In the classroom this week, we read an excerpt from Kathleen Rose Smith’s book Enough for All: Foods of My Dry Creek Pomo and Bodega Miwuk People about the importance of knowledge of and respect for what to eat in nature. Without this ancient wisdom, we can get lost. We followed the book with a short video from local educator Mystery Doug on how to tell the difference between poisonous and edible mushrooms. (Hint: expertise trumps distinctive shapes or flashy colors.)
In the kitchen, students worked with seven different types of (edible!) mushrooms, some foraged and other farmed: cremini, tree oyster, shiitake, lion’s mane, chanterelle, hen of the woods, and king trumpet. We dry seared the sliced mushrooms, then made a ragout with layers of flavor, lots of fresh herbs, and enjoyed it over penne pasta. This recipe was incredibly popular, far beyond our wildest imagination, and a good reminder to never shy away from trying something you thought you didn’t like because today could be the day you discover a new taste that you love.
At the end of Ms. Kirman’s class, a student shared their set of mushroom identification cards and we learned that eating lion’s mane mushrooms helps us grow new neurons so this lesson literally made us all smarter!
