I canned the Chanterelles...

Since I've never eaten a Chanterelle mushroom before, I cooked up a small amount and ate them.  Very nice flavor and I didn't die.  After watching a few YouTube videos, I chose to pressure can the rest of them.

First, I divided them into smaller pieces and put them with 1 cup of water in my cast iron skillet.

Then, on medium - high heat, and stirring, I cooked them until they were cooked "down."  It only took a few minutes.

I packed them into two half - pint jars, leaving an inch of head space and covering them with the liquid from the pan.  Each jar has 1/4 teaspoon of salt as well.

They were processed at 10 pounds of pressure for 30 minutes.  (Consult a good canning guidebook.)

Here they are!  I am thinking that some day I will fry them in a little butter and serve with potatoes, some meat and green beans. That will be a special meal!

Chanterelle Mushrooms!

Last year, I saw these mushrooms growing near my woodland path and thought they were Jack-O-Lantern mushrooms, which are toxic.  I was out walking in the woods yesterday and saw them again, so did some research and found out I was wrong!  These are Chanterelles.  I brought in three quarters of a pound.  I'm very excited about it.  I've been collecting Oyster mushrooms for a few years here, and now I've found another edible mushroom.  If YOU find some that look like this, the first thing to do is break open a stem.  The inside of the stem should be a creamy white, NOT the same color as the outside of the mushroom.  Then, check the gills.  Chanterelles do not have true gills. Lastly, try pulling one apart lengthwise.  It should come apart similar to string cheese.  Don't take my word for it. Mushrooms can be very dangerous.  Do your own research.  Ideally, find a mushroom expert.  Be very careful, please.  These grow in hardwood forest on the ground, not on trees.

Homemade Cream of Mushroom Soup!

The weather has been such, lately, that I have been able to forage a lot of oyster mushrooms.  I had two pounds of them in the refrigerator that I needed to use up, so here is what I did to make the Cream of Mushroom Soup.

The ingredients:

First, chop the mushrooms.

Next, melt 1/4 cup butter in a heavy skillet (mine is cast iron.)

Then stir and saute the mushrooms...

until they are tender and look like this:

There will still be some liquid in the pan. Next,

stir in the chicken broth and then the arrowroot 

powder in water (see recipe below.)

Keep stirring until it simmers and thickens.  Then,

stir in 1/2 cup evaporated milk, 1.5 teaspoons salt

and a few cranks of freshly ground black pepper.

Last, transfer the soup to a mixing bowl, and using

a stick blender, blend it nicely.

Voila!  You can also blend it in a regular blender or

a food processor, but the stick blender makes it

so very quick and easy!

Here is the recipe:

Homemade Cream of Mushroom Soup

2 pounds cleaned mushrooms of your choice

1/4 cup butter

6 Tablespoon arrowroot powder (or corn starch)

1/2 cup water

3 cups broth (I used homemade chicken stock)

1/2 cup evaporated milk (or cream)

Chop the mushrooms and saute them in the butter until tender.

Add the broth and then the arrowroot mixed into the water.

Stir and bring to a simmer until thickened.

Add the salt, pepper and evaporated milk and combine well.

Pour the soup into a bowl and blend with a stick blender.

Enjoy!

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Are you tired of tips yet? - Saving salad....

When I make a tossed salad of raw vegetables, I usually make quite a bit, and it lasts for a few days for us.  Then, once in a while, it doesn't get eaten before it starts to oxidize and look rather pathetic. It would not be a bad thing to eat it, but it just doesn't look very nice, if you understand...

This morning, I chopped up some oyster mushrooms that I had gathered and part of a red onion that was in the refrigerator and mixed it together with the salad (leaf lettuce, onion, radish, sweet peppers, celery, carrots) and I stir fried it all in extra-virgin olive oil.  I cooked some brown rice in my Instant Pot and served it with Soy Sauce.

It was very good.  :)

A warm December = nice produce from the garden!

The weather has been nice and "warm" lately with plenty of rain.  Today I brought in some wonderful oyster mushrooms as well as carrots, a beet, Swiss chard and kale from the garden!  Supper will be good tonight!

Today's Oyster Mushroom haul...

The weather is cold and rainy... apparently perfect for Oyster Mushrooms!  I took my umbrella out and took a walk and found these wonderful specimens.