms. The Shitake's decided to show more of themselves this time. With a little help from the harvested Chanterelles we sold out, now thats a good day!

The fungi (fun-guy) shooting fireworks with our niece, Amara.

A pink smoke bomb just for Moriah.

Watch out for that fire cracker!

The fungi (fun-guy) getting in on the action.

 We had our friends the Paul's join us on Sunday for some fellowship and fun.

 Playing winker with the Paul boys.

 Cian on the slip and slide.

Watch out! Here comes Ashton.

Aidan getting a head start.

Moriah's on the move.

                                                                                                     Cousins                                                         

Show us how its done, Andrew!

Phil and Becca playing chess, while Hosanna reads a book.

It was a full weekend for sure. Everyone headed back to Tennessee around 4:00. We spent the rest of the evening with our friends JJ and Suzie. 

JJ and Suzie

We should be back at Pepper Place July 19th and we are hoping to be there July 26th.  So keep you fingers crossed. We also plan to keep an eye out for Black Trumpets. I think the Chanterelles are starting to fade. So look for us in the big parking lot. See you there!

It's Mushroom season again!

      Hi everyone! Just wanted to let you know we are back at the market. It has been a long winter here in Montevallo, Alabama. We have been waiting for the weather to get warm enough for our mushrooms to wake up from a very long winter's sleep. We have only been able to do 2 markets so far. But the Shiitake guy just told me that we should be back in business soon.

      We had a great day on Saturday. Pepper Place was filled with people. It was nice to see old friends and meet new ones.

    

We will be back on the 28th of June and we are also shooting for the 5th of July. As we move towards the summer months we will have more details and available dates.

    This was a great eye catcher at the market. The logs looked like legs so we  added some shoes. Usually by the end of the market we are picking the mushrooms right off the logs to sell to our costumers.

      As some of you know we gather Chanterelle mushrooms. We will have them as well as the Shiitake's this season. They are different from the Shiitake mushroom. The Shiitake is a very meaty mushroom with an earthy flavor. Chanterelles are more mild to the taste and fragrant. Some people say fruity. You just have to try it for yourself. So come on out on Saturday, we look forward to seeing you.

 

SUMMER FUN!

Naqi and Hada at Cahaba River

Sit-ups at the pool? No thanks.

                           
      What a summer! The mushroom business was a success and the markets were great. We met lots of new people and made new friends. We also had our nieces come and stay with us. It was so much fun. We took them skating, to the river, the park, and the pool in Montevallo. It was a busy summer but we made some great memories. Now,  I think I'm ready to start school.  Did I just say that?  And did I mention I homeschool our 12 year old son? He will be in 8th grade this year. I'm sure it will be challenging. I do look forward to the routine a school schedule brings.

Naqi   Cian   Hadda   Amara

Looks like the golf cart ran out of juice

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Papa and Mema (thats my Dad and Mom) took the youngest grandkids to the science center in Birmingham.

Papa and Mema

This is what I walked into 5 minutes after they got home from the Science Center.

I think we have a pooped pop.

 These are the Grand kids that went to Science Center. Aren't they cute?

Cousins

Amara helping with dinner

  

Aiden

This Is Aiden. He is one of Cian's friends. We met him on the Ymca soccer team last year. He has 2  brothers, Ashton 11 and Andrew 9. Their Dad is Couch JJ. He coaches their soccer team. Their Mom is Suzie. Suzie is also a homeschool mom. We had a lot of fun with them over the summer and made lots of sweet memories.

Amara   Moriah   Andrew   Ashton

 These are Aiden's younger brothers at the skating rink. This was Moriah's first time on skates. She did very well.

This is Naqah my eldest niece. She came down for a visit one weekend. We decided to play clue. I almost won but the fun-guy, the one I call honey stole my accusation. Well... stole might be to hard a word. Hmm... no, stole is exactly what he did.

