Fungal Abundance

Foraging for Mushrooms in Western Michigan

The whirring of annual cicadas fills the air and monarchs flitter about the garden. The table is piled with voluptuous peaches and tomatoes. It’s the time of the season we around here call “deep summer”. It’s the time when the land is expressing itself in ripe displays of abundance. Edible mushrooms are popping up in spectacular numbers. Mushrooms are actually the fruiting sexual organs of unseemly vast and complex organisms that primarily exist as networks of silky webbing called mycelium which are embedded in decaying organic matter. Fungus for much of its lifespan is invisible to our immediate sight. The mushrooming season started somewhat slowly this year with an unseasonably hot spring which was not suitable conditions for a fruitful morel harvest. In central Illinois I found flushes of blown out and rotting morels in mid-May. There was almost nothing to speak of growing here in Saugatuck, Michigan. I would find sporadic and isolated oyster mushrooms through June as well as a few non-edible, but ethnobiologically significant species such as reishi (Ganoderma lucidum) and Amanita muscaria. Last summer, being on the cool and damp side, yielded an earlier season for chicken-of-the-woods and large flushes of oysters. This summer has been hot and of recent, quite damp. So finally, early last week, the woods blossomed in a brilliant display of fungal fecundity.

I have been mushrooming for only about two years. My good friend and fellow cook, Mikey Henderberg has been at it for awhile and my inner nerdy science kid was definitely intrigued by the far out curiosity of the specimens he’d haul in from the woods. It wasn’t until I tasted my first batch of deeply savory and earthy sautéed hen of the woods mushrooms that it actually occurred to me that I could go out and find my own free gourmet shrooms. Its really the perfect hobby for me, a crossroads of my interests in culinary exotica, poking around the woods, and my aforementioned fascination with biological taxonomy. I am incredibly fortunate to spend my summers in Western Michigan on 120 acres of pristine virgin mixed forests and sand dunes. Collecting wild mushrooms is unfortunately illegal in Cook County and surrounding counties, so I’d be out of luck if I didn’t migrate north in the summertime.

As for this year’s mid-summer cast of characters: its always the chicken of the woods, aka sulfur shelf (Lactiporus sulphureus) that first piques our interest in scouring the woods for other things. In general, we play it fairly safe when gathering mushrooms for culinary purposes, avoiding cap and stem mushrooms with gills, which comprise the majority of mushroom species including most of the seriously poisonous ones. We stick primarily to polypore funguses, which release their spores from pores rather than gills. Many of these mushrooms grow in easy-to-identify shelf- like clusters on dead or dying wood. “Chicken” is the perfect beginner’s edible mushroom forage as it is dead easy to identify with its neon yellow and orange coloration and otherworldly polyp- like appearance. They grow on dead hard wood, typically already felled trees. They can be common on cut logs or stumps and can be found in suburban lawns and even in city parks. This mushroom has an intense, umami rich flavor but a texture that is rather dry, especially as it matures. Young specimens are knobby and yellow, the orange color develops as they age. These young tender mushrooms are most desirable for eating. In older specimens you can trim away the more tender outer growth and save the woody interior for stock. Like most wild mushrooms, I like to prepare them simply by sautéeing them in butter with coarse salt and fresh ground pepper, eaten on toast. The dry flesh of the chicken mushroom benefits from a splash of cream, wine, or liquor in the pan. We also throw them in soup stocks or thinly sliced in miso soup. Vegan friends of mine love a chicken-of-the-woods noodle soup. We have had pretty good luck this season so far.with this mushroom. Another co-worker, Erin, who knows the greater area around here and its woods quite well hauled in a bounty of probably about ten pounds of tender young growth earlier in the week.

Boletes are cap and stem mushrooms that release their spores from sponge-like pores from the underside of their caps. There are very few, if any, reported findings of poisonous boletes in the Eastern states, which makes them a safe bet for foraging to eat. It is a diverse and expansive family of mushrooms, the most famous of which is the king bolete, also known as the porcini or cep, one of the most esteemed and expensive culinary mushrooms. I have found only one king bolete so far in my foraging career up in Northern Wisconsin. But this year around here a wide variety of boletes have been popping up and I’ve been collecting them and cooking them up. I have found numerous chestnut boletes (Gyroporus castaneus) which have a buff colored cap that flips from convex to concave as it ages. I’ve found that boletes are quite delicate mushrooms that are also enjoyed by the many critters of the woods. So, while I’ve found them in ubiquitous numbers, many times they are nibbled upon or past their edibility prime. These chestnut boletes, in particular, take on a bitter, medicinal taste in older, drier, and concave specimens. The very young little guys have deep flavor that goes a long way, I have prepared them mixed with more mild species. I also have found red capped boletes (Boletus rubellus), which have a pronounced color as to their namesake. The undercap has an olive green to yellow color that bruises blue with even a faint touch. They are quite psychedelic looking after having been handled and sliced up. These mushrooms are quite delicious with a sweet flavor that yields a minerally aftertaste. Again, I saute these and eat them simply. When trying new mushrooms, I skip butter and use a more neutral light olive oil. Once I become more acquainted with their flavors I may eat them with a fried egg, in an omelet, or tossed with pasta. I tend to pair wild mushrooms with mild ingredients to let their flavors shine. Stronger mushrooms can stand up to the tang of  finely grated hard cheeses. A few days ago I made an astonishing discovery deep in the woods of a freakish new-to-me specie of bolete, the old man of the woods (Strobilomyces floccopus). These guys stand on tall stems and have a very dark, shaggy, almost primordial look to them. I recognized them from my field guide immediately and knew that they were edible. Like other boletes, they cook up somewhat on the wet side. Their grey flesh bruises almost black and when sliced up and cooked they take on an inky appearance. Their flavor is actually of the more subtle in my adventures cooking various new boletes. 

