Outdoor Life

Morels & Gold Creek Pond

Early in the summer, Evie, my husband and I got to spend the weekend with my pals Laura and Ingunn and their families too. We met at Laura’s cabin near Snoqualmie Pass and huddled around a map that felt very much like a treasure map. We were looking for treasure of the fungi variety. We picked a spot, made a plan, geared up and headed out.

Evie was so excited to hang out with her mushroom-hunting friends for her first foray. They started out great- identifying mushrooms, pointing to them and yelling. It was effective in getting our attention, but the identification skills were a bit lacking, at least for Evie. None of the mushrooms she found were edible and a few pine cones even found there way in there.

We split up and worked our way through the woods. We found areas of disturbance that seemed ripe for morels, but we didn’t have any luck. Finally, as we all met back on the forest road, I spotted one right next to the road on an old leaf pile. Then we found another. It seemed that the best place to look was not deep in the woods, but rather in the unlikeliest spot. We scrounged up a handful along the way. Not enough for a feast, but perhaps enough for a fancy snack.

On the way back down the mountain we stopped to frolic in lupine and balsamroot and to try our luck at more morel spotting. We didn’t add to our stash but we did find an animal skull. We all gathered around it for inspection. Our best guess was that it was a fox skull. We left it on top of a tree stump like a sort of talisman and hoped for better luck next time.

Back at the cabin we settled in around the campfire for s’mores and stick bread. I set up our gatherings to take some photos and I found, of all things, a perfect little morel under the wooden bench. Of course this spurred a thorough search of the area for more, but there was only one.

My husband couldn’t stay the night, and the next day the group headed out farther for another foray (I later learned that they found lots more morels). I decided to head home with Evie and Nali instead and on the way stopped for a walk around Gold Creek Pond. I had high hopes that Evie could even walk the whole one mile on her own.

To my utter delight, she did! I’ll admit that I shamelessly bribed her with a “special treat” if she walked the whole way. It totally worked. On the way home we stopped for a strawberry milkshake to share. It was the first trail she hiked all on her own, her first strawberry shake, and her first mushroom foray. A special weekend for sure!

The Way Through the Woods by Long Litt Woon

Long Litt Woon moved to Norway from her home in Malaysia at age 18 for school. There she met her Norwegian husband and settled down. But when her husband dies suddenly in an accident, she looks for something to fill the newly opened gap in her life. She devotes herself to mushrooms by learning everything she can about them. She joined mushroom societies and became an expert in edible mushroom hunting. There is a huge culture of mushroom hunting in Norway and I learned so much about mushrooms from this book. Ultimately, Long seeks a distraction from her loss but she ends up gaining a supportive community along the way.

Book Club

Mushroom Hunting

Langdon slowed down on the bumpy forest road to take a closer look to our left. He asked me if we should stop and take a look here. Umm, are you serious? Absolutely, I said. Moss carpeted the forest floor and the sun shined through the trees with a soft, yellow, ethereal glow. I spotted a faint foot path and couldn’t fathom a more inviting place to hunt mushrooms. This wasn’t the plan, but it felt like this is where we were meant to be.

Months earlier I sent an email to Langdon Cook, a local author and forager, asking if he would be interested in taking our book club group out for a day of mushroom hunting to go along with reading his book, The Mushroom Hunters. He said he doesn’t normally take groups out mushroom hunting, but for us he would make an exception. I was thrilled and couldn’t wait to share our plans with the group. Not only was Langdon taking us mushroom hunting, but he was taking us to one of his secret patches! He warned me that we would be going off trail into some rugged territory. I told him the group would be up for it.

We met at a park and ride and drove caravan-style down the freeway and up a forest service road. It was a gorgeous bluebird day, but my heart sank a little when I noticed the fresh snow on the mountain tops. Was the secret patch going to be snowed in? We hit snow a ways up the road and Langdon voiced his concern. We decided to hike a ways up to check out the conditions. The snow only got deepened as we climbed, but we enjoyed each other’s company and the views. Langdon went ahead of us to scout out the off-trail portion of the hike and came back disappointed. He said the way was rough and there was more snow in the woods than he expected. We agreed to head back to lower ground to see what we could find.

