At the edge of the clearing, there's a break in the bushes and a hidden path that leads to a secret canyon filled with mushrooms.
The head of the path is guarded by a thick crop of Stinging Nettle. The nettles burn something terrible when they brush against my skin and the pain lingers for days. Today I'm prepared with gloves and long sleeves and pants.
Cooking the nettles destroys the stinging properties and converts the plant into a delicious and highly nutritious thing to eat.
Down in the canyon, there are Chantrelles everywhere!
Because of the heavy amount of rain lately, many of the mushrooms are waterlogged too wet to take.
The biggest one. He's got a few warts and he's past his prime so we leave him here.
Here's our morning's pick - Nettles and Chantrelles - and now we'll make a little lunch.
Mushrooms cleaned and laid out to dry.
I use tongs to handle the nettles and scissors to trim them.
Garlic, shallot, and chantrelles.
The nettles go into a pot of boiling water for a few minutes. The stingers are still intact when cooked but are no longer active.
Just a little butter, salt, and pepper.
A proper lunch is not complete without a glass of wine.
There is something very satisfying about cooking food that you have found yourself. When I get sick of regular life, maybe I'll just move off the grid for a while and live off berries and mushrooms and all the other good things out there too eat.
3 comments:
um..this is like your best post evrrrrr....
i am takin the kid off the grid soon..cant take it no mo...xxxxcass
yummm, can't wait for spring . . . ramp and fiddlehead hunting!!!
you know for all the blogs that post what they ate the night before or whatever fancy shit they blew all their money on, this is the best what-we-ate post ever cause you went out and picked that shit yourselves.
makes me proud like when my husband catches a fish in our backyard (aka the ocean) and we eat it for dinner. all for living off the land.
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