Wild Mushrooms + 采蘑菇的小姑娘

Wild Mushrooms First things first. On New Year’s Eve, I posted a song, 'You Are My Sunshine,' and in that post, I wished for sunshine during the daylight and rain at night. On New Year’s Day, my wish came true. When I woke up, the sun was already shining brightly outside. Unfortunately, though, I got something I never wished for on that day. I got a fever and a headache. It turned out I got COVID. I stayed in bed for a whole week. I saw some of you read my post and left your comments kindly. But I was just too sick to log in to reply. I owe you a 'Thank You'! Thank you, Qiulan, 衛寧, 羽音, AP, 忒忒綠, Xiaosai, and Godog! Thank you all for your time and kindness. Qiulan, thank you for your kind advice! I’ll try to learn to put wings on my stress so they can fly away. :) That is a very good piece of advice! Now that’s out of the way, let’s talk about wild mushrooms. 采蘑菇的小姑娘 It's the rainy season here in Central California, which means it's also mushroom hunting season. So far, I've learned to identify four kinds of wild mushrooms: Porcini mushroom, Cauliflower mushroom, Candy Cap mushroom, and Oyster mushroom. They are all common in my area, and they are quite distinct, making them easy to identify and relatively safe when it comes to making mistakes. Porcini mushroom (aka king bolete), is the most common and popular wild mushroom in this area. Porcini mushrooms are brown-capped mushrooms with fat, white stalks. The caps can range in size from an inch to nearly a foot, but most are no more than a few inches. The caps have a convex shape when young, giving them the ideal appearance for mushrooms.  Porcini mushrooms should not be soaked in water or even rinsed if possible. This is true for most wild mushrooms. Use a dry or slightly damp paper towel to wipe any dirt off of each mushroom just before using. Excess water will cause the delicate mushrooms to deteriorate before cooking. I usually use a small brush to gently brush away the dirt. Fresh mushrooms can be sautéed, braised, fried, grilled, or stewed. They tend to be prepared simply (such as sautéed) to maintain their flavor and texture. Served as a side dish or added to risotto or pasta, they are a seasonal treat. I often sauteed them in butter. They are often described as nutty and earthy with a meatiness in flavor and texture. They have a similar taste to other, more common mushrooms, but with a deeper and nuttier flavor. Fresh mushrooms have a tender, meaty texture when cooked. Cauliflower mushrooms (Sparassis radicata) are a variety of saprobe, a parasite known for leeching off trees (particularly decaying oak stumps). The fruiting body of a cauliflower mushroom is big, clumpy-shaped, and pale yellow or cream-colored. With a width and height of six to twelve inches, this variety essentially looks like a large head of cauliflower. Toothsome yet tender, cauliflower mushrooms’ consistency doesn’t soften much while cooking—meaning they remain pleasantly firm, with no risk of getting mushy. I found this one at the foot of a big Monterey Pine tree in a park that’s only a block away from my house. With numerous convolutions, like those in the brain, cleaning a cauliflower mushroom can be quite challenging. Candy Cap mushrooms, as the name suggests, have a sweet scent. Some people say they smell like caramel or maple sugar. I think they smell more like Tiramisu, with the combined scents of coffee and chocolate. Candy caps are members of the Lactarius family. Lactarius mushrooms all bleed a milky liquid when their gills are cut or damaged. The color of the milky latex substance varies among Lactarius mushrooms, but all the candy caps bleed a white liquid. Candy caps, in general, are small brownish mushrooms. They aren’t eye-catching. All parts of the candy cap mushrooms are brittle – this is actually a key distinguishing feature. The cap and stem break easily, usually with a clear snap. Due to their sweet scent, candy caps aren’t cooked like most edible mushrooms. They are predominantly used as a flavoring. Their flavor and scent intensify with drying, so the majority of users dry out the mushrooms, powder them, and use the powder to flavor the dish. I have never dried them and used them for making dessert. I often just sauté them, as I do with other wild mushrooms. They don’t taste as tender and flavorful as porcini or cauliflower mushrooms when sautéed, but still delicious. That’s all I have to offer today. I hope you will find time to go outdoors. Maybe you'll find some wild mushrooms as well. Feel free to share your bounty if you find any.

