9.30.13 Into the Woods (& a GiveAway!)
iphotos by gluttonforlife
Fall has arrived, right on schedule. The nights are crisp and clear, making for excellent sleeping weather. We like the windows open and the duvet pulled up around our ears. The days feature those intensely blue high-pressure skies, a perfect showcase for the brilliant hues of the turning leaves. The woods beckon, still fresh and mossy, with pockets of green and the promise of mushrooms. I want nothing more than to be outside right now...unless I am curled up in front of the fire, feet toasty and a good book open in my lap, a cocktail close at hand. The pantry is stocked, the freezer is full and I am holding fast to these last days before the weather turns.
painterly views
In the marsh, you can clearly see that nature's artistry is the inspiration for master landscaper Piet Oudolf. The dying sedges and marsh grass create bands of color worthy of an Impressionist painter. In the branches of a tall bare tree, we saw four bald eagles yesterday. We heard their sharp cries first and were then rewarded with that rare sight.
bursts of color
Part of the homework for the Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction course I am taking is to really pay attention to the minutiae of an activity, be it eating, brushing my teeth, whatever. I find that walking in the woods keeps me very present, alert to immediate sensations, colors and sounds. Everything else seems to fade away and I am neither in the past nor the future but, optimally, in the moment.
bleach job
Color is compelling when it is heightened and intense, but also when it fades. These hay-scented ferns are slowly leached of their green, first going brown and then a ghostly white, before they disappear altogether. And they are beautiful at every phase, an obvious metaphor so I will not beat you over the head with it.
moss dweller
In our quest for mushrooms, we went deeper and deeper into the woods, finally coming across a low-lying area where water deposits, covered in thick moss like a velvet carpet. Because of the cold, mosquitoes are no longer an issue, but there are some other critters we like encountering, like this fellow who stood still for his portrait.
fungus among us
Sadly, it is not shaping up to be a very good season for mushrooms. We have found a few lion's manes, which are good eating, and I did come across a large hen of the woods, unfortunately already in an advanced state of decay. But this mossy area gave up a pretty substantial haul of yellowfoot chanterelles, and our go-to spot has yielded a few handfuls of black trumpet mushrooms.
wild things
In honor of the inimitable Marcella Hazan, who ascended to her kitchen in the sky yesterday, we cooked these right up for a wild mushroom risotto. (We used shallots instead of leeks, sherry instead of white wine and vermouth, and doubled the Parmesan.) One of her most important lessons is to use high heat when making risotto. Add the hot stock and keep stirring until you think the rice is just about to scorch, and only then add more. According to Marcella, high heat helps in the absorption and gives you a more tender, flavorful risotto. She would know.
one a day
What we lack in mushrooms, we make up in apples. It is such a delight to pick from our two trees and and from our friend Julia's small but bountiful orchard. I also made G stop at every roadside apple tree we passed (and there are many), to sample the seemingly endless heritage varieties growing in these parts. Some are tart, some tart-sweet, some very sweet—and all floral, flavorful, complex, delicious. We brought home two bushels and there are many, many more still left on the trees.
local columnist
I thought apples would make a fitting topic for my first piece in our local paper, The River Reporter. My column, entitled Relish Every Day, will run once a month and feature a recipe that uses local/seasonal ingredients. This time it was for roasted applesauce, a simple and homey dish that is perfect right now. Here's a slightly different one you make on the stove.
SPECIAL FALL GIVEAWAY
In the spirit of stocking the pantry, I have put together a big box of my homemade jams, chutneys, flavored salts, fruit leather, etc. for a special Fall Giveaway. To be eligible to win, all you need to do is leave a comment below by midnight on Sunday 10/6, telling me what you love most about fall. xo
SPECIAL FALL GIVEAWAY
In the spirit of stocking the pantry, I have put together a big box of my homemade jams, chutneys, flavored salts, fruit leather, etc. for a special Fall Giveaway. To be eligible to win, all you need to do is leave a comment below by midnight on Sunday 10/6, telling me what you love most about fall. xo
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