Mushrooms - So Good For You!

Anyone who knows me, knows I am a mushroom maniac!  When August rolls around and I find my first mushroom in the woods, the race is on between work, getting the garden tended, getting the winter wood in the barn and foraging for wild mushrooms!  I have been foraging for mushrooms for about 20 years, but up until three years ago, I only picked one type, Hen in the Woods, also called Seniorina or Maitake.   Scientific name:  Grifola frondosa.  Now, David (my husband) and I are up 7 different varieties that we pick in the woods.  Black Trumpet, Chicken of the Woods, Oyster, Bear's Head Tooth, Morel, Giant Puff Ball and of course the big daddy of them all, Hen of the Woods.   By the end of November, every meal is made with fresh mushrooms, the freezer is full of mushrooms and my dehydrator has been working full time!  I just want to say here that I have done a lot of research on the mushrooms that I pick.  I would never encourage anyone to go out and just pick mushrooms without any knowledge of what he/she was picking.  Many people are skeptical about wild mushrooms, and they should be.  I do; however, encourage people to research the benefits of mushrooms.

I was first introduced to Hen of the Woods or Seniorina mushrooms in Rhode Island.  Many of my friends foraged for them and would bring them to us and they were delicious!  I wanted to pick my own and tried to convince my friends to show me where they grew and how to identify them in the wild.  Well, it took several years, but finally one of my friends took me out to search.  You see people who forage for mushrooms are very protective of their "territory"!  The wonderful thing about these mushrooms is that they will grow in the same spot for years.  So, if you find one, you can almost be guaranteed ( if you pick it properly) that you will find another one  in the same spot the next year . After I found my first mushroom, I was hooked and I have been foraging ever since.

Now I used to forage and eat mushrooms because it was fun, a great way to get exercise and of course the added bonus was free food.  Let's not forget they were so delicious!  And I still forage for the same reasons, but now the more research I do on mushrooms, the more I find out how beneficial they are to your health.  This time of year when it is flu season they can help to boost the immune system.   I attribute the fact that we have been healthy all winter to us eating at least 3 meals a week with the mushrooms we have saved.  Hen of the Woods is one of three mushrooms that I pick that are helpful to defend against the flu.  The other two are Shitake and Reishi.  Shitakes are commercially grown and found easily in the grocery store.  Reishi mushrooms can be found in tea. ( Reishi or Turkey Tail mushrooms are very hard and are ground up to make the tea.)  Hen of the Woods  can be found dried, ground in capsule form and tea. 

I also found out recently that mushrooms can absorb vitamin D by drying them in the sun.  They will even hold the vitamin D in them up to a year or more!  I will be doing that in the fall when I start to forage again.  Vitamin D helps keep the immune system healthy and is something we Northerners are lacking due to where we live. 

So now you know just some of the reasons I am a mushroom maniac!  Mushrooms rock my world!

Below are a couple of websites and articles for those interested in doing some more reading on the benefits of mushrooms.

Paul Stamets is a world renowned  mycologist and I recommend that you go to his website: fungi.com
You can find some incredible information on how mushrooms play such an important part in on this planet.
Here is  great article on Dr. Mercola's website:  mercola.com  Healthier Alternatives to the Seasonal Flu Vaccine: Garlic, Zinc, and Vitamin D 

Another article from 2009 about mushrooms and the flu.  

http://blog.healthfoodemporium.com/family/mushrooms-and-the-flu-264

Enjoy! 

  

Soy Bean Oil? No Thank You

It seems that soy bean oil is in almost everything these days.  From cereals to vitamins.  The main reason I don't like it is because most of if is genetically modified and I am not a believer in GMOs (genetically modified organisms). GMOs are more and more prevalent in our food system and there is no law that requires them to be listed.  That subject is for another day; however, the link below is a good article from Natural News about GMO soy prevalence.

http://www.naturalnews.com/034812_GMO_corn_soy.html

I am constantly reading labels and am still amazed at how many things contain soy bean oil.  Even organic products, so I just steer clear.  One thing that I use and I know many people use is mayonnaise and for years I bought mayonnaise since I thought it was difficult and time consuming to make.  Why bother when it was so easy to just buy a jar?  So, I started reading the labels and they all contain soybean oil.  For example, these are the ingredients labels from Hellman's Real Mayonnaise taken from their website.