As much as I love cooking and eating mushrooms, the thrill is in the discovery- finding diversely eccentric fungal fruits which may provide a rarified eating experience back in the kitchen. Its looking like a great season already, Mikey just pulled in basketful of fresh oysters. As the season matures, I will report my findings. I anxiously await seafoody lion’s mane mushrooms and my favorite of all, deeply savory and wonderfully textured hen-of-the-woods mushrooms.

Eric May is a Chicago-based artist and the head chef of Ox-Bow School of Art and Artist’s Residency in Saugatuck, Michigan. He directs a nonprofit gallery in Chicago’s Noble Square neighborhood called Roots & Culture. www.ericchristophmay.com

So, today, I helped Giovanni kill an agnello, or baby lamb. I don’t really know how I am supposed to feel about this, but honestly, all I feel is grateful. Grateful that an animal gave up its life for us and just grateful in general. So Giovanni picked a male lamb, tied its legs and carried it to a room in the casaficcio where they slaughter the animals. I was too scared to look it in the eyes so I pet it and stood behind the table where I could only see its back and behind, not the face. Giovanni made two cuts in the jugular, it began to bleed, and the blood went into a bucket. It only needed to bleed for around a minute before it started gagging and jerking around. It gasped for another minute or so, and then the breathing slowed and eventually stopped. The whole process took around 3 minutes, very fast, very painless. Sarah said we took the cowards view by not looking it in the eyes, and I regret not  looking at it from the front, because if you are okay with eating meat, you should be okay with killing it, and I was too nervous to look it in the eyes while it died, so instead I listened to it die. After it died, I went around to look at it, and I thanked it.

The minute it stopped breathing, Giovanni made a small hole in the leg, inserted a small hose and pumped the agnello with air, stretching it like a balloon to get the skin to detach from the muscle. He slit down the stomach and around the groin and began to pull the skin off. He cut off the feet and then attached giant hooks into the arms and hung it from a chain on the ceiling. I helped to peel the skin off and take out the insides, and I held its heart. it was still pulsing, not beating, but it was warm and moving and just holding its lungs and heart and stomach and liver was so…I don’t know how to describe it. It was very real and very connected. I got warm blood on my hands, I felt the still moving organs, and I heard the sound of dying.

The meat we eat is so de-animalized. All you see is a hunk of steak or a piece of chicken or just something. You don’t know what you are eating and you are so very disconnected from where your food comes from, from the animal that sacrificed its life for you. Are you thankful? Are you knowledgeable? Are you anything? For us, that meat is just another meal, just another piece of food.

For example, they had rabbit for dinner tonight, which no, I did not eat, and I saw the whole rabbits sitting skinned in the kitchen. The meat we eat actually comes from a real animal, from something that was alive a short while ago, an animal who gave itself up for us. I just feel so appreciative right now, so grateful.

Doing this today really meant a lot to me, and as most of you know, I’ve had a weird past with meat, being a vegetarian for 6.5 years and a vegan for 2 years. I just recently, like literally 3 weeks before I left for Italy, began to eat meat again. I’m only doing farm raised organic, which is everything here. I’m glad I got to take part in this because it’s helping me understand, well, a lot.  I apologize to all you readers, which hopefully there are some! But I just can’t describe this.

Well, tomorrow, when we have 30 PEOPLE for dinner, I don’t think anyone will appreciate our meal of agnello as much as Sarah, Giovanni, and I will.

As many of you already know, early last month, I went to the White House for the launch of the Chefs Move to Schools Initiative. On a day in June that felt more like August, approximately 600 chefs, cooks, and culinary instructors descended upon our nation’s capitol, toured the year-old garden and sweated through our “whites”. Much has been written on the event in the press and the blogosphere, mostly rah rah pieces just a breath away from puff, with an occasional tempered assessment. It was my intent to post on the event soon after my return, but a number of other commitments gave me a legitimate excuse for procrastination. Procrastination led to percolation and finally, I’ve gotten around to writing up my view, an unvarnished one of Chefs Move to Schools.

The Chefs Move to Schools program is part of First Lady Michelle Obama’s anti-obesity campaign. The Let’s Move campaign seeks to spread its fingers into society in several directions: early childhood, food deserts, physical activity, and, of course, schools.

The “Chefs Move to Schools” program, run through the U.S. Department of Agriculture, intends to pair chefs with interested schools in their communities “so together they can create healthy meals that meet the schools’ dietary guidelines and budgets, while teaching young people about nutrition and making balanced and healthy choices.”

I had advance knowledge of the program from friend Rochelle Davis, executive director of Healthy Schools Campaign, who’d told me that Sam Kass wanted to create a chef corps for schools. So I was unsurprised to receive the email from Let’s Move announcing the program in early May. I was, however, pleasantly surprised to find myself invited to the launch.

Living dangerously, I flew in the morning of the event after a late night catering. My turbulent flight, canceled once, arrived at 9, only an hour prior to the opening of the gates. I was impressed by both the humility and humanity of Marcus Samuelson who waited patiently in line with the rest of us at the head of the long snaking line down the street.

Making it through security, two check points and some finely tuned metal detectors was a thrill. Being one of the first through the gates, I took a leisurely stroll through the garden. As the sea of white chef coats, dotted with a few pink, denim, and even a tie-dye one, rolled in, we were escorted to the orderly formation of seats in the hot sun of the south lawn.

Given that the sun was beating down on us, the presentation, thankfully, was brief. Chef Sam Kass provided an introduction to his East Wing boss. The first lady then presented an example of her view of a successful chef/school partner: Each of the two halves described their experience. After FLOTUS’ conclusory remarks, the event ended and we departed.

And this is where my story begins.

