Fresh Ginger

wild mushrooms and ramps

Well, I never did find any morels when I finally got up North. But I did find some in my backyard. Strangely enough this one was over by the apple tree growing among the periwinkle. I snapped it up too fast to take a photo of it still attached to the ground.

The morels in the middle center(the gray ones), I found in the backyard at least 2 weeks later as I was removing some wood from the dwindling pile. Below is the first view I saw of them and I let out a little shout of glee when I saw them.

Can you see them?

No? Look closely, underneath the stick in the middle with the bark torn off. I have the mushroom eye! You can go to flickr to see a larger version. Here they are after I removed the sticks and leaves.

How did I cook them up? My favorite way. Toss them in a little flour (rice flour these days), fry them in butter with a bit of garlic (since I had no wild leeks/ramps yet) add a bit of fresh thyme, salt and pepper. Once slightly crispy, put them on a plate and hope you don’t have to share! Earthy, shroomy goodness at it’s best. I managed to eat them before even thinking of sharing the moment with the camera - sorry!

During the trip up North, I did, however, find wild leeks - they were already winding down their seasonal greeness. The vegetation dies off after spring and sends something like a garlicscape up and in the fall it turns into a seed pod - sort of like a chive blossom allowed to go to seed. I tell you this in case you can’t get into the woods until this fall and want to go looking for them them. They are just as tasty, just harder to find in the fall.

They smell so great. I have them in my fridge right now. In the background of the second photo is one block of a tart cherry orchard. I was thinking of making wild leek and potato soup, but it seems a bit warm for that kind of comfort food now that it is June. I could pickle them. I will probably saute them with some asparagus and butter and toss them with some gf pasta. No, I will probably make soup. I love soup. Look forward to that photo soon.

Here’s a view of the farm house from the wooded hill that supplied me with leeks. All around it are cherry and apple trees and no neighbors. This picture is looking West and beyond the hill about 2 miles as the crow flies lies Lake Michigan. Someday I will be able to live there again and have a small farm!