Ingredients for Hellman's Real Mayonnaise

SOYBEAN OIL, WATER, WHOLE EGGS AND EGG YOLKS, VINEGAR, SALT, SUGAR, LEMON JUICE, CALCIUM DISODIUM EDTA (USED TO PROTECT QUALITY), NATURAL FLAVORS. GLUTEN-FREE. 

Ingredients for Hellman's Mayonnaise with Olive Oil

WATER, SOYBEAN OIL, OLIVE OIL, WHOLE EGGS AND EGG YOLKS, MODIFIED POTATO STARCH, VINEGAR, SALT, SUGAR, LEMON JUICE, SORBIC ACID AND CALCIUM DISODIUM EDTA (USED TO PROTECT QUALITY), NATURAL FLAVOR, PAPRIKA OLEORESIN 

 

I didn't like the ingredients, so, I started looking for recipes.  I found a very simple recipe and have been using it ever since. Now, in ten minutes I make my own mayonnaise that has the ingredients I want in it and tastes much better, too.  If you would like to make it, you will need a food processor and a 16 ounce jar with a lid to store your mayo. Here is the recipe for:

Homemade Mayonnaise

Ingredients:

1 Whole egg (room temperature)*
2 Egg yokes  (room temperature)*
1 Tablespoon  fresh squeezed lemon juice (I use lime juice, too, if I don't have lemon)
1 Teaspoon Dijon Mustard
 1/2 Teaspoon Kosher salt
Pinch of Pepper 
Up to 2 Cups Grapeseed Oil **

*Since raw eggs are being used, use only the freshest eggs possible.  I use local farm eggs.  As the egg ages, lecithin, a protein that acts as the central emulsifying agent, breaks down and the power of the egg yolk to stabilize the mayonnaise weakens. Also, it is not recommended that you use this for small children or the elderly whose immune systems are either not fully developed or are diminished. You can; however, use pasteurized eggs, if you wish.
**I use grapeseed oil since it has a mild flavor and will not solidify after being refrigerated.  You can use other refined oils like pure olive oil or sunflower oil.  An unrefined oil such as extra virgin olive oil, will solidify when chilled and cause separation when it is returned to room temperature.

Put egg, egg yokes, lemon juice, mustard, salt and pepper into food processor.  Process for 10 seconds or more until creamy.  
With the food processor running, pour in oil very slowly in driblets at first to start the emulsification process.  The first additions should be slow and gradual so it does not separate.  Wait about 30 seconds in between additions.  When it has started to thicken a bit, start to add more oil in a small steady stream.  Do not stop the machine at this point, but stop pouring every few seconds to make sure the oil is being absorbed and is continuing to thicken.  Add about 50% of the oil at this time.  Stop the machine and scrape down the sides of the processor.  Check the consistency and flavor.  You can add more lemon, salt or pepper at this time.  If you want to add more oil, to thicken it,  start the machine again and keep adding a small stream until it reaches the consistency  you prefer.  You may not use all the oil.
Scrap into jar, seal and label with the date.  This will last in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. 

	I have added hot sauce, too, for a little more zip.  Oh, and what to do with the egg whites that are left over from the recipe?  I whip them into an egg white omelet!

Seed Catalogs- A Sign of Spring

Well, it's getting warmer.  At least since this morning.  -1 and now it's up to 4 degrees!  The perfect time for this year's seed catalogs to start arriving in my mail box.  Many of which I don't ask for, they just show up and after I look at the beautiful pictures, they go in the recycle bin.  The ones I send for are the ones I can't wait to open and study every page. I open these catalogs and the cold disappears and the thoughts of starting seeds, digging in my garden and planting take over!  This is my "spring fix"!  The big question is always, which ones do I get? 