  

Summer was a real blast! Now it is time for schedules and lesson plans. I know that sounds boring, but it is really what you make of it, and I plan to make it fun. After all I am married to the fun guy. One last thing we will be at Pepper Place 2 more times this year before the season is finished for us and the mushrooms go to sleep. I also will be adding more recipes in my next post.

                                                                                  

Chanterelle Mushrooms

This month was a great success for our little mushroom business. We not only have grown and sold Shiitake mushrooms, but just recently Charles and our son Cian have started to harvest Chanterelles.







Chanterelles are considered a gourmet mushroom with a beautiful gold color.They have a tubelike shape, with a flowery appearance.
The Shiitake guy (yeah, thats my fun guy) says they have a unique fruity flavor. I can't tell. I have made several dishes with these mushrooms and they all taste different to me.

Ingredients for Chicken Marsala

So before we sell these beauties, the Mushroom man is going to want me to make something with them. I did tell you he likes to eat, right? And we all know he LOVES mushrooms.
                                                         We were having company for the weekend, so I thought this would be a good time to make something different. I decided to make a Chicken Marsala. This is one of my Dad's favorite dishes. I used both Shiitakes and Chanterelles. The smoky, earthy flavor of the Shiitakes and the rich, fruity flavor of the Chanterelles made this dish a real hit. It  also made Pops (my Dad) happy.
 

Ingredients:

2 Chicken breasts

2 cups of mushrooms (Shiitake, Chanterelles)

1 cup of heavy cream

1 cup of Marsala ( I only use Marsala imported from Italy) I'm Italian. What can I say!

2 cloves of garlic, minced

3 Tbs olive oil

salt and pepper to taste  (I use Natures Seasoning)

fresh parsley for garnish

Method:

1. Slice mushrooms and mince garlic.

2. Season both sides of the chicken breast.

3. Sauté the mushrooms and garlic in 2 Tbs olive oil, set aside.

4. Heat oil in pan over medium heat. Using tongs, lift chicken in and out of the oil to sear chicken and prevent it from sticking. Cook chicken just until golden and tender but not cooked through. 

5.  Add the mushrooms to the chicken

6.  Add the Marsala and the cream, reducing by half 5 to 10 minutes.

7. Transfer the chicken to a plate and top with the creamy mushroom Marsala sauce.

8. Garnish with chopped parsley and enjoy!

               

               Chicken Marsala with Shiitake and Chanterelle Mushrooms

              

The Mushroom Man and Mala at Pepper Place Market

Our friend Mala came down from Tennessee for a visit and decided to join us at the market. It was a good thing she did because we were so busy. We sold out by 10:30. It was a lot of fun watching her in action. We had a great time! Oh, did I mention we sell Shiitake logs?  It's a great hobby for anyone who has the time. People are amazed that you can grow mushrooms in logs. We grow ours in Oak and Sweet Gum. It is definitely a process and takes dedication. I have watched my Shiitake guy do this for 9 years. He not only has a green thumb but he is very in tune to his mushrooms.


The Markets we will be at in August:

August 10 Pepper Place
August 17 Valleydale
August 24 Pepper Place

 

Hope to see you there!

Pepper Place Farmers Market

This is the Shiitake Guy I was telling you about. He has a real passion for mushrooms. 

We are getting ready for the farmers market in Birmingham, Alabama. Our crop for this market was massive.  We really didn't expect to have such a large crop of mushrooms. We were both amazed. Our son Cian was very encouraging. He said, "I really think you guys will sell them all." We will see.

Pepper Place Farmers market

When we arrived at Pepper Place it was pouring down rain. We had a ton of mushrooms to sell and had never been to this market before. We were both a little skeptical, because it was raining and who wants to go out and shop in the rain. Several people where walking around with umbrellas. After a while the rain slowed down and more people came. There were several times we were crowded with eager mushroom lovers. Charles' Mother and her friend came by just in time to help us out. We had her filling up the baskets while I cooked and gave out samples and Charles bagged up the mushrooms for customers.

