Tuesday, November 23, 2010

Snow Day!

That patch of bare driveway was left after my poor husband had to go in to work today. One of the perks of being a teacher - snow days! Technically, today is more of an ice day. The valley floor got less than 1/2" but it had been so rainy and it is so cold now that the roads can be rather treacherous. The high today is supposed to be 32. It's currently 27. Getting snow this early in the year is rare for Eugene; I wonder if it's a portent of things to come.

Now we just have one school day before the Thanksgiving holiday. I'm so excited about my day at home to get ready for company on Thursday!

Sunday, November 21, 2010

Mushroom Tasting

We went to the annual Mushroom Festival at Mount Pisgah and my enthusiasm got the best of us. We ended up with three different kinds of mushrooms. (In addition to our weekly CSA ration, which is still almost all chanterelles with a few hedgehogs thrown in.)

Lobster Mushrooms

Lion's Mane Mushrooms

Buttercap Mushrooms

For dinner the night after the festival we had a "tasting". I sauteed each type separately in butter with a little bit of salt and garlic powder.

The lion's mane did not live up to its reputation (although I may have just not cooked it long enough). The little tentacle things provided a neat texture though. (I realize calling them tentacles detracts from their allure).

The buttercaps were a surprise treat. They were rich and delicious, rather...buttery? :) I can't seem to find mentions of them anywhere online (including Rain Forest Mushroom Company, who we purchased them from).

We'd heard so many crazy tales that place lobster mushrooms as one of the great delicacies of the natural world that I doubted they could possibly be true. Turns out, they were. Buttery, rich, meaty, tender, flavorful...I don't think I have enough adjectives for them. Eat these mushrooms every chance you get. :)

Our final order, out of the mushrooms we've experimented with are...
1)Lobster
2)Buttercap
3)Chanterelle
4)Lion's Mane

We got more chanterelles in our veggie box when we went and harvested our turkey today so it's a good thing we're mushroom fans. I'll have to post pictures when the turkey is cooked. We helped the farmer process 15 turkeys and we bought the second largest one, a beautiful 24 pound, biodynamically raised bird. Mmmmm...

Saturday, November 20, 2010

Hello World!

Wow! We've been busy. The last few weekends have all been completely full with commitments and we've had little time to relax long enough for me to have the energy to post. I'm hoping to get the "Great Mushroom Taste Test" and "My First Metalsmithing/Glassblowing Experiment" up this weekend.

Jenna at Cold Antler Farm posted a link to Victorian Farm on Youtube a few days ago. I really loved this show although it's a little sad to see how Victorian times were the start of modern farm practices that have evolved into the unhealthy industrial system of today. Warning, if you start watching it might be difficult to stop. :)

Q posted a couple of pictures of the bedside tables we are making. We need to sand everything down, finish making the drawers, glue them together and finish them with oil. So close and yet so far away. I was hoping by Thanksgiving. Christmas is probably more realistic.

We got our yearly leaf delivery so we've got most of the beds tucked in for the winter. We still have a couple yards of leaves left in the driveway though. Maybe onto the strawberry bed?


The measly squash harvest, collected before I ripped out the vines and covered the bed with leaves. This cool, wet summer really did in almost all of our crops. The celery stalks are small but still do the job so I've left the plants out there. I left the yellow squash and zucchini since they both still have fruit that might get a little bigger if the weather holds. Although this is unlikely...snow is forecast on the valley floor for Sunday night!