Wild Mushroom Dry Saute

by | Jun 23, 2013 | Ben and Lisa | 0 comments

Wild Mushroom Saute

Wild Mushroom Saute

Rain. What a tangle, huh? You love it, you pray for it, you sometimes do an Indian rain dance, hoping to shake it out of the anvils. We have had an amazingly rainy Spring and early Summer! Here we are at the Summer Solstice, the near full moon, and the rain has coaxed-out beautiful, brown boletes. Tricky, in Eastern Georgia. Lots of non-edibles. Lots of bitter boletes, on the average. But there is an occasional beauty, standing in the woods on a leafy bed under a canopy of old-growth oak or hemlock. If everything comes together, this beauty may have a sublime likeness to porcini,may be a butter bolete cousin or a prime suillus.

If you find-the-one, what do you do? Admire. Turn over. Look for bug holes and tracks. Many boletes have been the early delicacy of tiny little insects. The key to no-bugs is early retrieval. There are many good books, guides and online resources on the subject. Nothing beats foraging with an accomplished guide. Many mushrooms, including a number of the boletes are not edible.

What do I do when I find that supreme ONE, that quality beauty? Take it home!

Quickly brush off debris, peel the spongy pore layer away from the underside, ever-so-quickly rinse under the sink sprayer and pat dry. With some edible species, like chanterelles, very, very little water is better. (More on that if we get lucky enough to harvest chanterelles this Summer!)

A dry saute utilizes low, stovetop heat. Boletes are sliced across the cap like ordinary agaric mushrooms from the store. Lay slices flat and separated in a non-stick saute pan. No OIL needed! Watch and turn, watch and turn with your spatula until moisture droplets have dissipated from your slices. This only takes two or three minutes. Then, kill the heat!

A toasty brown finish is achieved this way. Oil should be added later, if desired in a specific dish. This procedure nets a concentration of earthy flavor and a non-sticky mushroom slice to add to your favorite mushroom concoctions. Your mushrooms may be stored in a glass jar, carefully sealed, in the freezer for up to 6 months.

What can I say? My beautiful daughters and I have on more than one occasion been identified as, The Mushroom Ladies. There is a slight tendency to, well, GO WILD!

Heavenly!

Sitting on the porch that is the definition of home-grown comfort, Amy brought out a dish of pecans to snack on with our lavender iced tea. The pecans were sweet with a hint of salt and ... smoked! (Patrick throws a lot of stuff on the grill and in the smoker and the results are always spectacular.) The pecans were like heaven.

Between the lavender everywhere, the porch, the view, the company, and the pecans, we might just as well have been in heaven.

Jan Perry

You'll want to go back again and again!

Among the gardens and 100-year-old farm house is a picturesque red barn where Amy and Patrick not only sell their merchandise but also entertain and/or put on workshops. I have had the pleasure of attending several of these events ranging from cookie making, to lavender harvesting and arranging, to yoga classes.

I am always looking for what they have available because once you experience the sheer beauty and peaceful feel of White Hills Farm you too will want to go back again and again.

Audrey Doyle

For me, it's a place tied to fond memories

White Hills Farm is the perfect backdrop for any occasion -- it has this way of enveloping and elevating meaningful celebrations. For me, it's a place tied to fond memories and an eagerness to return. Year round, its something to behold, a slice of heaven run by the best of people.

Allison Vrtachnik