Just a little cloudy and cool, but still fun to see all of the “new”, fresh produce. Great to see some new vendors, too. And with new vendors, comes new “kitchen” ideas and menus. And here are just a few. And with that, comes some new products. The first is Lions Mane Mushrooms. CAUTION: Know your wild mushrooms and the distributors before eating. Some are toxic!

Hericium erinaceus (also called lion’s mane mushroom, monkey head, bearded tooth mushroom, satyr’s beard, bearded hedgehog mushroom, pom pom mushroom, or bearded tooth fungus) is an edible and medicinal mushroom belonging to the tooth fungus group. Native to North America, Europe and Asia it can be identified by its long spines (greater than 1 cm length), its appearance on hardwoods and its tendency to grow a single clump of dangling spines. Hericium erinaceus can be mistaken for other species of Hericium, all popular edibles, which grow across the same range. In the wild, these mushrooms are common during late summer and fall on hardwoods, particularly American beech. [Wikipedia]

Common name: Lion’s Mane, Bearded Tooth, Hedgehog Mushroom, Satyr’s Beard, Old Man’s Beard, Unbranched Hericium.
Description: The bearded tooth fungus is white when fresh and yellowish with age. It has long spines. The fungus is 4-10” (10-25 cm) across. It is an oval to rounded solid mass of spines which hang in a beardlike fashion. The spines cover the sides and are formed in lines. This fungus is attached to the tree by a tough, thick, root like structure. The spines are .4 – 1.5 “ (1-4cm) long.
Ecology/associated hosts: The bearded tooth can be parasitic, found on living trees; especially oak, maple, and beech, and saprotrophic, found on decaying hardwoods. The season is from August – November.
Harvest: Harvest of bearded tooth mushrooms can be difficult as often the fungus is growing high in a tree. The best method is to cut the fruit body at the base, close to the tree and thus remove it in one piece.
Many wild picked Hericium mushrooms may house various tiny beetles and/or sawdust, appearing like bits of decayed wood. Thorough cleaning by shaking and hand removal of such nuisances is often needed. If the mushroom has begun to discolor to a yellowish tone, it is too old and likely will have a sour or unpleasant flavor after cooking. [Midwest Mycology Org]

With all of this information in mind, here is one use – A Lion’s Mane Mushroom Omelet!

Lion’s Mane Mushroom and Garlic

Sautéed Lion’s Mane Mushrooms with Garlic

Lion’s Mane Mushroom Omelet
Raspberries and Blueberries
Bacon
Garlic Toast

And then there is seafood. I grew up on seafood – which I did not particularly like at the time. But it was either seafood or liver. I really don’t care how you cook liver or what you do to it – It’s still liver! If you like crab cakes, and Robin and I do, here is a recipe we came up with. Give it a try. CS Crab Cakes. These are mostly East Coast Style, less the saltine crackers. But still made with Blue Crab (Phillips). It’s an Atlantic thing.

Crab cakes in egg rings and getting ready to cool down. The cooling is important!

CS Crab Cakes
Asian Salad

But you can not have dinner without breakfast. Here are two to try. Differently good!

Lemon Pancakes
Over Easy Eggs

Avocado Eggs
Toasted Acme Bakeshop Sourdough Logs
Fruit
Polenta Cakes
(Remove the seed from 1/2 an avocado and place a poached or soft cooked egg in the hole. Top with micro greens.)

Whisky Cured Salmon (Lox)

Shepherd’s Pie

And the good thing about all of these meals? 95% of the ingredients came from the Boise Farmers Market or their vendors. (Eggs, lamb, polenta, micro greens, bread, bread crumbs (from Acme Bakeshop sourdough bread), mushroom, etc. We eat well and know where our products come from. Thank-You BFM and vendors!