所有跟帖： 

• 甜蟲蟲好！Take a good rest. Wish you a speedy recovery! -天邊一片白雲- ♀ (0 bytes) () 01/13/2024 postreply 18:34:08

• It is nice to be able to identify edible mushrooms. -天邊一片白雲- ♀ (0 bytes) () 01/13/2024 postreply 18:35:50

• Thank you 白雲！I feel much better today. :) -甜蟲蟲- ♀ (0 bytes) () 01/13/2024 postreply 20:51:28

• Sorry to hear about it，蟲蟲。Hope you've made a full recovery. -盈盈一笑間- ♀ (0 bytes) () 01/13/2024 postreply 19:22:19

• 謝謝盈盈！I feel much better although I still have a bad cough. -甜蟲蟲- ♀ (0 bytes) () 01/13/2024 postreply 20:52:48

• 歌甜人美，唱得真好聽。瞬間將我們帶回童年時光，想和你一起去做采蘑菇的小菇涼。英文流暢，文字功底好。欣賞！ -盈盈一笑間- ♀ (0 bytes) () 01/13/2024 postreply 19:25:06

• 謝謝盈盈謬讚：）帖子中有幾段是網上抄的，其餘的不怎麽好的是我自己寫的：）） -甜蟲蟲- ♀ (0 bytes) () 01/13/2024 postreply 20:56:17

• little knowledge of wild mushroom but they looked delicious -移花接木- ♂ (0 bytes) () 01/13/2024 postreply 19:40:06

• 好久沒聽過這首歌了，真好聽。COVID is so obstinate -移花接木- ♂ (0 bytes) () 01/13/2024 postreply 19:44:25

• Yes, I'm afraid COVID is here to stay :( -甜蟲蟲- ♀ (0 bytes) () 01/13/2024 postreply 20:59:21

• 花帥好！I grew up eating wild mushrooms,different kinds though. -甜蟲蟲- ♀ (0 bytes) () 01/13/2024 postreply 20:58:22

• 現在看這麽多英文先發懵了：）我新年過後也感冒了，但是covid陰性。蘑菇看著和靈芝似的。讚蟲蟲活潑好唱！ -妖妖靈- ♀ (0 bytes) () 01/13/2024 postreply 20:16:53

• 妖妖好久不見！問好！我很少寫那麽長的帖子。今天寫著寫著差點忘了寫到哪裏：）今年加州各種流感，周圍不少人病了，抱抱！ -甜蟲蟲- ♀ (0 bytes) () 01/13/2024 postreply 21:02:28

• 你居然病在床上一個星期，這麽重啊。可以家裏備用一些 -妖妖靈- ♀ (283 bytes) () 01/13/2024 postreply 22:01:52

• Thank you so much for the information! You’re awesome! -甜蟲蟲- ♀ (0 bytes) () 01/14/2024 postreply 10:04:36

• 新年後感冒的人不少，朋友同事都有中招的。多保重。 -盈盈一笑間- ♀ (0 bytes) () 01/14/2024 postreply 06:49:10

• 是呢！再次謝謝盈盈！周末愉快：） -甜蟲蟲- ♀ (0 bytes) () 01/14/2024 postreply 10:05:48

• 謝謝盈盈關心～ -妖妖靈- ♀ (0 bytes) () 01/14/2024 postreply 17:49:08

• 真好！This is another new door to me :+)) ~~~~~~~ -遍野- ♀ (0 bytes) () 01/13/2024 postreply 20:29:12

• nice! Thank you! Yes, a lot of unknowns behind the doors. -甜蟲蟲- ♀ (0 bytes) () 01/13/2024 postreply 21:04:17

• 唱得好棒。想起了小時候上山采蘑菇！ -方外居士- ♂ (0 bytes) () 01/13/2024 postreply 21:26:40

• 謝謝居士！我小時候也經常上山采蘑菇，那些是開心的時刻 ：） -甜蟲蟲- ♀ (0 bytes) () 01/13/2024 postreply 21:34:59