 

Mushrooms are colorful, beguiling, hideous, and transformative.

 

I have to admit that I was a little disappointed too, but as we found the sun rays guiding us into the lower elevation forest, I had a good feeling. We immediately found mushrooms growing on the mossy forest floor. We held them up to Langdon. What’s this, is it edible? Nope, he would say, and we continued to lurk, feeling strange to be off the trail. Suddenly I heard a collective Yay! from the group and we all huddled together to see what was found. It was a yellowfoot chanterelle, or as some call it, winter chanterelles. Langdon explained the features to us and what to look for. Sure enough, the bottom of the mushroom had a bright yellow color, a yellow foot, if you will.

Once we knew what we were looking for, we found them everywhere. We spread out into the trees and I’d hear a little squeal whenever someone found more. After a while Langdon yelled and said he found something for me. We all gathered again. It was an admirable bolete. The top was a deep velvety red and the underside looked like a sponge. We passed it around a squished the spongey side. He told me to chop it up and saute it in some butter and put it on a baguette. Keep it simple. I could do that. Later I found our mother and daughter team in the group holding something large and white, like the size of my head! Langdon had mentioned that he loved cauliflower mushrooms, and sure enough, they had found one. He couldn’t believe it as this was not the ideal place for them. It was definitely the find of the day!

After our foray, Langdon signed our books with full buckets to ya! the mushroom hunters way of saying good luck. We all went home with a basket of mushrooms and an enormous sense of pride. Langdon recommended a recipe for Scallop and Wild Mushroom Marsala and the next night I made dinner for once. My husband also came home from Napa Valley with a few nice bottles of wine. That night we celebrated and had the best meal I’ve had in a long time. I asked my husband, is it just me because I foraged these mushrooms or is this meal better than any restaurant meal? He agreed, if not to only humor me, but Evie doesn’t lie. She ate every bite!

I had come to Boyne City because I have always been drawn to nature’s secrets more than to, say, Hollywood’s secrets or the secrets of Wall Street hedge-fund managers. Nature is real. It exists beyond our ability to create it or even mediate it.

 

The Mushroom Hunters by Langdon Cook

 

Book Ends
Outdoor Life

Fall Harvest

One thing I didn’t anticipate after having a baby is just how homesick I would be. Fall has a way of making me especially conscious of this. I crave homemade meals, the scent of decaying leaves, cobalt blue skies, and football games. But most of all, I crave family.

I miss getting together with aunts and uncles and cousins, eating delicious food and laughing until I almost pee my pants. I miss inevitably listening to the stories I’ve heard a million times, as familiar and exciting as a favorite song coming on the radio. There is an ease and comfort that wraps me up like a warm blanket and fills me up like chicken pot pie.


Since my husband and I moved to Seattle over a decade ago, we’ve grown our own little family. First with a dog, then a baby, but mostly with our friends. I do feel a deep connection to the Northwest and over the years our friendships have grown into family. I am eternally grateful for this and feel very lucky.


Here in the PNW, I feel my short thin roots reaching down and spreading but they are still searching for nourishment, grasping to take hold. Back on the east coast, I stand firm. My thick healthy roots spread far and deep. I need to nourish my Northwest roots. And so, with the help of a good friend, I did just that.


When my pal Laura offered to share her elderberry picking spots with me, I jumped at the chance. We headed east to Leavenworth in the late September smoky haze. Laura showed me where she went to camp growing up and where she and her dad would look for elderberries. We found some in her usual spots and then saw a jackpot of a bush along the road in someone’s property. The owners were outside and gave us their blessing to go pick all we wanted. We got bags and bags full.


I knew that the blue elderberries are poisonous to eat when raw, so I asked Laura what to do with them. She explained to boil them and put them through a sieve to get the juice. She gave me a tip that proved invaluable- freeze the berries on the the stems before you pick them all off. It worked brilliantly. She also gave me her dad’s recipe for elderberry jam and it is so delicious.


