Hunting Morels from the Perennial Plate

One of my favorite meals of all time was from my childhood. Cast-Iron Morel Mushrooms in Butter over steak... in the woods, on a camp-stove, with my dad on a turkey hunting trip in the hills of Pike County, Ohio. We spent the day walking the hills in the forest looking for turkeys, and found a good patch of morels along the way! We filled our pockets and a hat with them, and continued on.

We used to go specifically Mushroom Hunting around the woods around the family land on the Blanchard River as a little kid. I would be following my dad or grandfather along the railroad and down into the woods, usually finding more briars and burrs than mushrooms, but being 3 ft tall did help with the view, however. We would find enough to cook for dinner, and that would be enough. Sometimes we would find enough for gifts to relatives or to eat later. More often than not they didn't last longer than that evening. It was a rare and special occasion.

Being a young kid, I didn't have the evolved tastebuds yet, and didn't like the flavor of the mushroom. It probably had more to do with their alien landscape appearance, and pungent aroma than flavor, but I didn't really give them a chance. By the time I was older and we went hunting for turkeys, I had developed a bit more refined taste. I was hesitant, but the smell of the butter in the pan with the perfume of those morels was amazing. Paired with some local steak medalions from a little store down the road seared in the same pan, in the same butter, and topped with those mushrooms.... devine. The scenery, the day, the chill in the air as the sun set on the other side of the hill, the fog rolling in from over the crest of the ridge across the lake. It was truly a unique and amazing experience. Nothing fancy, no extras, no tablecloths. It was perfect.

I've been addicted to The Perennial Plate series of episodes lately, about Chef Daniel Klein in Minneapolis who creates the adventure of sustainably sourcing his food to show the viewer the appreciation for where our food comes from. It's incredibly enlightening, and insightful with weekly episodes chronicling his adventures in food. Episode 7 specifically, is about the sourcing of Morel mushrooms, and subsequently what led me to reminisce about the hunting trip with my father in the woods and one of my favorite meals of all time.



The Perennial Plate Episode 7: Hunting Morel Mushrooms from Daniel Klein on Vimeo.

I'm in the process of starting from the beginning and watching every single episode in order. I would recommend the same!

Persistence Hunting

This video got me motivated to get up and run yesterday. The videography is the outstanding in itself, but aside from the fact the San people can run down a Kudu until it nearly dies from exhaustion; the striking thing is the connection the hunter has with it's quarry. The San people have been hunting this way since paleolithic times. The hunter ceremonially thanks the animal for giving it's life for the hunter, and the hunter rubs saliva from the animal's mouth onto his burning thighs to relieve the pain from the hunt. Similar to American Indian hunters thanking the animal and eating the animal's liver in tribute (not to mention the large quantities of vitamins and minerals present in raw liver to replace the electrolytes lost in the hunt). There is a close respect for their environment and resources. The human race has nearly lost this notion under the guise of civilization and progress. We would benefit as a people to know where our resources, specifically our food, comes from.

When you think of dinner, do you think of the vine the tomatoes grew on or the herbs in the ground that make up the pomodoro sauce? Do you think of the feild of semolina field the wheat came from to make the pasta? Do you know the cow the burger was ground from hat made up the meatballs? My guess is no. You think of a box of pasta, a plastic can of spice mix, and a tube of ground beef. When someone says "steak," my guess is the picture that comes to mind is a red package cased in cellophone with a perfectly trimmed, one inch thick t-bone. Generally, I would be willing to guess the thought of Bessie the Angus doesn't come to mind.

The problem in this fracture from our food source enables CAFO's, factory farming, franken-foods, and the situation we find ourselves in today. Food is no longer a spiritual event (for most...), and we are feeding ourselves manufactured products made from inedible resources. We are becoming the cattle in the CAFO lot. We are bloated, unhealthy, ignorant masses waiting around for the end, refusing to believe it is near. We eat whatever is put in front of us.

I am not perfect, nor do I claim to be. I eat junk. I buy steaks from Wal-Mart out of necessity, and hate myself when I do. Economics plays a large part in all this mess as well, but I will not go into that today. I am trying to get to the point where I can buy grass fed beef, with pastured pork and eggs. I try to vote with my dollars and buy "fresh" produce along with healthy choices, but life gets in the way sometimes. I want to shop at farmer's markets. I want to have wild game in a freezer in my garage like my childhood, but it's not that simple. I live in suburbia. I travel a lot for my chosen profession. I can only do so much. The best I can do is See. I try to think about where my dinner comes from before it landed on the styrofoam plate under he cellophane. I stay away from the aisles in the grocery store. I vote with my dollars on produce over bar codes and nutrition info. I try to cook like my great grandmother did. I do my best, and i hope I can instill the same principles in my daughter.

/rant