THE BRCC NEWSLETTER
April NEWS
April marks the full on Morel hunt in the mountains! Every year I’m scouting out and trying to find new spots to find these highly prized mushrooms. It goes without saying that some folks find Morels to be the cream of the crop as far as wild edible mushrooms go, I might just agree. We have four different varieties of Morels here, the yellows, the blacks, tulip and half free. I usually find the black morels first in our area and find less of the big yellows in the mountains, those I find in SC more abundantly. It seems to me this years crop will be out a touch earlier than last year. I don’t usually do Morel tours but do offer the chance to find them, spring tours usually start in late May, however I do take out a few groups in April to see if we can find some, besides Morels, there’s many spring plants to enjoy and as part of my ongoing foraging guide, I’ll highlight some of those in this newsletter. One spring plant to get excited about is Ramps! Many early mushrooms may make an appearance as well and this year seems an earlier start than last due to the mild winter we had. April is always exciting as it marks the start to market season on the local scene, starting this month is East Asheville, and Yancey County markets, as well as a few pop up markets, keep reading to find out the when and where.
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Spring is in the Air
Anyone who has taken a tour with me knows there’s many useful, medicinal and edible plants out there among all the amazing mushrooms. The plants and mushrooms benefit each other in ways we are understanding more and more. As spring gets rolling I want to highlight some of what will be popping out in a forest near you.
Solomons Seal
This spring plant is an easy one to recognize once mature. It can grow to be pretty large and takes on an arch like shape. True Solomons Seal will get little, white, bell like flowers underneath it’s leaves and later blue berries, which are poisonous! The early spring, young shoots (pictured here) are one of my favorite spring edibles. They have an asparagus flavor and can be sauteed as such, you can also pickle these shoots. False Solomons Seal is also edible in young shoots, when mature False Solomon Seal has a crooked stem and the berries form at the end of the plant, unlike the true. Solomons Seal is also medicinal, with benefits such as anti inflammatory, joint, bone and muscular support, and digestive health.
Cleavers
Cleavers can be easily recognized as the plant that clings to you. It’s sticky foliage will literally attach itself right to you. It’s leaves grow in a whirled pattern in several tiers. Early, young showings of this plant are edible in small amounts raw or cooked up like spinach. Cleavers can also be juiced as a nutritious additive. What’s more are it’s medicinal uses, supporting lymphatic drainage, urinary tract health, skin conditions, and mild detoxification.
Dead Nettle & Heal All
Dead Nettle can be found almost anywhere, even in your back yard, and grows in big bunches. It’s a small plant with little purple flowers that grow on top of this plant. Dead Nettle is in the mint family, so it has square stems. It’s a tasty spring edible, you can eat the whole plant raw in salads or smoothies or even as trail snack. It can also be added to soups or cooked. It is rich in vitamins A, C and K.
Dead Nettle provides medicinal benefits including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, antifungal, and diuretic effects, while also providing essential nutrients. It can made into tincture, tea or infused in topicals. This little beauty shows up in our healing salve, which is only available at local markets.
Pheasent Back/Dryads Saddle-Cerioporus squamosus
The Pheasent Back shows up in the early spring along side the Morels, some folks will tell you when you see them it marks the end of Morel season, in my opinion that’s not entirely true, I often find them at the same time. Pheasents are a polypore mushroom, meaning no gills, instead tiny pores on the underside (as pictured). They are easy to ID based on their look, which resembles an actual pheasents tail feathers but also their scent, which smells like fresh cucumber or watermelon rinds, it’s actually one of my favorite smelling mushrooms! It is an edible mushroom and is best to cook up when young and tender, as it matures it gets bitter in the pan, I often dehydrate and grind them to be used in salts and seasonings. They really are one of the prettiest designs on a mushroom cap and flavor wise they can be a choice edible if you catch them at the perfect time. Be on the look for Pheasent Backs this month growing on dead or dying hardwoods such as Elm, Maple, Poplar and Ash trees.
Wood Ear-Auricularia auricula-judae
Wood Ear is a gelatinous little mushroom that can grow on living or dying trees, mostly branches, and shows up throughout the year but flourishes in spring. They are amber and somewhat translucent, their shape actually looks like a human ear. These mushrooms are edible and have been popular in Asian cuisine for centuries, notably in stir fry dishes, soups and even salads. Their taste is rather bland but they absorb what ever flavors you cook them in quite nicely. Wood Ears dehydrate well and can be laid out on a counter even for a few days, they also are one of the best to rehydrate. The Amber Jelly Roll (pictured third) looks very much like the Wood Ear however is much more bunched together and has a more cup like look. It is also edible and can be consumed raw or cooked, it is also bland in flavor.
APRIL Markets
Weaverville Tailgate-Wednesdays 3-6 @60 Lakeshore Drive, Weaverville, NC
Yancey County Farmers Market- Saturdays 8:30-12:30 @322 W. Main St. Burnsville starts april 12th
East Asheville Tailgate Market- Fridays 3-6 @954 Tunnel rd
Gladheart Farms- Sundays 11-3 @9 Lora Lane
Spring Fest- Saturday, April 4th, from 12–5 PM at the Porter Center at Brevard College (1 Brevard College Drive, Brevard, NC).
Spring Fling- Saturday, April 25th, From 12-4 PM at Ross Farms 91 Holbrook Road
Candler
Our Power, Our Planet- Sunday, April 26th 12-5 at Turgua Brewing in Fairview
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NEW PRODUCTS
Maitake & Rosemary Garlic Salt
As the newest addition to our wild foraged gourmet salt line, this blend brings three savory flavors together in one place, and adds a unique taste of the blue ridge!
Maitake mushroom aka Hen of the Woods, adds an umami, earthy flavor to the mix. Maitake grows right here in the mountains in the fall and has long been considered a choice edible mushroom. Called the dancing mushroom for the joy it brought those who found it!
Rosemary is a culinary staple in many kitchens with a pine like flavor with a hint of bitterness. It’s herbaceous depth blends perfectly with Maitake.
Garlic Salt- Is another culinary go to, bringing the savory notes rounding out this blend. It speaks for itself!
Wild Ramps
Every spring first come the Morels and then right along with them come the Ramps! Ramps-Allium tricoccumare called by many names such as wild garlic, wild leeks, or ramsons. To me they are a strong wild garlic, in flavor and smell. They can identified by their rubbery leaves ranging from 1-3 leaves per plant, the stems can white or reddish/purple and of coarse the smell is garlic. Look alikes include False Hellebore (pictured growing right in the middle of ramps) and Lily of the Valley (pictured with white flowers) In the Appalachians, Ramps are highly sought after and even whole festivals take place in some small towns. Ramps can be used fresh in cooking, pickled or dried. Sustainability is an important part of harvesting this plant. Many extra careful folks will only take one leaf from each plant, while others will harvest a few bulbs and mostly leaves. Moving from patch to patch is a key, just taking a little from each patch you encounter, which is fine as Ramps grow like carpets sometimes and thinning out an over crowded area is actually healthy for the patch. I use only leaves in my ramp salt and typically only collect a few bulbs to be used in personal cooking each year. You can find our ethically foraged Ramps in our signature gourmet ramps salt. The salt will be back in stock soon!!
