Wednesday, November 30, 2016

Persimmon Muffins

Every year during late fall and early winter I look forward to the persimmon harvest! These incredible fruits ripen just as the last of the late season apples fall. And every year since we were kids, my brother and I would shake the limbs and gather up these sweet, gooey (and slightly bitter), fruits for one of my favorite seasonal sweets.


My mom's recipe for persimmon muffins dipped in cinnamon sugar is to die for! They are so damn good it is hard to resist eating a whole batch all at once!




So the other day, after the first good frost, I headed out to the family orchard and returned with just enough early season fruit for a half dozen of these incredibly tasty treats! Yeah...I ate like half of them!

O.k. I hear that the mushrooms are springing up again around here, so I am heading into the woods as soon as I get the final edits done on a couple of reports I am writing.

See you out there!

Keep the old ways alive!

Thursday, November 24, 2016

Late Fall Fun

It's been a while since I've got to writing on my blog. But that's not on account of not getting out for some good old fun with friends and family. Porcini's have been popping!
 
 

 
 
 
 
And a massive cauliflower mushroom also came my way the other day!

 
 
Troops of shaggy manes dotted the trails...


And oyster mushrooms sprang from fallen trees...


Just begging to be sautéed, served on crostini with goat cheese and balsamic vinegar, and devoured!




Those that were not eaten on the spot, were brought home, cooked up in a red wine reduction sauce served over venison steaks from a deer my brother got recently!


 
 
 
 
And what can I say...Dungeness crab season recently opened and we have done quite well for ourselves!
 
 
Anyone who says that autumn is a time of scarcity, clearly hasn't visited northern California!
 
Many more adventures are on the horizon, I can feel it!
 
Keep the old ways alive!