With all the rain we’ve been getting, there are an insane amount of mushrooms around, as well as some really nice wild greens.  Below is what came in this months CSF box, as well as a recipe:

Golden Chanterelle Mushrooms (Northern CA)

Chanterelles have a wonderful nutty apricot flavor that tastes like fall (at least to me).  Think about the misty mountain oak forests where they are foraged when eating them, it really does make them taste better.

Black Trumpet Mushrooms (Northern CA)

Black trumpets are some of my favorite mushrooms. They have a really subtle smokiness and great texture. I like to sauté them with butter and garlic and eat them straight, but they’re also great in soups. To clean, wash them under cold running water.

Black Cod (Northern CA)

This is a really great, very fresh fish. Sauté each side for a few minutes with lemon and butter, this lets the natural taste of the fish shine through. There are some pinbones in this fish, but they come out easily with tweezers.

Miners Lettuce (Santa Cruz)

With all this rain we’ve been getting, the wild greens are going crazy. This is one of my favorites, named for the gold rush miners (who ate it for its high vitamin C content). Miners lettuce  is great in mixed salads or all on its own.

Wild Ginger (Santa Cruz)

Wild ginger has a milder flavor than its cultivated cousin, but can be used in any recipe that calls for ginger. I also really like to make a tea out of the finely chopped root, which helps cure stomaches or motion sickness. Along with the miners lettuce, this also came from a forager down in Santa Cruz.

Oxalis Flowers (San Francisco)

You may know these flowers from the incredibly invasive clover-like plant that runs rampant in San Francisco. Well now you know a way to get rid of it–eat it!  This plant is named for its oxalic acid, which is what makes it taste sour. Eat too much (meaning pounds), and it will mess with your digestion, but throwing a couple of these flowers in a salad adds a really great sour note (and of course, makes it look cool).

Ginger Curry with Pork

If you don’t have dried apricots on hand, you can substitute golden raisins instead. Wild ginger livens this dish and gives it a mild, peppery heat.

Yield: 2 servings (serving size: 1 pork chop and 1 cup rice mixture)

Ingredients

2  (4-ounce) boneless, center-cut loin pork chops

1/8  teaspoon  black pepper

Dash of salt

1  tablespoon  vegetable oil, divided

1/2  teaspoon  grated lime rind

1  tablespoon  fresh lime juice

1 1/2  teaspoons  grated peeled fresh ginger

1/2  cup  chopped onion

1/2  teaspoon  red curry paste

1  cup  fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth

2  tablespoons  chopped dried apricots

1  teaspoon  honey

1  garlic clove, minced

1 1/2  cups  hot cooked basmati rice

2  tablespoons  thinly sliced green onions

Preparation

Sprinkle pork with pepper and salt. Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a medium nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add pork; cook 2 1/2 minutes on each side or until browned. Remove pork from pan. Combine rind, juice, and ginger in a shallow dish; add pork, turning to coat.

Heat remaining 1 teaspoon oil in pan over medium heat. Add onion and curry paste; cook 2 minutes or until onion is tender, stirring frequently. Add pork mixture, broth, apricots, honey, and garlic; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes or until pork is done. Remove pork from pan. Increase heat to medium-high. Add rice; cook 2 minutes or until thoroughly heated, stirring frequently. Serve rice mixture with pork, and top each serving with 1 tablespoon green onions.