Feverish for Fungus

My husband returns from work late one evening, his eyes lit up with excitement. “Look what I found on the way home!” he laughs, holding up his prize for the world to admire. I examine it dubiously; it is a lumpy, dirty, oversized hunk of fungus picked off a tree and now being caressed with love and pride. Yes, folks, this is the season when my husband contracts a bad case of Wild Mushroom Fever.
Throughout the seasons, I see Big P. recall that bit of Italian DNA coding that innately tells him what to harvest and when. These gathering lessons come from my father in law, who learned it from his dad, and so on. In the previous generations case, foraging was a survival skill; times were lean in Southern Italy, meat was a luxury and people turned often to the land and what it naturally provided. Learning which mushrooms were safe to eat, where and when to find them, and the best ways to prepare them was as basic for them as knowing how to open the refrigerator is for us.
Sustainability is what this is really all about; using what is offered to us in a humane and mindful manner. It intrigues me that this ancient lesson is suddenly so trendy. We obviously had to forget this lesson for it now to be resurrected. Why did we let this one go? It is so important to respect our resources, not abuse them, and I want to be sure my child understands this, so the message is not forgotten again in his future.
In Calabria as a child, my father-in-law learned to take only what you are going to eat and leave the rest for later; the bounty must not become depleted. He was taught ways to use all the possible parts of a food source: stems from the wine grapes became grappa for toasting special occasions, tripe carefully cleaned after butchering was a delicacy appreciated, and picked over remnants of a mushroom were boiled into stock for future soups. Respect for Mother Earth was taught to his generation earlier than walking. Ask any Italian born immigrant about planting, growing, and harvesting and absorb some of this respect yourself.
Teach your kids where their food comes from, and I don’t mean the supermarket. Preach caution when using our earth’s resources. Sustainability is the only sure way to pass on these gifts to our children. View the world through Italiano eyes to appreciate and value all it offers. And when you are walking in the woods this autumn and look up, don’t be surprised to find my husband high up in that tree, happily under the spell of fungus fever!

The mushroom pictured above is Hen of the Woods, a.k.a. Maitake. Italian's call it Nassa.
To learn more visit: The Forager Press.
Big P.’s Favorite Mushroom Recipe:
*Use white button mushrooms or morels as a substitute*
Clean and cut the Nassa into approx. 3” pieces.
Place in a frying pan over medium-low heat and cook until the water is removed: about 10 – 15 minutes.
Drain the water out of the pan, add 1T. olive oil and return the mushrooms to the pan.
Sauté the Nassa over medium heat for 5 minutes until they begin to brown.
Add salt and pepper to taste and a generous helping of red pepper flakes.
Stir and sauté 2 – 3 additional minutes until flavors are blended.
Serve as a side dish for any of your favorite meals.