Obviously, given what I do, I am very supportive of the First Lady’s initiative. Childhood obesity, hell, obesity in general is a scourge that our country can’t seem to shake. The repercussions from this condition are wide-ranging – increased health care costs, decreased self-esteem, and just generally making us an unhealthy society. This being said, why am I not as gung ho about the Chefs Move to School program as many of the other blogging participants? I have a few concerns.

It’s been two month since the program was announced and a month after the launch and it still is not clear what it means for a chef to “adopt” a school. Are we looking at the Jamie Oliver-Food Revolution model or Alice Water’s Edible Schoolyard? How much time is a chef expected to volunteer? How will the schools and chefs be paired? How is the USDA recruiting schools? How does an initiative like this work in districts like Chicago, which is comprised of 100’s of schools?

Since signing up through the USDA website, I’ve only seen one email from the powers that be – one that passed along a request from Epicurious for chefs to demo at the Daley Plaza farmers’ market. It does seem that with all of the resources at the USDA’s and First Lady’s disposal, that we would have received some direction by now.

On the positive side, the lack of direction from the Let’s Move initiative on this program should allow individual schools, districts, and individual chefs to create programs that work best for their communities. But this does require more effort and time from the individual chefs, which leads me to my second concern.

Without a clear understanding of what it means to adopt a school, how can a chef make a firm commitment to participate in the program? The brief description found on the USDA’s website seems to imply that it would like chefs to both improve the food served in schools AND provide nutrition education. From my experience of working in the schools for the past 5 years, to do even one of these two would require a significant commitment of time and resources. It’s a pretty big ask even if funding were involved. But the USDA and the White House have requested that this all be done on a volunteer basis.

Chefs are a busy bunch. They work hard, long hours and it’s hard to believe that many would be able to fit in the many hours that Chefs Move to Schools really requires. From my research, it appears that the inspiration for this program came from Slow Food’s Edible Schoolyard and New York City’s Wellness in the Schools, both of which are sophisticated and well-funded. There are other models as well including Art Smith’s Common Threads and Gracie Cavnar’s Houston based Recipe for Success. I am hoping that when some direction comes from the White House/USDA, they recommend chefs seek out organizations like these in their communities, ones with the resources, connections, and institutional knowledge to help chefs effectively work in the schools.

Here in Chicago, we’re doing just that by co-convening a meeting with Share our Strength and Healthy Schools Campaign where participating chefs will learn about the new nutrition standards that will be in effect in the coming school year and CPS’ Go for the Gold partnership with Healthy Schools Campaign, to help individual schools meet the gold standard of the U.S. Healthier Schools Challenge. They’ll also hear from organizations, like mine, about working in the schools either as individuals or within the context of another entity. We don’t want to dampen anyone’s enthusiasm, but instead help translate that enthusiasm into effective action. I also hope that it will encourage some of the chefs to work in some of the more underserved communities, which leads me to my final concern.

The USDA has not stated how chefs will be partnered with schools. The website states that it will “pair chefs with interested chefs in their communities.” But what does a community make? In Chicago, is it the city or is a neighborhood? If the latter, from looking at the map, there will be plenty of chefs for the north side, but there are very, very few on the south and west, neighborhoods that coincide with the greatest need for nutritional assistance. Yet again, these communities will be underserved. Unless the USDA makes some attempt to equitably divide the resources of the Chefs Move to Schools, it will only serve to perpetuate social inequities.

On the subject of social justice, I was a bit surprised to see that the USDA has allowed private schools to sign up for the Chefs Move to School program, at least one of which in Chicago has a tuition that ranges from between $22,000 (for JK) to $35,000 for high school. When I posted an informal poll on my facebook page, many suggested that regardless of tuition, all kids should be taught good nutrition. Agreed. However, I do feel that private schools, especially one with ample resources, shouldn’t be looking for volunteers through this program. Certainly, if a chef has a personal connection to this school, the story is different. For example, I founded a wellness committee for my son’s school, another Chicago private school; nevertheless, I view that as fulfilling my volunteer commitment to his school, not as part of the Chefs Move to Schools. With close to 700 public schools in CPS, I feel strongly that the resources of Chefs Move to Schools should be used to support those schools, especially because the infrastructure of the program is supported by our tax dollars.

Obviously, the intent behind the Chefs Move to Schools – getting new creative ideas from food service professionals – is excellent. I’m sure with a little consideration of these concerns, the USDA, the White House, and individual communities can address them. So I ask you readers, how would you deal with my criticism of the program?

Summertime Market, Douglas, Michigan

If you’re like me this summer, you will find yourself camping, renting a cottage near a lake, or otherwise spending time in the relative wilds of idyllic, small-town Midwest America. In West Michigan, particularly, Saugatuck, Douglas, Fennville, Holland and South Haven, I’ve found that the opportunities for eating and drinking local, even on vacation, seem endless.

In fact, I think that it’s even easier to “eat local” in West Michigan than in Chicago – after all, it is the home base of many farms that serve the Green City Market and other Chicago-area markets. In Chicago, eating local mostly entails going to a farmer’s market on a designated day. But, in this part of Michigan, you can:

• Go to a farmer’s market
• Visit a roadside stand that sells produce
• Visit a winery
• Visit a fruit farm and pick your own fruit (or take advantage of the “we-pick” option at most fruit farms)
• Patronize restaurants that serve local food or drink
• Buy directly from a farm

Here is a truncated list of many local purveyors. There are many more.

Farmer’s Markets

Saugatuck Green Market (Downtown Saugatuck)
Fridays June 11 – October 8, 8 am to 2 pm
Mondays July 5 – August 30, 3 to 7 pmSaugatuck Center for the Arts
400 Culver Street
Saugatuck, MI 49453
(269) 857-2399 (voice)
info@sc4a.org
http://www.sc4a.org/GreenMarket.htmlBeautifully presented produce and fruit at great prices.

