I recently found treasure in our garden - treasure of an edible kind. I was feeling particularly frustrated because I was struggling to get a new blade sorted out for the lawnmower, which seems to have become obsolete. As I tugged the machine out through the crooked door of our old back shed something caught my eye, I looked down and saw an odd looking mushroom. I'd seen pictures of ones like it - in fact I'd even seen some in the grocery store - they were called morels.
As I looked I noticed more of them - probably 20 or so in total, strange looking alien things growing in the garden. I had never seen them there before! Something inside me told me that was what they were - morels - but I know better than to guess at whether or not a mushroom might be edible. This is where the technology of today is really serving us -- a little research, a few questions and I was 97% sure that they were indeed morels and not 'false' morels which can at best cause stomach upsets and at worse can cause death. Because of their elusiveness and flavour they are quite highly prized these strange blossoms from the darkness, sometimes selling for $40 or even $60lb!
We decided to try just one, fried in butter to see what happened - oh sweet deliciousness!! I couldn't describe the flavour, it was somewhat familiar, earthy, nutty, mushroomy and quite delicious. These had much more of a meaty consistency than the usual mushrooms we get at the grocery store. Seeing as we were still alive with no ill effects the following day we decided to cook some up for a proper a meal - pasta and morels!
What a complete surprise and wonderful treasure to have found. Looking for information on morels it turns out they are a little mysterious - some people would say they are a yeast and not a fungus or mushroom. There is no guarantee where they might pop up although it seems they favour disturbed land, land that has been cleared or suffered a recent forest fire. I had done some clearing around the shed earlier in the spring, and trimmed some wood there in the fall and can only think that this is what caused them to grow.
I got to thinking about the mystery of their appearance, how such treasures as this can appear from out of the dark earth and how this relates to life. Treasures and growth can come from the dark places and times of our life - sometimes drawn out by disturbances to the routine and safety of our everyday lives. Very often an upsetting experience, a loss, or breaking of something can allow us to grow, evolve and learn in unexpected ways.
My garden is a wonderful teacher!
