Category Archives: Mushrooms

Belize, Food, Mushrooms

Beef Jerky and Wild Mushroom Soup.

Munchkin.Eating.BunHello Everyone!  Hope you are all having a relaxing Sunday.  I am sure by now whenever you see my bun-eating avatar, it means that the post is food related!  As promised, I have posted up my recipe for Beef Jerky and Wild Mushroom Soup after yesterday’s fungi foraging. This is a warm, hearty meal for winter because it also contains red kidney beans, pasta shells, onions, ginger and leafy greens.  If you haven’t been out mushroom foraging, the recipe can still be used with shop bought items (either Wood ear bought from Asian Supermarkets or Button Mushrooms bought from almost anywhere except for Belize).

Anyway, here is a picture of the dish with fried Mayan mushroom used as a garnish.

Beek Jerky and Wild Mushroom Soup Garnished with Fried Mayan Mushrooms.
Beek Jerky and Wild Mushroom Soup Garnished with Fried Mayan Mushrooms.

And, this is a picture of the Wood ear mushroom , sliced before cooking.

Wood Ear Mushroom, Finely Sliced.
Wood Ear Mushroom, Finely Sliced.

If you are interested in reading the entire recipe, just press on this link: Beef Jerky, Beans and Wild Mushroom Soup.

Belize, Food, Medical Related, Mushrooms

Mushroom Foraging in Belize.

Munchkin.ShoutingIt has been pouring down in Toledo so this is the best time to go foraging for mushrooms!  Take a look at what we found today…a bountiful treasure for Munchkin and Gnome!

We found oyster mushrooms growing on some peach palms.  We identified them as Pleurotus ostreatus which is a smaller type of edible oyster; they are fleshy and full of texture.

Oyster Mushrooms Growing on Palm.
Oyster Mushrooms Growing on Palm.

Yay!  There are more Oysters coming up!

Lots of Baby Oyster Mushrooms!!
Lots of Baby Oyster Mushrooms!!

We also found more Wood ear mushrooms which are edible.  These mushrooms are well-liked by the Asian population and are usually cooked in soups and stews.  Of course, we like them too!  Moreover, this little number also has medicinal properties which include anti-cancer, hypoglycaemic, anti-coagulant and cholesterol lowering activities.  What a wonderful mushroom!

Wood Ear Mushroom with Two Romantic Snails.
Wood Ear Mushroom with Two Romantic Snails.

Fungi foraging also revealed more of the Mayan mushroom known as Schizophylum commune.  These are rubbery in texture but are edible nonetheless.

Mayan Mushroom on Log.
Mayan Mushroom on Log.

There was a plethora of Turkey Tail Polypores which came in a spectacular array of different colours.  Not only are they nice to look at but they can be made into a medicinal tea.  This type of fungus is known to have anti-cancer properties and so a cup of tea now and then won’t do you any harm.

Trametes versicolor on Log.
Trametes versicolor on Log.
Big Trametes.
Big Trametes.

You may have gathered that we are really Big on Mushrooms. Gnome has written many essays on this subject.  Check out these links:

Tomorrow I will post up pictures and a recipe for my Beef Jerky Soup with Wild Edible Mushrooms.  Meanwhile, Happy Hunting!

Belize, Farming, Mushrooms, Plants

Cleaning up the Coconuts.

Working Together.

We were both cleaning up our coconut plantation today.  I had to collect the coconuts and pile them all in a specific area.  Gnome had to clean up the coconut palms by cutting down the old leaves and mulching them around each tree.  We made it a bit more fun by admiring (and taking pictures) of beautiful bush plants and mushrooms as we went along.  Here are the pics:

Earth Star Fungus.
Earth Star Fungus.
Orchid on Coconut.
Orchid on Coconut.
Beautiful Pink Flowers on Bush Vine.
Beautiful Pink Flowers on Bush Vine.
Wood Ear Mushroom.
Wood Ear Mushroom.

Of course, real life is better than the actual pictures but I hope that we have captured the essence of the simplicity of our lives through them.

Cheers and have a good evening!

Belize, Food, Mushrooms

Stuff Yourself with Garlic Shiitake Mushrooms!

Munchkin.Eating.Bun

Here in Belize, finding your normal ubiquitous button mushroom is quite an endeavour!  If you are lucky, there may be a meagre two punnets of mushrooms found in the whole of Toledo.  And, you won’t like the price when you see it!  The reason why button mushrooms (Agaricus sp.) are so scarce is because there is no mushroom industry within this country and so we end up with imported goods from Mexico.  Once they reach the country, they end up fetching such exorbitant prices and as a consequence of this, they cannot be eaten as normal everyday produce.

I really like mushrooms but I also do not agree with paying for over-priced goods so I have found a great alternative which is the Shiitake Mushroom.  Chinese people love their own foods and will find any way to get their own familiar food into Belize.  Lucky for us, many Oriental people own supermarkets here where they take the opportunity to sell some of these imported Chinese foods.  You will not believe it:  shiitake mushrooms are found everywhere in Toledo!  So much so, you can stuff yourself with them!

So, today’s recipe is Stuffed Garlic Shiitake Mushrooms!  Enjoy!  I certainly did.

Stuffed Shitake Mushrooms served with Lentils.
Stuffed Shitake Mushrooms served with Lentils.
Belize, Food, Mushrooms

Chili Con Carne Munchkin Style

Munchkin.Eating.Bun.Smile

I am not a Texan Munchkin so I like to show my cheeky nature by embellishing Chili Con Carne.  It sounds like when it comes to the truly authentic Chili Con Carne, people have many different ideas about it.  The only idea that I have in mind is to “spice” it up “Munchkin Style” which basically means looking for anything growing on the farm and chucking it into the pot with Chili and Carne.

