Morels and roses make delicious gourmet lunches.
July 12, 2008 at 9:00 pm (Food, Livin' North of 60°)
When driving along Second Ave. on Thursday afternoons, you can always spot the peaks of white tents in Shipyards Park. This is where locals set up their wares at the Fireweed Community Market. Aside from the ol’ faithfuls that are there every week, there are always little surprises tucked in here and there. I love farmers’ markets.
My friend Deb got me into going to markets when I would visit her at her cottage at Sauble Beach. Before moving to Whitehorse, I never imagined that there would be a farmer’s market, let alone any farming here. We do live north of the 60th, after all. How naive. It’s almost as bad as people down south thinking we live in igloos and travel with sled dogs in the Yukon.
At our little market, you can get elk burgers, bison burgers, freshly-squeezed orange juice, fireweed jelly, fresh vegetables, plants, and the list goes on. This past week, I indulged in two local specialty items: morel mushrooms and wild rose syrup.
The rose syrup I tried in a spinach salad with strawberries, pine nuts, green onion, and bacon (the spinach and green onion also courtesy of the market). It was a little on the sweet side, so I’ll have to adjust my dressing recipe for next time. I’ll also have to whip up a cool drink of rose syrup and gin on our next hot day, if it ever comes. That and a little drizzled on ice cream sounds like a nice afternoon with my feet up in the yard. Come on sun!
As for the morel mushrooms (which were at a really good price), I finally tried my friend’s cream of mushroom soup recipe. It was delicious! I mixed them with a couple of portabellos and button mushrooms.
For those of you who don’t know what morels are:
- look like brains fried on drugs
- usually found in areas where burns occurred the previous year
- hollow
- They’re used in French gourmet cuisine (very expensive mushroom)
- May cause poisoning symptoms for some people when consumed raw and/or with alcohol, though I’ve had them (cooked) along with a glass of wine in the past without any reaction
You can go to Wikipedia or Shroom Boom if you want more info on morels.
Aaahhhh!!! The mushroom soup soothed me, comforted me, and helped me forget the rain.
Moon said,
July 13, 2008 at 5:49 am
How do you know what a brain fryed on drugs looks like ?????… also, Elk Burger .mmmmmm, I have had Kangeroo …. elk sound marvelous !
yukonchatterbug said,
July 13, 2008 at 8:31 am
Gee, good question Moon. Okay, it’s what I imagine fried brains look like.
I have never heard of kangaroo meat. People actually eat it? Wow! I just learned something new. How did it taste? What would you compare it to?
Kara said,
July 13, 2008 at 8:45 am
I used to work out in the bush in northern BC during the summers timber cruising. I would pick morel mushrooms by the shopping bag full and fry them up. Ohhh yummy! If I had known how much they were worth I would have been selling them instead to help fund university! Picking them was much more fun than doing my real job.
Kara said,
July 13, 2008 at 8:47 am
Oh yes, and we used to call them shriveled scrotums! hehehe nasty!
yukonchatterbug said,
July 13, 2008 at 8:54 am
Kara, have you found any around Faro?
When I lived in Timmins, ON, I used to go blueberry and raspberry picking every summer. Every once in a while I got a patch of wild strawberries too. Yummy!
I haven’t done any berry picking since I’ve been in the Yukon.
Kara said,
July 13, 2008 at 2:20 pm
So far nothing around Faro, but I haven’t been out looking either! I have though been picking wild strawberries everyday. The little guy just loves them, so I pick about a cup a day to keep him happy. And you have been in the Yukon what, 6 years I think your profile says and you haven’t been berry picking!!! That is just wrong! I cannot wait for cranberry season. I love to pick them and make cranberry jelly to give away at Christmas time. I hate cranberries, but other people seem to love them as gifts.
Moon said,
July 13, 2008 at 5:25 pm
Roo meat is marvellous, very dark, strong meat .. Very healthy as well…. All over Oz, logical I suppose, but really tasty, better than guinnea pig and aligator !
yukonchatterbug said,
July 13, 2008 at 10:20 pm
Okay Moon, you’re just trying to get a reaction out of me now! Admit it! Puleaze! (Notice all the exclamation marks!!!) Just for you!!! I reacted! Now! Guinnea pig? Alligator? Okay, you have to come back and tell me how those taste. Or even better, write a post about it.
So include your URL (blog address) in your comments so people can link to your blog; I edited your last comment to include it.
So, Urban Yukon folks, go have a look. He’s just getting started on his blog and doing a great job at that.
Moon said,
July 14, 2008 at 8:02 am
Aww, thank Yukon for the plug … mmm, yes, thats not a bad idea for yet another subject !, Guinnea Pig was in South America, on the Inca trail, taste ok, bit like Chicken, and Aligator was in Queensland .. again, a little like chicken !!!
I have to say I will eat anything, except maybe Tongue, and I am allergic to Salmon !
yukonchatterbug said,
July 14, 2008 at 8:56 am
Kara, you’re making my mouth water just thinking about wild strawberries. The stuff in the stores doesn’t even come close; different berry altogether. And your analogy to morels is, well, eewweee.
Moon, I’m looking forward to that post.
Don't Bug Me! said,
July 14, 2008 at 7:23 pm
Well, I have been to Africa and didn’t eat elephant, I have been to Australia and didn’t eat kangaroo and I am going to South America and I will not eat guinea pig. They really are all too cute to eat. I really should become a vegetarian, but bacon just tastes too good.
You’ve been tagged! Pthththth!
yukonchatterbug said,
July 15, 2008 at 8:36 am
DBM: Aren’t you Moon’s sister? Or maybe I read wrong. If you are, you two couldn’t be any more different. lol
Tagged? I guess I’ll have to come see what this is all about.
Don't Bug Me! said,
July 15, 2008 at 9:42 am
Yes, I am – as he says, like chalk and cheese, but we love each other despite all our differences. We also bug each other becasue of all our differences. I am off to visit him next week. Should be lots of fun.
yukonchatterbug said,
July 15, 2008 at 9:45 am
You’ll have to put the glasses in the wrong place on purpose…or maybe organize the hell out of his cupboard. That should do it.
Moon said,
July 15, 2008 at 9:45 am
Is it next week ?.. shit, I’d forgotten about that !!!!
Awwww, I was hoping for my next blog to have a guess the boob comp …… ?