• 我在北大荒的原始林海伐木時，也採過猴頭蘑和黑木耳，猴頭蘑特別大，黑木耳布魯布魯顫巍巍的，交給連隊食堂了。 -古樹羽音- ♀ (0 bytes) () 01/14/2024 postreply 17:19:06

• 找到蘑菇的時候是不是特開心？：） -甜蟲蟲- ♀ (0 bytes) () 01/14/2024 postreply 18:20:58

• 意外的收獲，開心極了，一切疲勞都忘得一幹二淨，哈哈哈。 -古樹羽音- ♀ (0 bytes) () 01/14/2024 postreply 18:35:52

• 同感：）握手！ -甜蟲蟲- ♀ (0 bytes) () 01/14/2024 postreply 18:58:30

• 謝謝蟲蟲博動人可人的歌聲，更讚永不泯滅的童心！欣慰你回複了健康和好心情！ -古樹羽音- ♀ (0 bytes) () 01/14/2024 postreply 02:08:05

• 好久不見，古樹，問好！新年以來日本頻上國際新聞。。正想問問那邊的情況呢。 -盈盈一笑間- ♀ (0 bytes) () 01/14/2024 postreply 05:10:27

• 盈盈壇官好，朋友們好！ -古樹羽音- ♀ (0 bytes) () 01/14/2024 postreply 06:09:02

• Thank you for your warm words! Wish you a wonderful 2024! -甜蟲蟲- ♀ (0 bytes) () 01/14/2024 postreply 09:49:57

• 老太婆感謝甜蟲蟲小姑涼：-））） -古樹羽音- ♀ (0 bytes) () 01/14/2024 postreply 17:14:09

• 蟲蟲不是小姑娘， 羽音姐也不是老太婆：）我們都還年輕：）） -甜蟲蟲- ♀ (0 bytes) () 01/14/2024 postreply 18:54:58

• 好唱，好好聽！喚起了久遠的記憶！加州中部有蘑菇采啊？我以為這麽幹燥的地方沒有蘑菇：） -暖冬cool夏- ♀ (0 bytes) () 01/14/2024 postreply 07:11:59

• 加州中部沿海，現在是雨季：）謝謝暖冬讀帖！周末愉快！ -甜蟲蟲- ♀ (0 bytes) () 01/14/2024 postreply 09:49:01

• Porcini looks good for a cream sauce. -7grizzly- ♀ (0 bytes) () 01/14/2024 postreply 09:06:17

• I bet!:) -甜蟲蟲- ♀ (0 bytes) () 01/14/2024 postreply 09:50:41

• wonderful for sweet teeth? -顫音- ♂ (0 bytes) () 01/14/2024 postreply 10:18:13

• :) -甜蟲蟲- ♀ (0 bytes) () 01/14/2024 postreply 18:57:26

• Your singing like sunshine raining down from the clear sky! -godog- ♂ (83 bytes) () 01/14/2024 postreply 11:43:17

• Thank you for your beautiful poetic comments! -甜蟲蟲- ♀ (0 bytes) () 01/14/2024 postreply 18:56:47

• 好好聽！讚一個！ -最西邊的島上- ♀ (0 bytes) () 01/14/2024 postreply 16:18:53

• 謝謝西島！新年快樂：） -甜蟲蟲- ♀ (0 bytes) () 01/14/2024 postreply 18:55:57

• Holding every mushroom up is a fairy, invisible but -renqiulan- ♂ (0 bytes) () 01/15/2024 postreply 06:50:23

• communicable if the seeker is spiritual enough. -renqiulan- ♂ (0 bytes) () 01/15/2024 postreply 06:55:04

• You're that seeker. -renqiulan- ♂ (0 bytes) () 01/15/2024 postreply 06:56:09

• Thank you Qiulan! Candy caps smell so good :) I found more -甜蟲蟲- ♀ (146 bytes) () 01/15/2024 postreply 09:10:10

• 美文美圖，好歌好唱，童趣盎然，讚！Hope you have a speedy recovery! 謝謝蟲蟲分享。 -CBA7- ♀ (0 bytes) () 01/15/2024 postreply 09:26:38

• Thank you 小西！Wish you a happy Monday :) -甜蟲蟲- ♀ (0 bytes) () 01/15/2024 postreply 09:45:29