Eighth Street Farmer’s Market (Downtown Holland)
Wednesday & Saturday, 8 am – 4 pm
May 12 – Nov. 27
Saturdays only, Nov. 28 – Dec. 11150 W. 8th Street
Holland, MI 494423
http://www.hollandfarmersmarket.com/

This is probably one of the larger markets in the area. In addition to produce, vendors sell bread, jam, flowers, cheese, eggs, and honey. In particular, it’s a great source for cheap canning produce. Look for (or ask) vendors if they have bushels (usually off to the side) of not-quite-perfect produce that they’re selling for cheap. For three years straight, I’ve sourced roma tomatoes for canning – at incredible prices – from the Eighth Street Market.

South Haven Farmer’s Market
Wednesdays and Saturdays, 8 am – 2 pm
546 Phoenix Street (in Huron Street parking lot behind Dyckman Park)
South Haven, MI
http://www.swmichiganfun.com/SHFM/home.html

Selling flowers, berries, seedlings, produce (conventional and organic), baked goods, jams, USDA beef and honey.

Fulton Street Farmer’s Market
Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays 8 am to 3 pm
May to Christmas
1147 E. Fulton Street
Grand Rapids, MI 49503
(616) 454-4118
http://www.fultonstreetmarket.org/

Providing locally grown produce since 1922. 100% certified homegrown produce. Also sells crafts, bread, meat, honey, flowers, maple syrup, eggs and prepared foods.

Roadside Stands/Berry Farms/U-Pick

Earl’s Farm Market
1630 Blue Star Highway
Fennville, MI 49408
(269) 227-2074
http://www.earlsfarmmarket.com/

45 acre berry farm with “U-Pick/We-Pick” berries and attached farm market featuring strawberries, red and black raspberries, blueberries, peaches, prepared foods (try their hot sauce) and some local vegetables, including peas.

Lyon’s Market
6831 124th Avenue (corner of Blue Star Highway & M-89, just off Exit 34 on I-196)
Fennville, MI 49408
(269) 543-4360‎

Seasonal fruit and vegetables (especially berries); Sherman’s ice cream

Dutch Farm Market
Open 7 days, 9 am – 6 pm
July 4 through Labor day, open 8 am – 7 pm
6967th 109th Street (I-196/109th Ave, Exit 26)
South Haven, MI 49490
(269) 637-8334
http://www.dutchfarmmarket.com/index.html

Seasonal fruit and vegetables (especially berries).

The Summertime Market
7 days, 9 am – 7 pm
176 Blue Star Highway (near the bridge)
Douglas, MI 49453
http://www.summertimemarket.com/



This is the Green Grocer of Saugatuck/Douglas/Fennville. True adherents to the eat-local philosophy, nothing is sourced from more than 30 miles away, and signs are posted near each product identifying the mileage from the source. In addition to produce, they sell Hilhof Dairy certified organic milk, Grassfield’s eggs & chickens, grass-fed beef, artisan cheese, including Evergreen Lane’s goat cheese (served in Chicago restaurants), Salt of the Earth breads (try the seedy salt version), Palazzolo’s gelato, bottled artesian water, beans, grains, pasta and canned goods — all local.

Krupka’s Blueberries
2647 68th St.
Fennville, 49408
Phone: (269) 857-4278
Email: ckrupka857@aol.com

When blueberries are in season, Krupka’s is a great place for U-pick.

Crane’s Orchards

See description under “Restaurants” section below.

Evergreen Lane Farm & Creamery
1824 66th St.
Fennville, MI 49408
(269) 543-9900
http://www.evergreenlanefarm.com/index.html

Tom & Cathy Halinski have been known for their organic apple orchards, but recently, they’ve become known for something wildly different — their artisanal goat cheese. Their goat cheese is made from the milk of LaMancha goats that are descended from a show line of goats celebrated for their outstanding dairy production. The two different products, though, create a symbiotic relationship on their farm, as the goats help to fertilize the orchards.

Vineyards and Winery

Fenn Valley Vineyards & Winery
6130 122nd Avenue
Fennville, MI 49408
(269) 561-2396
http://www.fennvalley.com/

The approach to Fenn Valley down 64th Street from M-89 reveals what’s to come: patch after patch of sprawling land lined with vineyards. These vineyards, situated in wild grassy sections of land with verdant vines growing haphazardly, seem comfortable in their casual Midwestern setting, and immediately appear different from their upscale, perfectly-trimmed cousins in Napa. Located on a picturesque stretch of hills nestled in between orchards and a horse farm, Fenn Valley is worth a stop, especially to try winemaker Doug Welsch’s ice wine, cabaret rosé, and Edelzwicker (which is an Alsatian-style blend of white wines meant to be drunk young). As with most Michigan wineries, the tasting is free.

Fennville Vineyards

Crane’s Pie Pantry, Orchards & U-Pick
6054 124th Avenue
Fennville, MI 49408-9440
(269) 561-2297
http://cranespiepantry.com/
http://craneorchards.com/

Crane’s is nestled amongst the Crane family’s fruit farms, and includes a restaurant, takeout pie pantry, and “U-Pick” orchards. The restaurant – really best for breakfast – looks like a vintage apple storage facility and is filled with antique Americana knick-knacks. Kids love this place. The pie pantry is known for its fruit pies, but don’t miss the apple cider donuts and fresh baked apple butter bread. The orchards have a corn maze, in season, for kids. In the fall (Crane’s busiest season as the apples are a big U-pick attraction), there are hay rides as well.

Salt of the Earth
114 E. Main Street
Fennville, MI 49408
(269) 561-SALT
http://www.saltoftheearthfennville.com/

Salt of the Earth is located in the former space of the über-local and seasonal restaurant, The Journeyman, on M-89 in downtown Fennville. Salt of the Earth carries on The Journeyman’s mission, albeit in a less vigorous and more casual fashion. Pizzas still rule, as does anything prepared in the restaurant’s work horse, its wood-fired oven. Still a worthy place to eat, especially in that it gives local beer and wine their just due. Try the Bowers Harbor Semi-dry Riesling (or anything offered by Bowers Harbor on their wine list).