Sure, I could’ve researched online where and how to pick elderberries, but it is so much more enjoyable to get this information passed on from friends and family. These are the things that make roots grow. I kept telling Laura all day, I totally feel like a local now!


In October, Laura invited me to Vashon Island to pick apples and make cider with her husband’s extended family. They have deep roots on the island and I got to listen to the catching up, the familiar stories, and eat the delicious food.


No one here will ever replace my own family of course, but I so appreciate getting just some of that comfort and warmth I’ve been craving. And the harvest; the jam and cider, tastes that much better.

 

The Fish Ladder by Katharine Norbury
Norbury, who was adopted after being left as an infant at a convent, takes her daughter, Evie, along the banks of Welsh rivers to trace them to their source. Not knowing where her true roots lie, she seeks peace and familiarity, ultimately searching for a beginning and a sense of belonging. This book, filled with gorgeous descriptions, unpronounceably delightful Welsh locations, history, and fairy tales, quickly became a favorite of mine. It is truly the most beautiful book I’ve read in awhile.

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Outdoor Life

A Foraged Meal

There is something so satisfying about foraging a meal. Putting in the extra effort to pick or catch dinner makes the food that much more special and delicious. Whether it’s the first ever salmon catch, a traditional family crab feast or some nibbles of miners lettuce while hiking on a trail, there’s a bounty of plentiful cuisine in the Pacific Northwest to savor and share. Recently my husband and I tried our own hand at foraging for some new things.  We were willingly forced to slow down, really notice our surroundings and get our hands dirty.

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Appetizer: Nettle Cream Soup
Nettles are pretty much the worst. Just a small brush up against the stinging plant will leave you in pain for a few hours. After picking these nettles my husband and I both had severe stings that persisted through the next day. We need thicker gloves. But this off-putting plant is secretly a plant of many uses. They are used to remedy ails such as arthritis, allergies and ironically, skin irritation. Fibers from the plant can be used to make clothing which most famously was used by the Germans during WW2 as a substitution for cotton. The key to harnessing the nettle is cooking it. The chemical cocktail that is injected into us when we touch it is leached out into the deep green water. Nettles can be used as a cooked spinach substitute and makes a great pesto or soup like this one. There are many simpler recipes for this soup but I figured if we go through all the trouble to pick the stuff we might as well make a fancy soup. The nettle puree is a radiant shade of green that turns the soup a lovely minty color.

Recipe: (adapted from Food & Wine Magazine)
(serves 4)

6 tablespoons butter
4 shallots, chopped
4 celery sticks, chopped
1 leek, cut lengthwise and thinly sliced
3 medium yukon gold potatoes, cut in 1/4″ cubes
1/4 cup white wine
1 tablespoon lemon juice
4 cups water
1 teaspoon tarragon
1 teaspoon thyme
1 bay leaf
1/3 cup heavy cream
creme freshe or sour cream
salt & pepper

  1. Using gloves, soak nettles in water and rinse under running water to remove bugs and debris. Bring a pot of water to boil and add the strained nettles. Cook until just wilted, about 3 minutes. Remove nettles from heat, strain and put into ice water. Strain and put nettles into blender or food processor and puree. Add water if needed. Set puree aside.
  2. Melt 4 tablespoons butter in large saucepan. Add shallots, celery, leek and potatoes, cover and cook over low heat. Stir occasionally until softened, approximately 8 minutes. Add wine and lemon juice and cook on high until evaporated. Add water, tarragon, thyme and bay leaf and bring to a simmer. Cover and cook on low to medium heat until veggies are tender, approximately 15 minutes. Use an immersion blender to blend the soup, or working in batches, carefully blend the soup in a blender or food processor. Strain the soup into a clean saucepan through a sieve. Stir in the heavy cream.
  3. Warm the soup on the stove by bringing it to a simmer over low heat. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons butter and strain in the nettle puree. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve with a dollop of creme freshe or sour cream.