I have a few catalogs that I love and I would like to share them with you.
Baker Creek Heirloom Seed Company, Mansfield, MO  www.rareseeds.com    417-924-8917.  They have a great website.
Johnny's Selected Seeds, Winslow, ME  www.johnnyseeds.com  877-564-6697.  They offer seeds for vegetables, fruits, flowers, herbs.  Tools and supplies.
Seed Savers Exchange, Decorah, IA  www.seedsavers,org   563-382-5990.  Their catalog offers nearly 600 varieties of heirlooms seeds.
Tomato Growers Supply Company, Fort Myers, FL  www.tomatogrowers.com  888-478-7333.  Offers more variety of tomatoes than you ever knew existed! Both heirloom and hybrids plus a variety of peppers and eggplant.
So what are differences and benefits of heirloom and hybrids.  Below is an explanation given by Terri Reid, author of The Everything Guide to Living Off the Grid:

When you purchase heirloom seed, you are getting seed produced from plants that have been saved and grown fifty years or more, their seed passed down from generation to generation.
Hybrid seeds are created by plant breeders. These plant breeders select two similar plant varieties and crossbreed them to create a new plant variety that features traits from the two parent plants. For example, a plant breeder might select one plant that is frost resistant, and another that has a sweeter taste. The new plant—the offspring of the two varieties—is now a unique hybrid variety that is both frost resistant and has a sweeter flavor.

An heirloom is open-pollinated, which simply means the plant is capable of producing seeds that will grow a new plant identical to the parent plant the seed came from.

Hybrid seeds are not bad in any way. They have helped increase crop yield and made it easier for many gardeners to be successful. However, hybrid seeds are not open-pollinated. If you save their seeds, the forthcoming plant will not be identical to the parent plant. It might not be sweeter or frost resistant. Many hybrid seeds can be sterile and will not germinate. In order to have the same success you had with the initial offspring, you have to buy your seeds from the plant breeder again.
The beauty of an heirloom seed is the ability of the plant to change on its own. When you save heirloom seeds you select the one that ripened the fastest, was frost resistant, or was sweetest, and save its seeds. So, in time, the seed works through the same process as the hybrid, but it’s a natural process. The offspring of that open-pollinated seed will produce the same results, or better, over and over again.

There are hundreds of seed catalogs available out there.  These are just a few that I like because they are mostly heirloom and organic.  I grow organically and I do try to save my seed every year so using heirloom seeds allows me to grow the same great veggies, fruits and flowers from year to year.

 Regardless of which catalog you choose, I hope you experience the great "spring fix" I do.

Keep warm and enjoy the sunshine!  Cheers!

How food has changed

I've been in the food/restaurant business for nearly 38 years.  There have been so many changes over the years.  I remember my first restaurant food show.  Almost every vendor at the show had "real food".  I mean nothing prepackaged or prepared.  Meats, poultry, fish, dairy products, vegetables.  A few booths had prepared foods, but no self respecting chef or restaurant owner would buy those things!  First of all they tasted like plastic and why buy it when you knew you could make it better from scratch yourself?

Now you go to a food show and most every vendor has prepackaged products!  Easier, less waste,  more cost effective, less labor...  More sugar, more salt, more fat, more additives, more junk!

I heard an interview the other day on public radio with John Mackey, co-CEO of Whole Foods.  He made an interesting statement.
 

"People in America are addicted to sugar, and to fat and to salt," he says, and as a nation, it's holding us back. "Food is intensely pleasurable, and people are afraid that if they change the way they eat, they'll stop having pleasure."

I thought to myself, how did that happen?  It wasn't overnight.  Our food system has been hijacked slowly and methodically until we can't recognize real food anymore.  I say let's take back our taste buds and our health and really enjoy the goodness of real food again.  Get to know what's really in the food you are buying.  Read the labels.  Buy it fresh, buy organic (no GMO*), buy it local.  Have fun in the kitchen.  Cooking is like music to me. There are only 7 basic musical notes and just think of all the wonderful music there is and will be from just those 7 notes.  Now imagine all the different food (whole food, real food) that is available out there.  Now that is a symphony waiting to be enjoyed!  Let's make some great music!

Here is a link to a shopping list that has non GMO and possible GMO ingredients.  It is hosted by Institute for Responsible Technology.  There are down loads and I think some great information.  NonGMOShoppingguide.com



*Genetically Modified Organism

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