These are things I found to throw into the Chili Con Carne:

Split Gill Growing on a Log of Cashew.
Split Gill Growing on a Log of Cashew.

 

Green Peppercorns.
Green Peppercorns.

Wild Split Gill Mushrooms are found growing everywhere in the Toledo region of Belize and like to grow on old logs.  They are actually an esteemed Mayan mushroom which is traditionally cooked in the “Caldo” or Chicken Soup.  These mushrooms are chewy in texture so they need a longer cooking time (about 30 to 60 minutes) in a stew or soup.  Today, I deep-fried these mushrooms as an addition to the chili dish.  My Chili Con Carne had lots of green peppercorns (as well as chili) to add to the overall spiciness.

Other spices I added to the Chili Con Carne Munchkin Style were: cinnamon, allspice, clove and cumin.  My version had kidney beans and I served it with pasta twirls.  How is that for total lack of authenticity?!  I am sure some people would shudder at the thought of my gross deviation!

Chili Con Carne with Pasta Twirls and Wild Split Gill Mushrooms.
Chili Con Carne with Pasta Twirls and Wild Split Gill Mushrooms.

Needless to say it was very, very spicy and very flavoursome.  The deep-fried split gill mushrooms added a crunchy texture to the dish.

This time, I will not furnish you with my recipe as I am aware that there is a plethora of authentic chili con carne recipes out there for everyone to choose from.

Gnome has written about Split Gill Mushrooms, click on the link if you want to read more!

Belize, Food, Mushrooms

Friday Lunch.

Munchkin.Eating.Bun

As promised, this is a picture of lunch.  I cooked the Paddy Straw Mushrooms with Spicy Pork Ginger Cakes.  This was served with Chaya Fritters and Grapefruit.

Spicy Pork Ginger Cakes with Paddy Straw Mushrooms. Served with Chaya Fritters and Grapefruit.
Spicy Pork Ginger Cakes with Paddy Straw Mushrooms. Served with Chaya Fritters and Grapefruit.

Chaya (Cnidoscolus aconitifolius) is also called Tree Spinach and is a great source of vitamins and minerals.  It is easy to grow and does not require much maintenance.  It tastes great too…like a spinach!

Ok, Laterz…

 

Belize, Food, Mushrooms

Auspicious Find of Paddy Straw Mushrooms.

Munchkin.Eating.Bun.Smile

Today, started off bright and sunny so I took the opportunity to do a routine weeding of our vegetable beds.  However, I was very pleasantly surprised to find some edible, delectable wild mushrooms (trying not to over-use the Y-word when describing tasty food!).  These are Paddy Straw Mushrooms which are more commonly seen in Asian cuisine; they are best harvested when they resemble round eggs.  They can still be eaten once they have opened out but they are not so flavoursome.

Opened out Paddy Straw Mushroom.
Opened out Paddy Straw Mushroom.

 

Paddy Straw Mushrooms.
Paddy Straw Mushrooms.

It is quite a surprise to find this type of mushroom growing wild at this time of the year since it tends to come out at higher temperatures of about 38C.  Right now, the temperature is getting as low as 20C so this is definitely an auspicious find!

Anyway, the important question is: how will I cook it?  Let’s see, I will of course furnish you with a picture of the meal of the day at some point!

Gnome likes mushrooms a lot; if you are interested, see his article on Paddy Straw Mushrooms.

 

Amusing, Belize, Mushrooms

I found King Alfred’s Balls!

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 Munchkin.Face.DarkToday Gnome and I found some new mushrooms on our land.  Gnome is the expert on fungus and can usually make spot identifications; and so, when he exclaimed that we had found “King Alfred’s Balls”, I responded with glee because it was such an amusing name.

"King Alfred's Balls"
“King Alfred’s Balls”

I did an Internet search on King Alfred’s Balls and came up with nothing.  After an extended search, I finally found the actual name of the mushroom was “King Alfred’s Cakes” or Crampball”.  The Gnome had the right identification but he mixed up both of the common names!  Anyway, it is interesting because I could not find any documentation of the mushroom ever being found in Central America; records show that it has been found in Europe, Northern America and Australia.  This may be the first spotting of King Alfred’s Cakes in Belize!

Daldinia sp.
Daldinia sp.

The mushrooms feel like rocks to the touch and when you actually cut into them, they are black on the inside and have the consistency of charcoal.  Apparently, when King Alfred was hiding away in the countryside during the war, he was given the task of tending to the cakes in the oven.  He forgot (or fell asleep, or something) and the cakes ended up resembling charred balls.  The other common name is actually due to the fact that it was once a belief that if you carried these mushrooms under your arms, they would alleviate cramps.

These mushrooms are inedible (boo-hoo! No recipes for this one!).  They can actually be used as tinder and can be used just like charcoal.

After all this, Gnome still insists that King Alfred’s Balls is a much better name!

Belize, Food, Mushrooms, Plants

Uploading Old Articles and the like.

Gnome:

Weather not as labile as yesterday.

General Ambient Mood (GAM):  Lunacy at full power, chaos reigns supreme.  It is a good day for soap, fermenting, doing repetitive things, mushrooms, plants and essentially staying away from trouble.

Today is good if you like reading about mushrooms and plants, uploaded many of our old published articles…enjoy if you have the time:

From me:

From Munchkin:

The amount of energy it takes is amazing to move this much information.  Did not have time to finish How to Die in Belize.

G’day.