Everyday People Café
11 Center Street
Douglas, MI 49406
(269) 857-4940
http://www.everydaypeoplecafe.com/

If you’re vacationing in Douglas/Saugatuck/Fennville, it’s almost impossible not to eat at the always-packed “EPC.” Although best known for its casual fine dining, EPC’s best-kept secret is its varied, reasonably-priced wine list. Co-owner/chef Matt Balmer is a passionate and knowledgeable wine aficionado, and he puts a lot of effort into compiling his restaurant’s wine list. Although packed with inspired options from all over the world, Matt is known to twist the arms of some local wine producers and get them to release precious bottles for sale at EPC. Recently, that includes wine by Left Foot Charley, L. Mawby’s fantastic méthode champenoise sparkling wines, and rieslings by Bowers Harbor.

Buy Directly From A Farm

One of the best things to do in Western Michigan is to take in the scenery off the main roads. In addition to driving by picturesque vineyards, rolling hills and inland lakes, you will discover many small family farms that sell their product directly to consumers. Advertisement of their products consists merely of the strategic placement of a well-worn, hand-scripted, plywood sign along the side of the road. Sometimes, they’ll give you warning of their farm by placing another sign on an adjoining road. Do not be afraid to patronize these places! It is not unusual for payment to be on the honor system, or that you’ll have to honk your horn to alert someone to come out of the house and take your money. By patronizing farms directly, you may find a secret source for fruit, such as Italian plums (like I did), eggs, cheese or even honey.

I hope you find the hidden gems of West Michigan to be as exciting as I do. If you visit and find anything worth sharing, such as a tiny roadside stand, more exotic produce farms (exotic from what’s usually sold at market), or meat and cheese producers that sell to the public (especially meat and cheese suppliers), please feel free to share with us here at the ‘Beet.

Even with our Market Locator on the fritz, we are sure you find markets this time of year.  There are at least 100 markets within the Chicago area, and if you cannot make it to a market, you can find local food at Green Grocer Chicago, the Dill Pickle Co-op or Chicago’s Downtown Farmstand.  Eat local now.  Eat local later too.  Here’s some ideas for having what’s in season now, then.

We present this early season guide for a couple of reasons.  Firstly, mostly, it is never too soon to think about eating local later; it does not take years of locavorism to know that times go lean for long periods around here.  Preserve food now to ensure you can continue to eat local.  Secondly, and nearly as key, many of the early season foods take well to preserving.  Not only do peas take well to freezing, it almost makes more sense to freeze your pea purchase as peas lose their vitality very quickly.  And peas are not the only thing like that.  We have listed below the mostly likely crops you will find in the market this time of year with our favorite methods for preservation.  Note, our more detailed primer and resource for Making the Most of the Seasonal Bounty (which is geared more to late season actions) can be found here.

Peas

Freeze – Have your friends ever tasted a fresh shelled pea.  It’s an advertisement for our lifestyle.  We also know that there is plenty of value in freezing peas.  As with most vegetables, the peas need to be blanched, or quickly cooked in boiled water, before freezing.  Note, when we say peas, we mean shelling or English peas.  You can find good success freezing sugar snap and snow peas, but since we like those type of peas best raw, we’d rather keep those around to eat now.

Radishes

Pickle – Crisp radishes take to pickles, and all sorts of cuisines have radish pickle recipes.  You cannot go wrong with a “quick” pickle which can be little more than shredding plus salt and a few hours.  We also love Korean style radish pickles with tons of hot pepper.

Strawberries

Freeze, jam, dry, booze - The first bountiful fruit of the season takes well to all methods of preservation, although we warn that frozen strawberries usually throw off a lot of liquid upon thawing.  We also advise that if you dry strawberries you still store the finished product in the freezer for long distance.  You can make many fine types of booze with your strawberries, especially if you have too many squashed ones.  Leah Zeldes shows a good way to do it on LTHForum.

Rhubarb – UPDATE: At the start of July, rhubarb is mostly gone from the markets

Freeze – Melissa’s covered this one already

Salad Greens – UPDATE: At the start of July, the season for salad greens is waning as lettuces do not grow well in hot, hot weather.  Get your greens now.

Stock/Soup – There can be a lot of lettuces or similar crops like rocket around this time of year.  You may not get to as many salads as you want.  Can anything be done with those browning leaves?  We believe in making vegetable stock from your odds and ends, and things like lettuces can be just fine as stock builders.  We also know, from the skilled hands of Chef Paul Virant at Vie, that lettuces make fine soups.  You’ll make dreck if you freeze lettuce, but you’ll be pleased if you freeze lettuce soup.

Other Greens

Freeze – Since greens like kale, chard, turnip and mustard are rarely eat raw, freezing matters little to their use.  A little blanching and there’s something for time ahead.  Now, spinach you can make a salad, but it freezes well too.

Asparagus – UPDATE: Little asparagus left by July

Pickle – Michael informed us of the limitations of frozen asparagus.  So, we advise finding a nice pickling recipe to extend the asparagus moment.

Kohlrabi

Store – I was not sure, without a CSA presently, if we’d have kohlrabi this season, but convinced by a good market price, we picked some up today.  The best thing to do with a kohlrabi.  Nothing.  Actually, this bane of subscribers is much tastier than expected, one of the sweetest members of the cabbage family.  We like kohlrabi raw and cooked.  We just do not feel you need to be in a hurry to eat your kohlrabi.  Kohlrabies will store for a very, very long time in your fridge.  If the skins turn a little black, don’t worry because you peel it.  Do not ignore kohlrabi.  Just wait for the right moment.