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Main Course: Steamed Varnish Clams & Cockles
I never really thought about all the life that lives below the sandy beaches. I knew that there were shellfish down there just waiting to be cooked up for dinner, but I never knew how much fun it is to dig them up. We conveniently chose a day when the low tide reached it’s lowest at about noon, giving us plenty of time to hop on the ferry and head to Whidbey Island. Bucket and shovels in tow we scoured the beach for small  breathing holes indicating where to dig. It was so satisfying to find them and we spent the better part of day collecting and showing off our goods. Our dog Nali had a blast helping us dig in the sand as this is one of her favorite things to do. She even dug up a few clams for us. To dig in Washington you’ll need to purchase a shellfish license and check to see what beaches are open and safe from biotoxins and of course, follow the local rules.

Recipe:
(serves 4)

4 tablespoons butter
4 lbs clams (approx. 1 lb per person)
1/2 onion
2-3 garlic cloves, pressed
1 cup dry white wine
salt & pepper

  1. Scrub clams with hard brush under cold running water. Discard clams with broken or chipped shells. Soak clams in 4 quarts cold water with 1/2 cup salt and a handful of cornmeal for 1/2 hour to 3 hours to purge.
  2. Put onion, garlic, wine, butter and water into large pot and bring to boil ensuring butter is melted. Allow mixture to boil a few minutes and then add the clams.

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Dessert: Blueberry Pie
Blueberries are an important year-round staple in our home. Luckily the Cascades are bursting with them in late summer. Every year we spend a couple weekends backpacking in alpine country and stocking up on the delicious blue orbs. A couple years ago my husband got me the best thing ever: a blueberry picker, and my life was changed forever. We restrain ourselves from straight up bringing buckets with us, but we do bring gallon-size ziploc bags to fill until bulging. We freeze them to enjoy all year in Sunday pancakes, muffins, pastries and the occasional pie. My husband, who is totally obsessed with blueberries, only allows me to  make mini versions of my favorite pie so as not to use too many of the prized berries. But that’s ok, the mini version is a perfect treat to share while reminiscing about the first time we had this recipe: at our wedding.

Recipe:
(this recipe makes a full size pie – it can be scaled down to make the mini version)

Crust:
2 cup flour
1 cup shortening
1/2 cup water

Filling:
6 cups frozen or 4 cups fresh blueberries
3/4 cup sugar
3 tablespoons flour
1/2 teaspoon lemon peel
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
3-4 Tablespoons butter
dash salt

  1. Cut shortening into flour and add water. Mix to form dough and divide in two. Roll out first dough ball and put into round pie dish. Save remaining dough for top crust.
  2. Combine all ingredients for filling and spoon into pie dish. Squeeze fresh lemon juice and dot with butter.
  3. Roll out remaining dough ball to top the pie. Brush melted butter on top and cut vent holes.
  4. Bake at 400 for 35-40 minutes.

More information on foraging:

NW Foraging Classes, Instructors and Blogs

Ultimate NW Family Clamming Guide

 

51O2iwYfh9L._SX258_BO1,204,203,200_Pacific Feast by Jennifer Hahn

This is the essential book for the Northwest forager. It is mostly a cookbook for foraged finds, complete with recipes from Seattle’s famous restaurant chefs, but it also gives informative snippets for each of the species and stories from Hahn’s foraging adventures. This book covers the forest to the sea including trees, ferns, plants, berries, shellfish, sea vegetables, mushrooms and weeds. Hahn is an avid kayaker and often relies on foraging for her long kayak trips to reduce pack weight. She also teaches foraging classes. Find out more on her website.

 

 

 

 

51EdtYjnlqL._SY344_BO1,204,203,200_Fat of the Land by Langdon Cook

Langdon Cook has a passion for the land and wild food of the Pacific Northwest. His enthusiasm jumps off the page as he tells his stories of foraging through the years. Divided into four sections for each season, each chapter tells a foraging tale of a specific species and finishes with a recipe. He does it all from plunging into the chilly Puget Sound for a giant ling cod, digging for razor clams, and fly fishing with ghosts to picking fiddleheads, mushrooms and dandelions. Cook leads foraging classes and writes for various magazines including Seattle Magazine. He also has a great blog called Fat of the Land where he continues to share his stories.