The Wildcrafting Brewer

This past week I finally got a copy of "The Wildcrafting Brewer" by none other than Pascal Baudar. (For those of you that are unfamiliar with Pascal's work, he is a well known forager in SoCal).

I highly recommend his work, which can be purchased here:

           

I'm super excited to read through this book and share some of it's knowledge with you all!

With it being winter not a lot of things are available for foraging. However, that doesn't mean nothing is available. All over the world fungal mycelium is still growing strong, and may even be fruiting in your back yard. 

If you live near a birch forest you may be lucky enough to find the highly prized, medicinal conk; Chaga. It isn't the fruiting body of this particular mushroom that is sought after , though. It is the sclerotium that forms, typically on dead trees, that is highly sought after. 

Or, of course, the ever resilient, non-substrate-biased Turkey-tail. These guys are found virtually everywhere. 

These are just a few of the foraged ingredients showcased in his new book. I am especially interested in his versions of Mushroom Beer and Turkey-tail Soda. 

Stay Tuned!

Wild Mushroom Stir Fry

Like most stir fried dishes, this was quick and delicious! We started out with some store-bought items: shrimp, carrots, brussel sprouts, celery, green onions, shiitake mushrooms, and white rice. What really made this dish explode were the special flavors of the wild-caught mushrooms!

Below you will see pictures of the Wild Foraged Late Fall Oyster Mushrooms and Wild Foraged Hen-of-the-Woods (Maitake).

The Mushroom Marinade:

1/2 cup Tamari

1/4 cup Mirin 

1/2 cup Rice Wine Vinegar

1/4 cup Sesame Oil

1/4 cup Olive Oil

1/4 cup white wine

2 Tbsp Honey

1 Tbsp Black Truffle Oil

1 Tbsp Oyster Sauce

Orange Zest

Pepper to taste

Fresh Ginger

Fresh Garlic

Slice mushrooms into bite size pieces

Marinade for at least 1 hour

Heat cast iron skillet until oil is smoking 

   Cook mushrooms at medium high heat, turning minimally with tongs, until a rich brown color develops on the mushrooms

Saute vegetables separately