Beets, carrots, turnips

Eat now – These are all root cellar fodder, but this is not the time of year to put these things down.  It’s hard to find too much of a root cellar now, and the version of these crops out first deserve to be eaten as is.

Please share with us your efforts to eat local later.  Also, let us know if we can help you make do for later.

New! – Cherries

Freeze – Since sour cherries are almost always used cooked, freezing matters little.  The only question, pit now or pit on thaw.

New! – Apricots

Dry, fruit leather – The question really is, can you ever have enough apricots to put away.  Our local crop is never huge because it’s a fragile endeavor for farmers.  They’d rather put the land to use for peaches.  Then, when those few apricots show up, they’re so delicious, who wants to forsake eating them.  Apricots can be preserved many ways including jamming and the other ways peaches are preserved, but we all know that drying takes full advantage of apricot’s intense flavor.  Unless you use sulfates, your home dried apricots will turn dark.  So.

New! – Onions

Eat Now – More and more onions are coming into the markets, but summer onions are eat now onions.  In fact, you should keep your summer onions in the fridge.

It’s time to bid farewell to spring. Rhubarb, strawberries, and asparagus are on their way out, blueberries, summer squash, and raspberry moving in their place. But before spring has vacated entirely, I’m going get some into my larder. I picked up two delicious looking pounds of asparagus in my first installment of Harvest Moon Farms CSA and I’ll think that I’ll make some more pickles.

I can’t claim the idea for adding chartreuse to my brine – that came from Sepia, used as a garnish in a delicious Bloody Mary enjoyed on Mother’s Day. However, since I don’t have access to Andrew Zimmerman’s recipe file, I had to come up with my own version, which will be a nice addition to our Father’s Day Bloody Marys. Not a drink for the little locavore, but it will make papa locavore rather happy.

1/3 cup Chartreuse
1/3 cup white wine vinegar
3 1/3 cups white vinegar
3 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons kosher salt
2 sprigs tarragon
1 pound asparagus, trimmed to fit into the jar

Measure the first 5 ingredients into a saucepan. Heat until boiling and then simmer until the salt and sugar are dissolved. Sterilize the quart jar in boiling water for 10 minutes. While the jar is still hot, fit the asparagus stalks into it and add the tarragon. Pour over the pickling liquid and seal. Process in boiling water for 10 minutes. Let cool in a relatively dark place. Use after 2 weeks.

Most of the sheep on the farm are hybrids — primarily with varying amounts of Suffolk (with black faces) and Dorset (white-faced) breeds. But we also raise purebred Tunis sheep – a bit more on that later.

We pasture our sheep all year long – they run free, play with each other, and wander over a large field. We do finish them off on barley, which you can see growing in the background beyond the trees. On the farm here, we do our best to subscribe to organic principles, although we haven’t bothered to fill out the onerous paperwork to be certified organic.

This is a recently-shorn Tunis ewe with her newborns. Note her red face. Tunis is a rare breed (from Tunisia, hence the name), which some people say has a finer flavor than more common hybrid sheep. Diet can have an important impact on flavor, too, which is why our sheep are pastured on natural grass (and the sheep do a great job of adding their own natural fertilizer to the grass). The Tunis babies are reddish, but as they grow up, their fleece will turn white.

When it’s breeding time, we have to separate the Tunis ewes and ram from the others.

This ewe has given birth to two new lambs within an hour or so. That’s her water sac hanging out her rear. It’ll drop off shortly. But it won’t remain in the pasture long. That what the turkey vultures are for.

We used to overwinter all the sheep in the barn, but they do quite well out in the pasture all year ‘round. They have lots of grass to eat, and their heavy coats protect them from the chilly winter weather.

We had 179 lambs this year – more than we expected – about one for every 3/4 acre of our farm. We’ll let you know how they do as the summer moves on.

This  little guy, a Tunis, is about an hour old, and still wet. Mom wandered away as we got close for the photo, but she’ll be back to nurse him (or her) soon.

In several months, most of the lambs will be sent off for processing. We may save a few of the females, to replace some of our older ewes we’ll have to cull, who just aren’t functioning as well as mothers as they used to.

The ones we eat ourselves are processed by any of several local butchering places, all about 25 to 40 miles from here (Camden, Michigan). The ones that go into the commercial chain are processed at Wolverine Packing in Detroit.

So, that’s life on Rivendell Farm these days. The horses help plow the fields, the goats provide us with lots of milk, the solar panels provide us with lots of electricity, and the sheep seem happy. Life is good.

Look especially for products not prevalent in Chicago markets:

• Dried beans
• Grains
• Nuts – If you head north you may find butternuts and hickory nuts; south it may be walnuts including English walnuts if you go far enough south
• Booze – Just think New Glarus and many other Wisconsin beers whose distribution ends at the state line
• Cheese – Think Fantome Farm goat cheese and other artisnal cheeses found at the Dane County Farmer’s Market
• Sorghum
• Sausages including summer sausage and bratwurst

We always enjoy getting out and about anyways.  Why not make it a roadtrip for local food.  You owe to your pantry.

Here are some places within driving distance where you find outstanding markets or shops focused on local foods, listed roughly in order of distance from downtown Chicago:

Elburn, IL – Depending where you live in the Chicago area, the Heritage Prairie Market in Elburn is hardly a roadtrip.  Still, for me, once you cross Randall Road, you’re in the country, and that makes an outing here a road trip.  Farm market open daily.  You would think that the all the best brats come from Wisconsin, but there’s some pretty good ones in Elburn too at Ream’s.

Milwaukee, WI – There’s some keen farmer’s markets in Milwaukee.  You can find the nifty Asian vegetables grown by Hmong farmers that you don’t see in Chicago area markets.  One of our favorite neighborhoods in Milwaukee is Bay View on the South side, and one of the things we love best about this part of town is the South Shore Farmer’s Market right up against Lake Michigan.  Another source for local foods in that part of town is Natural Outpost.  They well-label their locavore ready stuff including these products.

