Foraging for favorites

[gfron1]

Doing my research on dimorphocarpa wislizeni (white flowered mustard) which has a strong wasabi flavor when fresh. Sweet mustard in liquid. And yeasty rye when dehydrated.

[Smithy]

Fresh bay leaves!  Look at the difference between the new-spring leaves and older leaves from the same bush. They're all fragrant.

 

 

 

[Shelby]

Nice find, Smithy!!!  I hope you loaded up!

[Smithy]

Nice find, Smithy!!!  I hope you loaded up!

I started out with a pocket's worth of them, and then found a hedge where whole branches had been trimmed off by a brush trimmer. Woohoo! There's a bunch hanging like mistletoe inside our trailer, another in a vase (but not putting out much aroma as I'd hoped) and more drying off before I wrap it for freezing. The young leaves have a lovely, delicate scent.

[ElsieD]

I used to have an indoor bay plant. It was great just being able to clip off a leaf or two when needed. I had it for maybe 5 years and then became so spindly I had to get rid of it. I took off all of the leaves and just let them dry naturally here there and everywhere. I had enough to fill two 1 quart mason jars and that too lasted quite a while.

[Smithy]

We were in dire danger of whacking our heads on the bay bouquet every few minutes, so I've put almost all the leaves in a sealed bag in the freezer.  The interesting thing is that the new spring leaves were starting to curl, unlike the mature leaves.  I'm looking forward to trying some of the spring leaves to see what difference it makes in cooking.

[Paul Bacino]

Recently

 

Found a few of these..Pheasant back Mushrooms

 

 

 

 

 

[Darienne]

I need to ask a question about fiddle-heads.  Every year we have a huge patch of what I would call fiddle-heads on the farm.  They grow into huge green ferns later in the season.

 

Are these the ferns which grow from the kind of fiddle-heads that folks eat?  Is there such a thing as a non-edible fiddle-head?  I'd be afraid to cook and eat them until someone could answer these questions.

 

Thanks.

[Tri2Cook]

Hard to tell from the picture but those look right to me, they have the broader fronds. Look for a woody stalk in the area where they're growing that remains standing after they die back for the winter. Keep an eye on the area around it. Once the shoots start coming up, check to see if the curls have brown papery stuff on them. Also look for a deep channel/groove in one side of the stalk. Wish I could be more helpful than that. I pick them every year but I was shown the right ones by someone who knows what they're doing. There are ferns that are considered toxic but they don't have the brown papery stuff on the curls and don't have the groove in the stem. The fiddleheads do go from emerging, to perfect for eating, to "you missed 'em this year" in a surprisingly short amount of time.

[Darienne]

Thanks so much for the information, Tri2Cook.  I have also now done a bit of Googling, and between that and your information, I should have a better idea.  There are a couple of curled fronds which have come up already and tomorrow I'll have a closer look at them.  Maybe pick them...take a photo and post it on this thread.  Maybe I can find someone locally who will look at them for me.  We have this huge patch of ferns, year after year, and I've always been leery of picking them and eating them.

 

...There's a local naturalist, very knowledgeable, author of books on the local area.  He's the man one contacts when something interesting happens locally.  I seem to spot unusual things on our farm quite often.  Maybe he knows someone near by who might help in this case.  That would make me feel much better.

Edited May 6, 2015 by Darienne (log)

[Tri2Cook]

If they have the brown "paper" and the groove/channel, I'd be comfy saying you have the right fern. Another thing, at least around where I live, is they're always near water or wet areas. I've never found them too far from wet soil.

[Darienne]

Have the camera at the ready for the daily round the farm walk.   Will report back.  Thanks so much for sharing, Tri2Cook. 

[Darienne]

There aren't a lot of fiddleheads out yet, and those that I saw yesterday are already past that stage.  But the ones I did see are growing out of a brown papery husk-like covering and have a deep groove on their interior side.

However I still feel really queasy about the entire project.  I think I'll fall back to the 'asking an expert to come out to the farm to look' option. 

 

Thanks for the help, Tri2Cook.  It's a good start.

[Tri2Cook]

I showed your picture to the person who showed me which ones to pick. She (who has been picking them for 40 years and was taught by her mom who was taught by her mom... etc.) says if they definitely have the brown papery material on the coiled up portion, that's them. The groove looks exactly right but she doesn't see any of the brown papery husk material in the picture. She agrees that asking someone local who can see the actual plants is probably the best idea. Not seeing any of that papery material on even the smallest, most tightly curled examples makes her not comfy saying yes, that's them based on the picture.

[dcarch]

Why not just buy some and compare?

 

dcarch

[Darienne]

Thanks Tri2Cook and dcarch for your posts.  No, I did not see any paper husky bits on top of the few curled ferns there, just around the bottom.  And yes, I might try buying some next time in town and comparing.  And I still have the option of finding a local pro to ask.

 

And T2C, thanks for going that extra mile and showing my photo to your local pro.

 

I'll watch that patch carefully.  (but not for the next few days...our dog is repairing from 2 ACL injuries and it's just too far to walk there and back each day as of yet)

[Tri2Cook]

I'm the recipient of well-intentioned foraging. A friend brought these by. About 5 lbs. of what he was calling black morels. I told him they were in fact beefsteak "morels" and risky for eating. He insisted they were fine, that he'd been eating them for years, and that I keep them. I said "thanks but I won't eat these". He said "I don't need them, I have another 10 - 12 lbs. in the car". I then explained the potential dangers of this particular mushroom. I don't think I convinced him. The evidence, as applies to him, was on his side. He's never had a problem from eating them. I know people do eat them but I'm not brave when it comes to risky mushrooms... these are destined for the trash can.

,



 

[Shelby]

I've never seen morels like that.  Do they smell like the regular ones?

[Tri2Cook]

I've never seen morels like that.  Do they smell like the regular ones?

They're generally listed among the false morels. They don't look at all like an actual morel other than the ridges and valleys in the cap. Even they aren't even the same though. The smell is reminiscent of morels to an extent but easily recognized as different. Apparently boiling them greatly reduces the toxin they contain. The problem, outside of an immediate reaction, is the toxin is thought to be cumulative and can build in the body through repeated consumption until one day the mushroom that never hurt you suddenly hurts you. The descriptions I've read of the potential immediate reaction is sufficient to kill my curiosity, it sounds really unpleasant. They're apparently pretty commonly eaten without problem though. I tend to be a bit of a risk taker most of the time but I don't mess around when it comes to wild mushrooms.

 

[Shelby]

Went out on my property and picked some Sand Hill plums this morning.

 

 

 

Going to try my hand at making some jelly later.  

[cyalexa]

Went out on my property and picked some Sand Hill plums this morning.

 

Going to try my hand at making some jelly later.  

 

 

I have those at my place too. I don't make anything with them but do keep a bowl on the counter for snacking on like cherries. This year however, almost every fruit has insect damage and they are too small and too juicy to eat around the damage. 

[boudin noir]

Just picked about 3 pounds of black trumpet mushrooms.

[gfron1]

One of the perks for me of foraging in the Gila Wilderness is that I sometimes run into surprises. This morning I was way off trail and stumbled into an old cliff dwelling with a bunch of grinding holes.

[Darienne]

Terrific gfron1.  I envy you.

 

[gfron1]

well this was a hugely unexpected find this morning! Near a warm spring and the first time I've ever seen a lions mane (Hericium Erinaceus) in my area.