Best. Mushrooms. Ever.

Greetings from there’s-not-enough-hours-in-the-day land.  I’ve been trying to insulate the shed this week.  I want to use all recycled materials, which takes a lot more time.  My daily trips to ReSource to see if they’ve got anything new are enjoyable but only sometimes fruitful.  I got a lot of fiberglass insulation from a neighbor for the walls—score! It all needs to be trimmed down and I am NOT looking forward to that task.  I’m finding the whole job quite the exercise in patience—working around the animals, making sure I don’t drop anything, cutting boards small enough to be able to manage them by myself, having enough materials to completely finish an area so the insulation doesn’t get eaten by the goats.  Anyway, no photos until the job is finished 🙂  (Let’s hope for a warm autumn—this could take a while!)

I wanted to show you our awesome mushroom stump.  This used to be a huge cottonwood tree that unfortunately died a while back.  A couple of years ago, mushrooms started appearing on the stump in the spring.  We basically ignored them and eventually they turned brown and died. But they kept growing.

Crazy, right?

This year they were so huge Very Excellent Husband Don called his friend Alfred to come over and take a look-see.  Alfred became very excited.  These were edible and he had a great technique for cooking fresh mushrooms.  We cut them off, washed them thoroughly (bugs galore) and followed Alfred’s instructions.

Best. Mushrooms. Ever.

They grow from the ground…

And the side…

And this one’s like a cherry on top!

He didn’t think they would come back after we cut them off this year but they have—we’ve got a third crop forming!

This was our second crop.  Not quite as large as the first, but still tasted wonderful.

Here’s the recipe.  I know, I know it sounds like the worst way to cook mushrooms.  But trust me.  You will swoon.  They’re thick and meaty and Don cooks them till they’re a little crispy on the outside.  We eat them with our fingers straight from the pan. Soooo good.  Give the recipe a try with some good-quality store-bought mushrooms.  You’ll be glad you did!

(And for those of you who have read all the way to the end of this post…. There’s a pretty good chance I’m gonna have a big surprise for you next week—stay tuned!)

**Shared at Homestead Hop, Tuesdays With A Twist, Maple Hill Hop, Simple Saturdays and From the Farm**