Toadstools and fairies

Has anyone else noticed how many mushrooms are out there these days? 

With all this rain, they are popping up everywhere. I could swear I’ve heard sounds in the night too, like the fairies are partying up a storm – perhaps literally.

It is said that fairies dancing in their circles at night is what causes those rings of mushrooms we see in the grass. Autumn is a magical season.

It takes me a while to get over the end of summer, but eventually I get the hang of it. Once one resigns oneself to the cool, crisp days of the season, the beauty of its experiences reveals itself.

I love the smell of fairy dust early in the morning, and the light that seems to come from inside the pears waiting to be picked out of the trees. The best part though, is eating the food of fall. 

Mushrooms are fun to spot in the grass, but they are even more fun to sample on the plate. I have been a fan of these umami-rich morsels forever; even as a kid I loved mushrooms in shepherd’s pie and spaghetti sauce.

But they are good for so much more. 

I know everyone is not a fan, between the spongy texture and earthy flavour. I could try to make my case by channelling the magic of the fairies, but I realize this doesn’t change the taste.

In that case you could just admire their shapes.

 We recently attended a dinner that was all about mushrooms – wild mushrooms. There were fungi of all shapes and sizes on the table and in the dishes prepared. The Fungus Farm in Summerland grows 14 different varieties of gourmet mushrooms on their farm, and they partnered with three chefs to host a long table dinner.

This was a feast like no other, with all manner of local fare from local farms as well as seafood brought by the coastal chef who was there. 

I don’t know if it was the magic of the season, but these guys were amazingly creative.

• They pickled mushrooms.
• They combined mushrooms with marinated octopus in a pie.
• Mushrooms were added to sauce and stuffing.

They had even made a wood-fired oven in the shape of a mushroom, using it to make mushroom pizzas and roast mushrooms with potatoes and other root vegetables.

The grand finale was a dessert that featured white pumpkin and chanterelle custard, coffee and pine mushroom mousse and an almond and porcini macaron on top. It was delicious and beautiful.

Now, everyone isn’t a crazy foodie like me, and we can’t always get out to an event to enjoy gourmet food. But if you’re a fan of mushrooms among your fall flavours, you can stop at the booth of a forager at one of the farmer’s markets and chat with them.

Scott Moran is usually at the Kelowna farmer’s market, and Brian Callow from What the Fungus is often at the market in Penticton. 

I will make a firm statement here:

Do NOT pick any wild mushrooms unless you have learned about them and know well what kind you are picking.

Many of them are delicious, but there are tens of thousands of kinds out there.

Some just taste bad; others will make you sick and some can cause violent reactions. Especially if you are in the forest with children, be careful.

One of the poisonous mushrooms is the red-capped toadstool with white spots you often see in fairy tale illustrations – amanita muscaria can make you quite ill if eaten raw.

Today, the annual Mushroom Festival is on at Sandhill Winery in Kelowna. Tickets are available at the door if you’re reading this on the day – maybe I’ll see you there.

If you’re someone who only likes to look at mushrooms, you could tag along to the festival and sample the wine, or perhaps you’d rather just wander the fields and watch for fairies.

Either way, you can still be touched by the magic of the season. 

This article is written by or on behalf of an outsourced columnist and does not necessarily reflect the views of Castanet.