Sept is a great month!

Pickles, preserves, charcuterie, ham and cabbage sandwiches, turkeys are getting near slaughter, smoke house filling up. Stocking up, freezing, drying, brewing, vac packing, planning, cleaning, granola, pot pies, matsutakes, honeys, fall tea mushrooms, hard cider, apple pie, pumpkin and bourbon, refreshing rain.........

Back to basics for fall

Some shots of our fall tomato and pickle day. Time to start thinking about eggnog and holiday plum pudding. Ive moved my favourite chili plant inside to hang for the winter in peace. Starting some hard cider and homemade pectin next week. Plus smoking tha country ham! Whats your favourite fall preserve?

I feel like chicken tonight!

September rain brings, ............well chickens! Was on my way back from meeting a fellow shroomer to exchange some fungi news and spotted a "laetiporus Sulphureus" or in other words "chicken of the woods mushroom" These large shrooms "roost" in mature Manitoba maples, Oaks and various other hardwoods in eastern Canada. A texture very similar to chicken and a nice neutral mild flavour makes these shrooms a favourite among fungi enthusiasts.

At the shop we've been busy processing tomatoes for puree and sauce. 400lbs of tomatoes were done this fall, so were ready to hunker down into winter braising and ketchup/chutney production. 16L of naturally fermented pickles have been started (pics of tom production and pickles to come) Ive also started two prosciutto one country style ham, 2 dozen smoked goose breasts, 10kg of pastrami and some more heritage breed pancetta. Happy fall :)

Kobocha Squash Flan

Halibut wrapped with cured pork fat, ready to be sous vide.

"Laetiporus Sulphureus" Chicken of da woods!

New blog at Tulips And Maple Catering + A whole lot of hog!

We have just launched a new blog, brought to you by the good people at T&M! We will update it with more details from on site events and whatever inspires us at the moment. http://www.tulipsandmaple.blogspot.com/

I just ordered a whole "Large Black" heritage hog from Barbara Schafer at Upper Canada Heritage Meats. The Large Black is recognized as a critically endangered species, not only here but worldwide. When pork production became industrialized in the 1950's, this slow-growing foraging breed was not suitable for the close confinement of factory farms. In spite of its docile temperament and exquisite taste, its numbers have dropped to about 200 registered hogs in Canada today.

Barbara has recently expanded to a new and larger farm where she has plans to do heritage beef as well as chickens! The heritage pork is out of this world in flavour and I can't wait to get some more sausage/hams/prosciutto's going in the next few days! http://www.uppercanadaheritagemeat.ca/

July Rocks!

The mushroom foray held at greener green acres was well... Pretty dull for mushrooms. Good thing I came prepared with a basket of my own to share with everyone! The week after the chantys started hitting..

Lobsters, boletes and hedgehogs out our bum! I had the chance to sneak out to culinary conspiracy's mushroom dinner on sunday night. Good time, food was great. Chefs Robert Jutras and Kenny Hayden did a good job. Some cool art as well.

At the resturant we were busy doing Jason Spezza's wedding last sat. This was a Itialian wedding, so lots of great food and ya.... More food! Everything went as planned and the event was flawless!

This week is a bit slow, so ive managed to post! I figure we got two good weeks left of summer mushrooms then its all over till fall and the "hen hunt".

And Now Its July?

Wow what happened there, a month just like that?

I prayed for rain, I got it. Now we pray for mushrooms. On Sunday I will be out with Cheryl Wyatt of Greener Green Acres http://www.freewebs.com/ggreenacres/ to do a summer foraging tour of limrick forest. We are hoping to find porcini, chanterelles, raspberry's and maby a oyster or two! I will post pics of the hike next week.

Strawberries have been added to my "bachelors jam" as well as a good spoon of sugar and a splash of vodka. Eggnog will be started soon. June was CRAZY busy!

Good thoughts about June: Rhubarb, Oyster Mushrooms, chili plants, green house tomatoes, bass, walleye, reishi, day lily corms, beet greens, micro greens, spring onions, strawberries, asparagus, baby radish and turnip greens!

The busy time!

In the next week we are so busy at the shop that I will have no time for shrooming or foraging. Cochinita Pibil, recipe to come.