Porcini's - the thrill of the hunt! this is what I've been doing and why I haven't

R

randi

Well-known member
been around much. it's shroom season here and I have shroom fever.... big time! after 2 seriously bad years for porcini I'm litterally tripping over them. so far, in 10 days, I've picked 55 lbs, and I'm drying them like crazy.

the first 4 pictures are from a few days ago. the rest are from yesterday - 15 lbs in 15 min. I used wine bottles to give you good idea of their actual size. the big one weighed in at 2 3/4 lbs with an 8 1/2" diameter cap...

normally, I would have put on something different but Don was rushing out and I had to deal with the big ones immediately.

http://www.recipetalk.com/home.cfm?dir_cat=80549

 
Now there just HAS to be a gnome around there somewhere?

Randi, I think you may have wiped out an entire gnome neighborhood, making you the gnomatic version of a tornado or hurricane! A force of nature to be reckoned with...

 
there is but I only see him if I finish all the wine myself '-)))) one does become crazed

during a season like this one. the only way to describe "shroom fever" is to refer to an old Star Trek episode when Spock had to return to Vulcan to mate or he would die. it's kinda like that for shroomers.

of course, being single most of my life, I have to say I've heard that line before! ROTF

 
I go into the woods for them but this year, they are litterally everywhere. I've never seen

anything like this in the 13 years I've been shrooming for porcini. FYI - their actual name is King Boletus and now you know why.

out of the 55 lbs so far, some were shared on one hunt when I was teaching a couple of dear friends how to hunt. you lose some due to wormy caps so the entire poundage isn't all usable. usally, I dry most of them for the rest of the year but this year, they are so very prolific that I've sauteed a couple of lbs for the freezer.

I sauteed some when my son & DIL were here and they were awesome with the pasta carbonara. because they have to be dealt with right away, having sauteed, fresh porcini is a rare treat.

normally, I would be done by now but.... how can you walk away from the incredible bounty? it's a lot of work as I wash each one before drying, hand slice and each slice has to be checked for complete dryness or you will lose the entire container. this afternoon it's sushi and then shrooming.

when the season is done I'll have to figure out what to with all of them. a lot of the joy of a good season is sharing. and, if we have an early freeze, they will be gone. that's what happened the last couple of years.

 
Oh this sounds great! I happen to have a baggie of dried porchini

a friend of mine collected them last year. They are so fragrant I had to double bag them! I put some in pasta last night for a bowl of feel-good heaven... How wonderful to have so many fresh ones! yummm.

 
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