Shiitake Mushrooms 

This is how we grow our mushrooms using oak and sweet gum logs. We used this particular log as a display because it was unique. People are astounded by the way they grow. We have a lot of fun watching them walk by. We can see them processing what they are looking at and then hear them say,"Mushrooms! Wow, that is so cool."

I usually make samples for our customers to try. One of my favorites is shiitake fries.They are always a hit and everyone loves to try them. I had one little girl tell me she didn't like mushrooms. So I convinced her try a shiitake fry. She reluctantly did and after a couple of bites she smiled real big and said, "Oh my goodness, that does taste like a french fry."  As the rain continued through out the day people came out anyway. We had fun meeting new people and sold out of our mushrooms by 11:20. Yes, I would say, "It was a good day."

Shiitake Fries

Ingredients:

Olive oil 

sliced shiitake mushrooms

garlic powder

natures seasonings

Method:

Put your olive oil in a skillet. Let it get it pretty hot. Add your sliced shiitake mushrooms. Sprinkle more olive oil on the mushrooms. Season them with garlic powder and Nature's Seasonings. Don't hold back. Season those fries. Let them cook on one side till golden brown, then flip them over and let them brown on the other side. When they start to crisp up they are done. Tastes just like a french fry, but they are so much better for your health. No ketchup needed for these guys. Yummy!

Markets we will be at for the month of July:

Montevallo     July 1

Pepper place  July 6

Valleydale      July 13

Montevallo     July 15

Pepper place  July 27

Montevallo     July 29

Shiitake Mushrooms

      Hi, my name is Shiyrah.  I am the wife of the Mushroom man who is also known as the Shiitake guy or Mr. fungi (fun guy).  I just call him Honey. My honey loves to eat and I love to cook. So I cook and he eats. And everyone is happy. We have recently moved to Alabama and we really like it! This is our son Cian at the Montevallo Farmers Market. We are setting up to sell Shiitake mushrooms. Yes, we sell mushrooms! My Husband Charles has been growing Shiitake mushrooms for 9 years. The Shiitake Mushroom is a gourmet mushroom that is known for its medicinal qualities. It has a rich, smoky flavor that will tantalize your taste buds. I often use Shiitake's in place of meat. For example, the other night I was making spaghetti alla carbonara which has pancetta or bacon in it. I found a recipe for shiitake bacon and decided to try it. I used 3/4 tsp liquid smoke, 1/2 tsp smoked paprika, 1 tsp sesame oil, 1/4 tsp sea salt, 1 Tb olive oil, and about 2 cups of sliced shiitakes.  I marinated them for about 20 minutes, then put them on a cookie sheet in the oven to bake. After about 15 minutes I turned them over and baked them till they where crisp. I added the shiitake bacon to the spaghetti alla carbonara and asked myself, "Who will notice?" Well,  my carnivores did notice, but you can't blame me for trying. Here is the recipe. Bon appetit!

Spaghetti alla Carbonara

with Shiitake Mushrooms

Ingredients:

2 Tb olive oil

2 shallots, chopped fine

8 oz shiitake bacon

1/4 cup white wine

1/4 cup chicken broth

1 lb spaghetti (I prefer angel hair)

4 large eggs 

1 cup of freshly grated pecorino cheese 

some fresh parsley for garnish 

freshly ground pepper to taste

Method:

Heat your olive oil in a large skillet. Add shallots and sauté till translucent. Add the wine, bring to a boil and cook until reduced by half, 1-2 minutes. Add the chicken broth, bring to a boil and cook 2 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in your shiitake bacon while you cook the pasta. When the pasta is cooked drain it and add it to the skillet and place it back over medium high heat. Add the eggs, cheese, and black pepper and cook stirring vigorously until the pasta is well coated and creamy. "Buon cibo!"

Markets we will be at for the month of July:
Montevallo     July 1
Pepper place  July 6
Valleydale      July 13
Montevallo     July 15
Pepper place  July 27
Montevallo     July 29