Paw Paws here today, gone tomorrow

We had our first paw paws last week, and they were wonderful. Custardy, somewhat like a banana, yet with a unique tropical flavor, somewhat like a mango.

We were happy to see Paw Paws get some attention from the Wall St Journal although they didn't mention that you can get them from Earthy Delights (www.earthy.com) http://ow.ly/pgYZ

They're only available for about 3 weeks, so get yours now.

Morels in September??

Folks in Michigan love their Morels. Years ago the Legendary Larry "Tree" Lonik worked with people from Michigan State (GO GREEN!) to develop a cultivated morel. Success has been spotty, but we've gotten our hands on a few lbs for the next weeks.

These morels are beautiful, have a great shelf life and are guaranteed bug free. The flavor is not that of the wild morels, but mix them with a few dried morels and POW! You've got a great morel dish in September.

Earthy Delights is now offering these at www.earthy.com

Paw Paws are here again. Don't wait -- the season will be gone before you know it!!

A truly unique treat -- the only N American tropical fruit -- with a flavor between a mango and a banana.

Kentucky State University (http://www.pawpaw.kysu.edu/) has been working with Neal Peterson and the Paw Paw Foundation to cultivate the best of the Paw paws. The weather this year was perfect for a monster Paw Paw harvest. Available from Earthy Delights (www.earthy.com) for a short time only.

We predict this wonderful fruit will only gain in popularity once people have a chance to try them.


And by the way, Where oh where IS pretty little Suzy?

Cherries and Berries

FANTASTIC BALATON CHERRIES


It's a great time here in Michigan. My friends up on the Mission Peninsula in Northern Michigan are about to harvest this year's Balaton Cherries. http://www.hrt.msu.edu/balaton.html

Balaton's are a delicious Morello Cherry, grown in only a few places in the US. They are tart with a bit of sweetness, and firmer than most tart cherries, which are generally used just for baking. The Balaton is also great for baking, but also fabulous for eating. They're only around for one week, so order from Earthy Delights right now because the season will be over in just one short week.

WILD HUCKLEBERRIES -- AN AMERICAN TREAT

And from the West Coast we have delicious, scrumptious huckleberries. A wild cousin of the blueberry, the huckleberry grows all over the Northwest. When they grow, they grow in great abundance, but often in remote, hard to get to locations. Some of our harvesters have sent us some and we're happy to have them in house.

If you're lucky enough to find some locally, go out and pick your own. If not try www.earthy.com and they'll send some to you

Mad about Morels

I think we're on the verge of a tremendous season in the midwest. A few pickers here in Michigan are finding small amounts. Blacks are coming in from the west coast, and a few blondes are coming in from Nebraska.




For the most complete information, you can visit morels.com http://www.morels.com/ where there is a pretty comprehensive list of morel sightings and photos, as well as a list of message boards from all over the country.


The net is full of stories about finding morels, buying morels, eating morels and more;

Here are just a few links:

Megan writes about "The Morel of the Story" http://bit.ly/19XRxM, about watching a "shroom" deal go down.

Ruth Mossock Johnston writes about heading north for the Boyne Morel festival: http://bit.ly/jrVvM

Jason Wiebke writes about the upcoming season in Wisconsin: http://bit.ly/gud26

And Earthy Delights is offering a morel recipe contest at http://bit.ly/6x5as

Let the madness begin!!

Verpa Bohemica

Just got a call from one of our sources out west offering us the "Early Morel" or Verpa bohemica.

It is also called the "False morel," and the "Half cap."

http://www.mushroomexpert.com/verpa_bohemica.html

I have always stayed away from this mushroom, because it is listed in some sources as toxic.

On the other hand, many people claim to have eaten this for years with no ill effects. David Aurora, one of America's great mushroom experts, advises "Eat with caution."

http://www.rrich.com/msverpabohemica.html

Anyone out there have any experience with this mushroom? Any comments on edibility and
safety?

There's Ramps in those Hills

What a nice change from being on the computer and phone all day. Yesterday I got in the van and headed towards West Virginia to pick up our first load of ramps.

Now in the past our good friend Jerry brought them up to us, but sadly Jerry passed away last year. So long old friend....

It was about 4 hours through Columbus, and then old flat Ohio got hilly and windy -- kind of like where I grew up around Pittsburgh.

My first trip with a GPS and I'm glad I had it. After a couple of hours driving on 2 lane roads, I found the house, and got out and took a look at the ramps.

They were lined up in the barn in baskets (see above) in little bays, with the roots sitting in water to keep them fresh.

I had my new refrigerated van to keep them cool, but there were too many ramps to fit in the van. We spent a couple of hours building some shelving so we could stack them two high and get them all in the van.

Then, on my way back to Michigan. As I pulled out of the West Virginia hills, Levon Helm and the Band were singing on the radio --- WOUB out of Athens Ohio. A great show called "Crossing Boundaries." Thanks for the great music!!

The sun had just set and the sky was beautifu. Layers of clouds, blue sky, pink sky fading away into more stars than I ever see up here. Orion's Belt followed me all the way home to Michigan.

I have to get out of the office more often.

Are we there yet?

OK, it was 70 degrees yesterday, even here in Michigan. March Madness starts tomorrow
(Go Spartans!!) We've had our orchard morels for two weeks now, and everyone seems very happy... http://nofearentertaining.blogspot.com/

Next week we hope to get our first Ramps from West Virginia!!




If you haven't had ramps, you are really missing something special. For fun, attend a Ramp Festival, such as the one from Richwood

http://www.richwooders.com/ramp/ramps.htm

We'll start tracking morel sightings tomorrow!!

Go Green!

Spring at Last

Well I know spring is just around the corner. Here we are, with March Madness just about to start. (So much basketball, so little time) and lo and behold, we get an early pop of morel mushrooms.

This is the earliest I can remember ever having them. There aren't very many, but they are beautiful.




Coming up next -- the first Ramps -- in just a couple of weeks!!

Are we really what we eat?

Is it really all about what we eat? This morning, while driving to work eating my BK biscuit with sausage, I heard Mark Bittman (http://www.markbittman.com/about.php) on Morning Edition on NPR, talking about his book "Food Matters"

He talked about eating less meat, eating less factory produced food of any kind, and how he lost weight, lowered his cholesterol, lowered his blood pressure, and his knees stopped aching.

I am overweight, I am tired a lot, and my knees hurt. I have all this wonderful food around me all the time, yet I still tend to go for "comfort food." I like fried chicken with mashed potatoes and gravy, spaghetti with meatballs, ham and cheese potatoes, bacon and eggs with hash browns, ice cream with brownies and chocolate sauce.

And I am skeptical of crusaders who want to save the world, especially the food world.

But maybe there's something to all this. I've got the books by Michale Pollan (http://www.michaelpollan.com/), but I haven't read them.

I give lip service to sustainability and local food, but that's not how I shop or how I cook.

So I am going to try something. I'm going to try shopping and cooking and eating differently for a while. I'm going to read about and write about slow food, sustainability shopping locally and associated topics.

Some of this may help my business of selling wild and traditional foods, but that's not the point. The point is discovery, and maybe feeling better and more energetic.

Can't hurt