Fungi for All Seasons

In puff pastry and quiche

By Jessica Ashley Silva onthetable@northcoastjournal.com

Here on California’s Far North Coast, we’re inundated with moisture, even during drought years. Having our foggy little corner at the bottom of the greater Pacific Northwest keeps us in an abundance of forest riches and changing menus as wild mushrooms stagger their seasons throughout the year. Finding these fungal forest treasures is thrilling — there’s nothing quite like walking into a forest and coming out the other side with dinner (or brunch). If you took away all clocks and calendars, the most serious foragers could track the seasons by mushrooms alone.

The longer you forage, the more the seasonal cycles of this species or that become apparent, a sixth sense, perhaps. With spring snowmelt and higher temperatures, morels appear in the inland mountains and in lucky wood chip piles. Shaggy manes emerge, abundant and short lived in all their inky goodness. The first flush of chanterelles — rainbow chanterelles, smaller and more colorful than their fall cousins — herald the start to summer.

The princes arrive shortly thereafter, scented strongly of sweet almond and shaming their storebought cousins, the portobello and the cremini. When strikingly colored lobsters and hefty boletes arrive, they signal the later dog days of summer and the transition into fall when Pacific golden chanterelles in vast numbers always end up stealing the show. Even during years of drought and during months bereft of choice edibles, the blessed oyster mushroom happily grows in Humboldt all year long. My favorite mushroom dishes are ones where they’re the star; their meatiness lets me go meatless without feeling like I’m sacrificing heft or flavor. They let me eat in season and encourage me to hike — let me tell you, I’m never more excited for exercise than I am when it leads directly to food. During summer with potlucks and book clubs and tea parties, little savory bites of mushroom and Gruyère tarts are a delightful addition. And baking a big, mushroomy quiche on Sunday makes for easy breakfasts reheated and finished in the air fryer throughout the week.

Morel Quiche with Tater Tot Crust

This recipe is best made with morels, but chanterelles, hedgehogs, boletes and shaggy manes make excellent substitutions.

Ingredients

½ bag of frozen Tater Tots (enough to smash into a crust for a 9-inch pie pan)

6 eggs

1/3 cup milk

1 cup fresh morel mushrooms, sliced

2-3 handfuls of spinach

1 shallot, diced

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 ounces chevre

Chives

Edible flowers (optional)

1 tablespoon cooking oil

Salt and pepper to taste

Heat the oven to 425 F. Cook tots for