Mushrooms have a special place in my heart– they’re like no other vegetable. Can you really call this fungus a vegetable though? I’m not quite sure. But I do know they add a magical meatiness to dishes even though they’re comprised mostly of water. And even though we can cultivate satisfying portabellas and creminis, their untamed breatheren like chanterelles, morels, and porcini pop up seemingly overnight with no explanation. You have to be at the right place at the right time to find them.

Most Americans don’t share my mushroom enthusiasm. We live in a mycophobic culture suspicious of mushrooms’ association with death. They produce poisonous or hallucinogenic compounds– some even glow in the dark. They appear under cover of darkness, thriving in rot. Or maybe it’s just because we first experienced mushrooms on a pizza topped with the rubbery canned version.  I hope you’ll stick around to hear about my mushroom adventures this month…