They are neither animal, vegetable nor mineral. They can grow from spores that have been dormant for decades, or longer. They make dead things rot.
No, they’re not an alien life form — they’re wild mushrooms, and many edible species are sprouting up around the Upper Valley.
For those who’d like to learn more about the often delicious world of mycology, which is the biological study of fungi such as mushrooms, this weekend will offer several opportunities to do so.
Russ Cohen, author of the book Edible Plants and Mushrooms of New England, will give a presentation on “Edible Wild Plants and Mushrooms of the White Mountains Region” at D Acres Farm in Dorchester on Friday night at 7. And for those who’d like to get their hands dirty out in the field, Cohen will lead a foraging walk on Saturday afternoon from 1 to 4.
On Sunday afternoon, Ari Rockland-Miller and Jenna Antonino DiMare — a married mycologist team from the Brattleboro-based organization, The Mushroom Forager — will lead a foraging workshop starting at the Woodstock Inn.
The hands-on workshop, whose $125 registration fee benefits Zack’s Place in Woodstock, will take place from 3 to 5. Afterward, the inn’s executive chef, Rhys Lewis, will serve a three-course, mushroom-inspired meal, which he calls “Flavors of the Forest.”
Lewis has long been a fan of cooking with wild mushrooms. The foraged fungi are not only healthy, but also flavorful and surprisingly versatile — for Lewis, the holy trinity.
He noted that different varieties of mushrooms invite different flavor combinations to the table. Porcini mushrooms, with their firm stems and nutty taste, are a particular favorite of his. He likes to roast them, which intensifies their already distinctive essence.
“You can make them with some tarragon and a splash of cream, and pair that with a really buttery Chardonnay,” he said. “Or garlic and rosemary, and that goes well with Pinot Noir. With mushrooms you can really go red or white, so you have a lot of options.”
For example, yellow chanterelle mushrooms — which Rockland-Miller said he expects to find on Saturday — “are exceptionally good with shallots, and that combination pairs really well with white wine,” Lewis said.
The yellow chanterelle is a particular favorite of Cohen’s; mycologists, like avid bird-watchers, often come to hold a few species in particular fondness.
Rockland-Miller loves black trumpets, another variety of chanterelle that is “more floral and fruity in flavor” than its saffron-colored counterpart. Their dark color makes them hard to find, but since they tend to appear in clusters finding one usually leads to a windfall.
He’s also partial to a species called lion’s mane, which he likened rather poetically to “a cluster of icicles on a frozen waterfall.”
A careful, educated eye is the key to foraging for mushrooms, Cohen and Rockland-Miller said. Though most poisonous species will only cause short-term gastrointestinal distress, there are about a half-dozen species in New England that can produce graver consequences. Part of what makes these species so dangerous is that they often taste perfectly fine and frequently pass for edible varieties.
Ari said that because most people are, understandably, put off by potentially deadly varieties, Western society has become what he calls a “myco-phobic culture.”
But many Eastern European countries are far more “myco-philic,” and regard mushroom foraging as a way of life.
Cohen arrived at a similar conclusion when he traveled to Siberia on a conservation service trip in 1989. Though he’d been a wildlife educator since he was a teenager in the 1970s, he was always wary of mushrooms, and purposely skirted the realm of mycology.
But when he saw children — some as young as 6 years old — who were able to correctly distinguish poisonous species from edible ones, he decided it was time to add mushroom identification to his repertoire.
“If they can do it, so can I,” he remembered thinking. “Now, I find that nibbling on the landscape enhances the time I spend outdoors. … It’s like having old friends come and greet you as walk along.”
Still, in the interest of erring on the safe side, Cohen and Rockland-Miller both plan to limit their teachings to the identification of clearly edible species.
Fortunately, those should be in good supply; the best time to hunt for mushrooms is between July 4 and Columbus Day, Cohen said.
“And once you know how to look, they appear all around you,” Rockland-Miller said.
Despite this abundance, both he and Cohen stressed the importance of foraging with gratitude and respect for the mushrooms’ natural habitat, be that on the mossy bank of a vernal pool or in the dappled shade of a beech tree.
“Mushroom foraging is actually a very useful skill. It’s a way to find food in the forest without cutting down trees,” Rockland-Miller said. “But also, many species rely on the forest ecosystem. So we want people to enjoy the woods, but do so with a mind toward conservation and stewardship.”
But a mind toward dinner doesn’t hurt, either.
Rhys Lewis’ Wild Mushroom Soup with Crostini
Serves 16
Ingredients for soup
3 pounds wild mushrooms, washed, stemmed and sliced
4 large Spanish onions, peeled and diced
1 cup Madeira wine
8 sprigs fresh thyme, stemmed and chopped
2 sprigs fresh rosemary, stemmed and chopped
8 cloves fresh garlic, peeled and chopped fine
1 bay leaf
olive oil for cooking
2 quarts chicken stock
1 quart cream
2 tablespoons corn starch dissolved in water
Ingredients for crostini
8 ounces Vermont goat cheese
8 slices French bread
olive oil for drizzling
fresh ground black pepper
Steps for soup
In a preheated heavy-bottomed soup pot, add olive oil and onions.
Saute onions over medium-high heat until they are deep brown without burning. Add the mushrooms and continue to saute until they are soft.
Add thyme, garlic, rosemary and bay leaf. Cook 2 minutes, then deglaze with Madeira wine.
Add chicken stock and bring to a boil. Simmer 20 minutes.
Add cream and bring to a simmer. Thicken with corn starch and water. Season to taste.
For the crostini, top the French bread slices with the goat cheese, olive oil, and fresh ground black pepper. Toast crostini in the oven until warm.
Portion the soup into serving cups and serve with the crostini.
Russ Cohen, author of
Ari Rockland-Miller and Jenna Antonino DiMare from The Mushroom Forager will lead a hike and workshop, starting at the Woodstock Inn’s Kelley Way Gardens, Sunday afternoon at 3. After the workshop, chef Rhys Lewis will serve up a gourmet, mushroom-inspired dinner. Tickets ($125) benefit Zack’s Place. To learn more, visit zacksplacevt.org/dine_around.php or themushroomforager.com.
EmmaJean Holley can be reached at eholley@vnews.com or 603-727-3216.