South Bend, IN – In the stack of Local Beet articles never posted, is our compare and contrast between the South Bend Farmer’s Market and the American Countryside Market nearby in Elkhart, Indiana.  For now, we’ll tell you that one of these is roadtrip worthy and the other one is in Elkhart.  When you visit the South Bend market, make sure to save tummy room for the in-market diner. 

Madison, WI – The Dane County Farmer’s Market  is arguably the best farmer’s market in the USA, and is worth the trip for many reasons like cheese, cheese, and cheese, although there is so much more to the market.  A lot of people, Local Family included love the spicy cheese bread.   Wait, that’s more cheese…

Urbana, IL – We like our home state’s college town, although not quite as much as we love Wisconsin’s Madison, and we like the market at Urbana a lot, although not quite as much as we love Madison’s.  If that’s seems like not a fully fair comparison, know that the Urbana market is pretty expansive.  Since it’s in central Illinois, you’ll find produce from climates much warmer than Chicago (or Madison).  Yes, you can have local English walnuts.  The peaches are here a lot sooner.

New Glarus, WI – We never tire of the Brewery tour and tasting, but we also try to make time for the Swiss inspired sausages from Hoesly’s Meats.

Monroe, WI – We are willing to maintain local “ownership” of Roth Kase cheese even if the money these days now flows all the way to the Emmi Group in Lucerne.  After all, we can still spy on the operations from the windows at the Alp and Dell Cheese shop.  We find bargain prices for Roth Kase cheeses there too, but we also find bargain prices for many of area cheeses.  Look especially to the freezer case for the best deals.

Paoli, WI – It does not take a long drive from downtown Madison to be in the sticks, and Paoli seems a lot further away from Madison than it really is.  You’d also be surprised that this small town supports a shop dedicated to local foods.  It is especially deep on local meats and fermented items.

Sheboygan, WI – Go for award winning brats.

Kalamazoo, MI – Roadfooders go to Kalamazoo for donuts and beer. 

Detroit, MI – The whole Local Family finds Detroit surprisingly attractive to visit.  There is the time machine quality to the place, and there is the entire Eastern Market complex.   Added bonuses include low cost hotels (try Priceline) and some of the best Arabian food in the US.  There’s even casinos.  Saturday – 7 AM – 4 PM

Ann Arbor, MI – When we think foodie roadtrip, we think Zingerman’s in Ann Arbor.  Do the Tour de Zing–visit the Roadhouse, Bakery, Creamery and Deli over the course of a day and you also get a T shirt.  If you cannot bring home thousands of dollars worth of local goodies, you are not trying.  Go also for Michigan grown dried beans.   A good selection can be found at the Sparrow Market just around the bend from Zingermans.  The Ann Arbor Farmer’s Market runs Saturdays 8 AM – 3 PM.

Two Rivers, WI – Local locavores should head here to see first hand, the operations filmed by MikeG’s SkyFullofBacon productions and get themselves some lake fish. 

Toledo, OH – Stretching the definition of roadtrip, Toledo has Tony Packo’s dogs and pickles and a year round Saturday market. 9 – 1 PM

As a chef, I have had the pleasure of a few incredible work experiences in Chicago. Call it the luck of the Irish, if you will, but I was a prep cook in kitchens that sourced local produce in the 1990’s – years before this practice was on the industry radar. Fortunately our local farmers grow great vegetables in conjunction with the all mighty and benevolent Mother Earth, a practice which has enabled them to sell a superior product. The Chef’s who source local will all agree that this produce looks better, tastes better and is often more affordable.

Now I have always been the type of guy who enjoys a visit to the outdoor market. Every week I would walk through the farmers market in Federal Plaza and pick up interesting stuff both for the sake of learning and cooking in my kitchen at home (I am a Printer’s Row resident). The items made with fresh, local ingredients tasted better than anything from a grocery; the carrots crunchier, the radishes more flavorful. So when I inherited my kitchen in the clouds six years ago, we immediately began to purchase directly from the farmers at the markets in the area. My goal was to provide a superior product to our diner. Regardless of whether or not they were having a side of whipped potatoes or a plate of mixed greens, it should be the best vegetable they had ever eaten. In my journey through the market that first season as banquet chef, I discovered that Green Acres Farm grew an incredible golden zucchini. The first ratatouille I made with that zucchini was phenomenal; the color popped a brilliant gold and was so dense and meaty that Anton Ego would have drooled over it. While everyone loved that ratatouille they didn’t see it again for a long time because Bruce Sherman at North Pond would buy every last zucchini from Green Acres hours before I could make it to the market each week.

Since I knew that I would never wake up earlier than Bruce, I had to call in reinforcements. Over the next few seasons I carpooled with Paul Virant, met as many farmers as humanly possible and earned some street credit at the market. Eventually, after we purchased produce for a few seasons to supplement the core menu and create monthly specials, the farmers and growers began to remember my face. I was welcomed each week by the voices of enthusiastic merchants looking to sell me the “best eggplant” and the “juciest apple.” On the day that I had to hail two cabs to transport my fruits and vegetables back to the Hancock building, I knew that I had made my mark.

I would be remiss if I didn’t take a moment to thank Paul Virant for the countless times he drove me back to work with my fresh market items (imagine two grown men in a RAV4 sandwiched between crates of squash and flats of fresh berries, and you will see why it is so important to show my gratitude). In the summer of 2007 I was promoted to Executive Chef of The Signature Room and immediately began contracting directly with the growers for more and more items. It was logistically smarter to quit hailing cabs twice a week and establish a regular delivery system. We presently purchase 100,000 pounds of fresh produce, meats and cheese from local farmers in a five state area.

