Matsutake

My friend Karen just returned with another batch of matsutake from her secret mushroom-foraging grounds on the east slope of the Cascade Mountains. Exotic fungi have been a big part of our diet around here lately (including boletus edulis, agaricus augustus, pig's-ear gomphus, and white chanterelle), but this strong-flavored species is among the most sought-after... particularly prized in Japan, and a treat when marinated and grilled. I put a pound of them on eBay this evening... we have more than we can eat, and they're not reputed to dehydrate well.

In other news, I added another chapter to the Miles with Maggie collection: Notes from the East. And I replaced the old manually edited news feed with one that automagically happens whenever I update this blog (see the orange tag over there on the right, under the list of links).