SUMMER OYSTER MUSHROOM MADNESS (Pleurotus pulmonarius) = Treasure of the woodlands (found on 8/1/19 Hudson Valley, NY)

These beauties were growing on dead ash trees in a forested flood plain (now dry). So many (!) of them peeking out to see us, we left much abundance behind. And still gathered plenty to keep me busy processing for a few hours. I decided to bake them lightly coated with olive oil for about 15 minutes at 350 degrees, flipping them at about 8 minutes. Some we ate right from the oven but the majority (after baking) I stuffed into pint glass jars with a clove of garlic, a pinch of dried ginger, celtic sea salt (1/2 tablespoon per pint); and tamari, org. apple cider vinegar and org. olive oil to completely cover the mushrooms. I’ll store these in the refrigerator to savor over the next couple months.

These saprobic, white rot fungi grow in clusters off dead or living trees (in our case dead ash), see first photo above. Range: North America.

 Whitish shelf-like cap can be: 1.2–4 inches across lung-shaped (hence its scientific name) to fan-shaped or semicircular in outline.

Gills: Running down the stem (if stem is present); close or nearly distant; short-gills frequent; whitish.

Stem: can be absent, a nub or very short.

For more identification info check Mushroom Expert: http://mushroomexpert.com/pleurotus_pulmonarius.html

MUSHROOM SERIOUSNESS: A mushroom mistake can be fatal. You must triple confirm your id, and with an experienced mushroomer in person, before you consume any fungi.

Having heralded that warning, what mushrooms have you been finding lately?

Grateful to the fungi!

Today's pawpaw: a visual essay with ice cream option.

Today's pawpaw: a visual essay with ice cream option.

Pawpaw fruit (Asimina triloba) ready for eating as detected by its alluring tropical odor and soft-to-the-touch skin. Notice the color of the skin turns from light green to slightly yellow with a few brown spots when ripe. This is when I prefer to eat them. Note: although not my preference, some folks wait until the skin turns a grayish-brown-black before eating. 

A view of the inside of the fruit. 

Inedible black seeds removed from edible fruit flesh. Seed can be planted right away, or stored in the refrigerator for future planting. For more information on planting seeds and cultivation of trees  click here or here or here. For more information on pawpaws in general click here.

Remove the flesh from the inedible skin with a spoon or your mouth. 

The delicious custardy pawpaw flesh is now ready for eating fresh as is; or made into ice cream. BTW, the pawpaw packs an impressive nutritional profile: 3 oz of fruit supplies more than half of our daily iron needs and over a third of our daily magnesium needs! That's a lot of nutrient density for a fruit. Click to see more nutritional information. 

Recipe from Foraging & Feasting: Field Guide and Wild Food Cookbook, by Dina Falconi; illustrated by Wendy Hollender

Recipe from Foraging & Feasting: Field Guide and Wild Food Cookbook, by Dina Falconi; illustrated by Wendy Hollender