Kristen Blizzard - Wild Mushrooms: A Cookbook and Foraging Guide

Copyright 2020 by Kristen and Trent Blizzard

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Blizzard, Kristen, author. | Blizzard, Trent, author.

Title: Wild mushrooms: how to find, store, and prepare foraged mushrooms / Kristen and Trent Blizzard.

Description: New York: Skyhorse Publishing, [2020] | Includes index. |

Identifiers: LCCN 2020027634 (print) | LCCN 2020027635 (ebook) | ISBN 9781510749436 (hardcover) | ISBN 9781510749450 (ebook)

Subjects: LCSH: MushroomsIdentification. | Edible mushroomsIdentification. | Cooking (Mushrooms) | Cooking (Mushrooms)Recipes.

Classification: LCC QK617 .B675 2020 (print) | LCC QK617 (ebook) | DDC 579.6/1632dc23

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2020027634

LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2020027635

Cover design by Daniel Brount

Cover photo by Trent Blizzard

Print ISBN: 978-1-5107-4943-6

Ebook ISBN: 978-1-5107-4945-0

Printed in China

Contents

Introduction

O ne of our favorite things about hunting and eating wild mushrooms is the wonderful influence that terroir brings to our food. The vivid recall with each delicious, mushroomy bite of the trees and colors and smells and camaraderie of the forest, which is imprinted by a very firm sense of place. Being a forager allows you to experience these gifts from nature, giving you a strong knowing that where your food comes from, as well as the work you put into finding and preparing it, is important.

If you are already a seasoned forager, you know there is a healthy amount of work associated with utilizing your bounty. We endeavor to explore not only a selection of delicious cuisine and new methods of cooking these wild edibles, but also the question of how to preserve and enjoy your sporadic harvests all year long. How many different ways can you prepare a bolete? What can you do with a truckload of fresh chanterelles? How can you best preserve the matsutake flavor to impart later into your cuisine? Lets answer these questions!

If you are new to the wild and wonderful world of edible forest fungi, there is something for you here as well. While this is not a comprehensive mushroom hunting guidebook (always get a good identification bookor two or threefor your region), you will find a wealth of tips and tricks for harvesting each mushroom, along with general cooking techniques and suggested preservation methods. We highlight seventeen of our favorite wild edible fungi, popular across a wide range of geographic regions. Tips from leading foragers about hunting, preparing, and cooking will provide extra insight and help shorten your learning curve.

This book is as much a celebration of people as it is of mushrooms and cooking. As foragers, we each have that defining momentthe moment in which we know that something special has taken root. Like a burn morel waiting for the fiery embers that will allow it to flourish, foraging is a deeply buried need driven by age-old genetics. The awakening can be sudden, but it is not to be ignored.

The hunt means something different to each and every one of us. It might be about carrying on a family culture or tradition. It might be a passionate drive for culinary differentiation and success. It could be the childlike thrill of securing a rare treasure. Or a profound and meaningful way to appreciate the connections in life itself. And, of course, it could be a combination of a few or all of the above. Each and every forager with a story in this book has special meaning to usthey are a talented, gracious, and amazing group of people with fascinating stories, wonderful recipes, rich traditions, and hard-won foraging tips. We hope you come to appreciate them as much as we do.

TERROIR

TERROIR is a term that is typically linked to wine. It calls attention to sense of place, defining the collective effect of environmental factors such as soil, climate, and topography on the vintage. We connect wild mushrooms to terroir in a slightly different way. The unique smell of the forest, the type of trees and leaf litter, the soil, the weather, the location, the hunting crewall of this is recalled upon a nose full and first bite of a foraged mushroom. While you can often taste the forest in a wild mushroom, more so we connect our food to a rich experience that allows us to savor all that went into the making of the meal.

The recipes contained in this book are a well-loved collection of favorites from the foragers highlighted. Some meals have been made and passed down from generation to generation, while others are favorite go-tos that are popular when they are in season. Still others are a fresh new look at tried and true traditional recipes. You will find a wealth of cultural diversity here and will be surprised and delighted with each and every bite.

Our Story

Trent and I took our first steps into this wild mushroom journey togetherours is a story of growth, love, and personal enrichment. Although there was no real jump-up-and-down a-ha moment when the collective mycelium rooted within us, we have realized that our obsession with mushrooms is about making deep connections to each other, to our fragile natural environment, and to the amazing people we meet along the way.

Mushroom hunting is sewn into the fabric of our relationship. We began foraging together years ago, and at the same time started dating. Our love for wild mushrooms grew along with our love for each other and is now simply a part of who we are. As a married couple, this hobby becomes more endearing and obsessive as our shared knowledge increases and our circle of foraging friends grows. It seems we will never tire of the huntthere is always something new to learn.

We have a great fondness for the places we have come to know along the way. The pristine beauty of the Oregon coastal dunes, the ancient heart of the redwood forests, the crisp alpine forests of the Rockies, and the scarred yet reborn wildfire footprints are all a piece and a part of who we have become.

A shared fascination with mushrooms bridges personal barriers. It provides a medium in which to celebrate our diversity and make lasting connections despite our differences. Our stories are a celebration of these connections. We hope you enjoy them!