Rising with the Sun

Determined to get in a good hunt and hike before Martha at 11am, I woke up at 4:45 and was deep in the woods by 5:20. It was a great day, found some Morels and snapped some great pictures. I discovered new trails, several rivers and ponds and got lost... a lot. It's just too easy but I really do need to get a a compass or at least pay attention to where I'm going. It has been really nice this year because every time I head out for a hike, I am for the most part prepared. My pack includes a journal and pen for notes, several Zip-Lock bags for... well anything I might want to bring back, a pair of heavy duty shears and a knife. I also bring with a basket for collecting Spring onions and edible mushrooms, an old book and strap for pressing flowers and my field guides for identifying unfamiliar mushrooms. A camera is a must and I keep mine on hand in my breast pocket or basket. There have been too many times in previous years where I have found myself without it so I'm making sure to stay on top of having it with me, charged and ready. While I still need to add to my field supplies (a pocket saw, better knife, magnifying glass and I'm always looking for better field guides) I am really proud that I've been so diligent about being prepared for one of my favorite activities and I can make the most out of my time in the forest. Ok, I know I have been obsessed with Morels and the woods and whatnot but it is the season. I promise in the next few days to bake a cake or something, I will be starting a huge clean and reorganization of our apartment and I will document it all. I am going to be switching the bedroom with the craft room (we need more space for my projects and the bedroom is larger! Will Chris kill me? I swear he'll love it once he sees it. I'm off to spend some time with Chris and the kids. Can't wait for this thunderstorm to really get going.

FINALLY!

You will be glad to hear that I finally found Morels! It took forever but my patience (hahaha) was well worth the wait. Over the entire weekend I probably picked about 20 which is not bad for the first good hit of Spring. Saturday I woke up super early and was in the forests by 6am. It took me 8 hours before finding a really great spot, my new honey spot. I headed back there late this morning to see what had popped up overnight. After a few minutes of brushing the forest floor and seeing amazing polypori, a car pulled up. I was a little nervous about who would be intruding on "MY" forest. A father and son team headed into the woods on the other side of the road and later asked how my hunt was going. Luckily I had nothing exciting to report. If you don't know, "honey spots" are closely guarded secrets and most mushroom hunters won't give too much information away. The dad told me they had 14 from their previous areas and that they had seen people picking over the area we were in. More people know about this spot? AHH! Next week I will have to get there at 5AM! I spent about 45 minutes (maybe more... probably more) without anything. I pressed on despite the rain and even after the competing pair left. Finally I spotted the perfect tree from across the way and just knew I would be lucky. There were 8 spread out around the base of the dead Maple. I shrieked in excitement. I kept going but decided I had enough for dinner and a few extras for a friend. Next week should be fantastic, a little more rain and a lot more sun will do the trick. I want to organize a hunt with some friends but first need to secure some more spots. It would be heartbreaking and embarrassing to take others out with me and not find anything. Tonight, I will be sauteing the Morels in butter with a little salt and pepper. Yum!

BLAH

I really have absolutely nothing to report. Chris made dinner, I haven't cleaned anything, the dishes are piling up and I took a 4 hour nap this afternoon. I know, I am a total bum. Tomorrow I have to head to school to take placement tests, woohoo and that's about it. I hope that I come back motivated and ready to clean or bake or craft or something besides talk about my momentary obsession with Morels but now that we're on that topic I can't say enough how excited I am for the weekend rain. I think everyone at work secretly wants to kill me because rain and Morels and turning Philbert into a Mushroom Hunter is all I can talk about, that and my gas... you really don't want to know. Martha, slap me now for even mentioning that. Anyway I know everyone is probably sick and tired of hearing it but several trips without anything and several promised storms that never showed have me eager for one good hunt. I have been checking weather.com every hour and the rain is moving further into next week. We still have 40% chances Friday and Saturday but if we don't get rain those two days my chances will be shot. I'll be forced into afternoon hunts followed by rush hour traffic. There are worse things I suppose. Anyway, keep your finger's crossed and I promise... well hope for your sake that this is the last rant about fungi until the weekend's bountiful hunt!

I should have mentioned...

