Methow Valley morels pop up more frequently after forest fires.
Here in the valley, we have a luxury ingredient of the same caliber as caviar, lobster, truffles and champagne under our noses — the illusive morel mushroom. Alex Guarnaschelli, Iron Chef and executive chef at one of this country’s top restaurants (Butter Restaurant in New York City), actually refers to the morel as the “sacred mushroom.”
Our diabolical wildfires provide the ideal conditions for growth of morels in the forest. Originally a sailing metaphor, John Heywood (1497-1580) recorded the saying, “It’s an ill wind that blows no good,” which aptly applies here to the tasty morsels popping up after the devastation of the fires. That is, if you can find them.
One of my favorite times spent with my gruff father was hunting for mushrooms in Montana. They were prolific in the woodsy, damp areas adjacent to the Yellowstone River. They were big, yet still able to camouflage themselves on the forest floor. It was like finding a diamond when my eyes caught sight of one.
My dad said, “After you can find one, you can go back in 20 minutes and find another one.” My childish reasoning thought that he meant another would grow from the same stem as the one I picked. Of course, he meant there could be one right beside the picked one that wasn’t seen the first time. Such is this magical mushroom.
My mother breaded and fried the harvested fungi. Every year, the addition of the morels to our simple fare made your mouth water. Now, top chefs consider the morel at the top of the heap of mushrooms to use as an ingredient because they are so versatile — tasty on their own or by adding their earthy flavor to any dish that includes them.
The other day, my son and I went mushroom hunting. It brought back memories of doing the same with my dad, oh, so many years ago. Our bounty was small, but still the thrill of finding the little “fun-guy” was the same.
I recently had the occasion to visit a Sears kit home in Twisp. Linda Hardesty graciously invited me to tour her Castleton model on Burgar Street, which she says was originally called Silk Stocking Street because the homes were owned by the upper crust in Twisp at the time. The four-bedroom, three-story (plus basement) home was sold for a price range of $934 to $2,193, depending on the year it sold and the additions to the plans.
Linda’s home is filled with character and distinguishing touches of the early 1900s. It’s the kind of house that you could imagine being the setting for a mystery novel with all its doors, passageways and cubbyholes. The Castleton is fairly easy to identify on the outside because of a number of distinctive features, of which the most prominent is the “hanging bay window” on the side of the house that extends up to the roofline.
On a weekend filled with a Western theme, the Methow Valley Senior Citizens Association held their annual Western Pre-Sale in conjunction with Methow Valley Farmers Market and ’49er Days on Saturday (May 7). Folks come from around the valley to take advantage of bargains with a Western flair. The sale will be revisited with new items on Memorial Day weekend. A Mazama touch will be added to the next sale with an original watercolor painted by longtime Mazama resident Mary Anne Sitts titled “Mare and Foal,” to be available in a silent auction.
Proceeds from these sales will be helping with the center’s May projects, which include scholarships for Liberty Bell High School graduates and painting the exterior of the Senior Center building.
Don’t forget annual Clean-Up Day this Saturday (May 14) at the Mazama Community Club, the little red schoolhouse on Goat Creek Road. The 100-year-old building and property need care. Members and those interested in becoming members of this worthwhile community group are asked to bring gloves, garden and cleaning tools and smiling faces.