And just in case you were wondering, I have earned some growing power with Green Acres for that highly coveted golden zucchini. In fact, when the summer squash are abundant in the market stalls, be on the lookout for Chef Pat’s Golden Eight Ball Zucchini grown only by Green Acres farms and bred especially for stuffing in a cheesy, 80’s kind of way. That right readers – with a little bit of dedication and 30,000 pounds of produce purchased annually, you too can have a squash named after you.

Grilled Michigan Asparagus (with asparagus bread and truffled egg salad)
The Signature Room at the 95th
John Hancock Center
Executive Chef Patrick Sheerin

Ingredients:
4 slices bacon, thinly sliced
20 spears asparagus, washed, peeled, stems removed

Ingredients for Asparagus Bread:
* Please allow 24-hours to prepare
¾ cup shredded asparagus bodies, cut off tips and discard
¼ cup spinach, wilted, sautéed
1 whole egg
1 Tbsp honey
½ cup canola oil
1 cup flour
1/16 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt

Method for Asparagus Bread:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Place asparagus, wilted spinach, egg and honey in a blender. Puree until smooth, slowly add canola oil into the mix. In a large bowl combine the flour, baking powder, soda, and salt. Fold the wet ingredients into the dry and pour into a shallow greased and floured brownie pan. Bake approximately 45 minutes. Cool to room temperature, slice thin and let dry out in an oven with a pilot light overnight.

Ingredients for Truffled Egg Salad:
3 whole hard boiled farm eggs, peeled and minced
1 Tbsp mayonnaise
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 Tbsp cup minced truffles
touch of black truffle oil
chives
salt and pepper

Method for Truffle Egg Salad:
Combine all ingredients and reserve for service

Ingredients for Truffle Vinaigrette:
5 whole shallots, roasted-soft
½ cup sherry vinegar
2 Tbsp black truffle peelings
4 oz black truffle juice
1 whole Portobello mushroom-gills from the underside only
1/16th tsp Zanthan gum (find at whole foods)
1 cup canola oil
¼ cup black truffle oil

Method for Truffle Vinaigrette:
Combine the shallots, sherry, truffle peelings, truffle juice and gills in a blender. Add the zanthan gum and drizzle in the canola and truffle oils to emulsify. The mixture should pour like a sauce.

Method for Service:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place the 20 asparagus spears in the oven. Drizzle with olive oil and salt and warm for 4 minutes. Reduce heat to 200 degrees and place the bacon slices in the oven until dry and crispy.

Plating:
Spread egg salad on the bottom of the plate, place the bundle of asparagus on top and garnish with crispy bacon and asparagus bread crumbles.

Read more about Chef Sheerin and asparagus

I had never heard of Country’s financial support of the markets, nor did I even know that corporate sponsorship helped make the markets possible.  I felt that if I did not know about Country’s sponsorship, others did not.  And I thought others should know.  I asked some people at Country if they would be willing to let the readers of the Local Beet know about their actions.  They were happy to contribute this piece.  Let us know if you have any questions on Country Financial’s market support, and we will be happy to try to address them.

The days have grown longer and sunshine brighter. Cyclists and seagulls have emerged from hibernation, and baseball fans await the Crosstown Classic—spring has officially come to Chicago, but the celebration isn’t complete without the kickoff of the Chicago Farmers Markets.

Beginning May 13 and running through October, the markets bring more than 70 vendors into the city. These local farmers sell fresh fruits, vegetables, bread, cheese and flowers in more than 20 neighborhoods.

This seasonal treat wouldn’t be possible without the support from Country Financial.  The Country story began in Chicago in 1925.  Imagine the city as an agricultural empire of food processing and shipping. It was here that Country first opened its doors to protect Illinois farmers from losses resulting from fire and lightening.

The seeds sowed that day continued to bear fruit. Since then, Country has become the No. 1 insurer of Illinois farmers and further deepened its connection with these men and women who feed the world.

In 1960, Country relocated downstate to Bloomington to better connect with its small town and suburban client base.  However, the company’s ties to the city remained unbroken. Thanks to these firm roots, Country reaffirmed its windy city connection in 2007 by extending its insurance and financial services to Chicago residents.

When presented the opportunity by the Mayor’s Office of Special Events to sponsor the Chicago Farmers Markets, Country leapt at the chance.  Here was an event unifying the company’s unique history by bringing together Chicagoans and neighborhood farmers. At the markets, Chicago residents can meet their farmers and purchase fresh, locally grown food directly from them.

“We have a history of supporting local farmers and giving back to the community. The Chicago Farmers Markets allow us to do both, which is amazing,” says Mike Fisher, Chicago District Director of Agency for Country.  “Our financial representatives attend the markets, greet neighborhood residents and encourage them to support the dedicated vendors.”

As if delicious, locally grown produce wasn’t enticing enough, market patrons receive added benefits like a sustainable canvas bag to carry home their market treats each week. The bag is branded with the winning design from the annual Country bag design contest.

Standing-room-only crowds flock to Daley Plaza every August for the Country Chef Challenge.  Celebrity chefs gather the market’s freshest ingredients, roll up their sleeves, and create simple, nutritious dishes in just 30 minutes. Shoppers not only can cheer on their favorite chef, but they also take home new recipes and techniques for turning their bagfuls of abundance into tasty, flavorful meals.

Country serves 1 million households throughout the United States including the farmers who feed the world.  Through agriculture, its employees and Chicagoans alike share a common bond. Whenever they bite into a fresh apple or fill their cars with gas, they’re participating in agriculture.  Nowhere is this bond stronger than at the Chicago Farmers Markets.

*Correction – We originally referred to Country as a bank.  They are and insurance company, which provides financial services such as retirement planning, college education savings, trust management and investments.  They are not a traditional bank in that they offer no saving/checking accounts.