... that those popovers are really easy to make. Just use left over pate brisee (i make batches and freeze for up to 2 months in my freezer. it's something good to keep on hand especially with spring/summer berries and fruits on their way.) Roll out thicker than you would a regular pie crust (a little over 1/8") Cut into large squares. Use what you have an make it work, size isn't important. Using washed and prepared berries, peaches, apples, oranges, plums, etc.. (You can really use anything you like. Remember to clean stone fruits properly and cut up larger fruit into manageable pieces.) Add sugar and any zest, juice, spice or herb you like. I use citrus zests and juices in most of my Spring and Summer pies. The juice will not only add great taste but it will also prevent the fruit from oxidizing, preserving the brilliant colors and flavors in the finished pie. I especially like lemon and orange in Blueberry Pies. Tangelo would be amazing too. Ok before we get off track... The amount of sugar varies as I usually make these with what's around and the amount is always different. Sprinkle in enough to lightly coat the berries. Spoon the fruit onto one side of the triangle (*in the photo, I had barely any pate brisee and had to improvise with my amount and that is why I am using triangles. BUT in the theory it is the same, see how I've put the blueberries on one half of the triangle? That's what you're going for just with squares, does that make sense? Now I've gone and confused myself.) ANYWAY, leave a quarter to half inch border. Using an egg wash (1 egg + 1 TBS heavy cream (any dairy product works; yogurt, buttermilk, sour cream, etc... )You can also just use the egg.))) (<<<-----That was too many side thoughts, sorry I just want to be as helpful as possible.) Ok so brush the egg wash over those 2 borders you left around the fruit. Brush lightly, you don't want bubbles of scrambled egg in your pie, well maybe you do but I don't so easy does it. Fold the other side of the square over and seal by pressing firmly. Making sure your popover is sealed tight, move onto a Sil-Pat or foil or parchment paper line cookie sheet. Brush the entire popover with the egg wash and sprinkle with sugar. Using a sharp knife or kitchen shear make a 1" slit in the top for venting steam. Ok that's it, you're done. Pop them into a preheated 400 oven and check them in 20 mins. When checking you want to look at the color of the dough, is it as dark as you want it or does it need some more time. If it's as dark as you like or you're worried about burning, pull out and cover with foil. Use a kitchen towel and pat down the foil around each popover. Careful don't squish it. After 30-45 mins the popover will be finished. You can test the fruit by inserting a paring knife through the steam vent and into a piece of fruit. If it is tender-soft, it's done. Pair with ice cream or homemade whipped cream and it's an easy and amazing addition to any meal. Oh but don't forget to let them cool for at least 30 minutes before serving. Gosh, sorry I'm spaced, off in mushroom land, dreaming of Morels and rain. I might have to just suck it, strip, grab a drum and some chicken bones and do a little dance. It's gotta be in there somewhere. So anyway sorry for the insanity that is this post. I hope you were able to find something useful in it. I am off to watch the Simpsons and sip a diet coke and not clean... I'll do it tomorrow... we'll see.

TGIF g-dangit.

I am thrilled that the weekend is finally here. Lot's to do, morel hunting, visiting CHIC and meeting with an admissions representative and of course cleaning. I am getting better about keeping up with the household chores but I do have a long way to go. Managing clutter is the worst, I need to head to the container store! The craftroom closet needs a complete makeover and I need to buy a garbage can (I still can't believe we don't have one... it's a little ghetto.) I had an accidental nap today and was really disappointed we didn't get more rain. Oh well, we'll see tomorrow if the tiny showers we saw this morning were enough. Because of the nap I was unable to make bread but instead used some left over pate brisee and blueberries to make popovers. They were amazing and really got me stoked for summer fruits and berries. Can't wait. Well kids have a great night and will let you know how the hunt turns out tomorrow. Have to get to sleep so I can get up at 5 and head out.

Fiona's Forest Flops Again!

Yet again it was an unproductive hike in the mushroom hunting sense. Overall it was a great 3 hour hike. The frogs are back and plants are bursting out from the leaf litter. I did find some really nice Dryard's Saddle and spotted a possible moss galera but because several of the galarina fungi are toxic, I left it behind snapping a picture for further evaluation. It is important that anyone attempting to collect their own mushrooms make absolutely sure they are safe. If you can't identify it, don't pick it. It's really that serious. Now Morels on the other hand are very distinct and there is only one "false" Morel which really looks nothing like the original. I am still fairly new to this and bring my Mushroom encyclopedias with. I'll sit and study a mushroom while flipping through the pages. Even if it isn't edible it's worth knowing. I talked with Andrea, one of my favorites, and she had quite an amazing day (10+ WOW!) Congrats Monkey and good luck tomorrow. I am hoping the showers tomorrow and the cooler temperatures will be a perfect setting. If not I will persist. Even though I had a pleasant stroll in the woods, two things really started to... well, piss me off. First off, the trash in forest preserves has always been a problem but for some reason I really took notice today. It is everywhere. Old pop top beer cans, copper wire, broken bottles, sheet metal... the list goes on and on. It is just awful. This summer I'm going to have to organize a Big Clean, get some people together and haul out the garbage. It really needs it. The second problem I encountered was mountain bikers. When I first came upon Fiona's Forest (it's a secret place) it was an old forest preserve trail whose marker had rotted through and not many people knew about. On an average day I would never see another living soul and once in awhile I would come across a couple hikers and maybe someone riding their horse. It was heaven. This was back in the early 2000's and as the years went on I would see handful of cyclists each week and the next year that number would double. Normally their activity was limited to the weekends and I could always count on a mid-week stroll interrupted. This afternoon I was buzzed off the path by 5 different bikers. I also took a different path and saw the damage these guys are doing to the trails. In some areas the tire ruts were almost a foot deep, maybe more. It's insane! The ground is now torn up and uneven. Maybe I need to stick to my old trails but still this is a problem. The rangers have put up a sign stating the trail is closed when wet, "if you leave an imprint, you must leave." Kind of a bunch a B.S. if you ask me. Someone, I'm assuming the rangers, has gone through and cut down trees and vines to make the one quaint, natural hiking paths, wider, taller and littered with sawed off branches and piles of vines. Oh well, I'll stick to the back trails where hardly anyone visits and enjoy the peace and quiet. Saturday I plan to only spend an hour there and if I'm not lucky by then, I'll head off to a different spot. Hopefully I will strike gold somewhere, anywhere. I really wasn't joking about Whole Foods. I will go. I pray I won't have to but this urge has to be satisfied. Lot's to do tomorrow, I have successful put off finishing my painting project at work till the very last minute so tomorrow I am stuck there getting as much done as possible. Then a fun night of bread making and watching a movie with Chris. I hope that you were able to get out at least for a little bit today and that you're looking forward to tonight/tomorrow's rain as much as I am.