Real Foods tomatoes by Linda Nelson

Dear WCM Shopper,

At the previous Market, Dan Deneen’s Black Earth Valley of Mazomanie drew customers buying pounds of morel mushrooms at a time – at $32 a pound, compared to $8.50 for his oyster mushrooms and $11.50 for the shiitake. The price differential reflects the work and luck involved in finding these honeycombed delights – and the not so good season.

“It’s not a very good year around here,” Deneen says, about finding the wild mushrooms. He explains that there wasn’t enough moisture in the fall for the mycelium to develop. “In northwestern Dane County, they’re pretty hard to find — and there’s usually a lot around here.”

The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources notes that the morel season started a week earlier than usual and is ending, so if you find them at the Market this week, snap ‘em up or wait a year. If you do get lucky, store morels in a loosely closed paper bag or open container (to allow venting) in your refrigerator crisper drawer and use them within a few days.

“Shiitakes tend to keep longer than oysters or morels, but they’re always best when consumed as close to picking as possible,” Deneen advises.

With their robust flavor, shiitake mushrooms go a long way, so you can get by using less in a recipe calling for blander mushrooms. Try adding sautéed shiitakes and cooked asparagus to risotto for a real treat – but, if you start the recipe below, be prepared to stir from start to finish. Oyster mushrooms are great in your favorite stir-fries; they cook quickly so can be added near the end.

Deneen also has 3 acres of asparagus, but, he says, “That all froze over the weekend. It comes back, but it’s been so cold all week that it hasn’t.” While he had at least 10 cases at the Market last week, he’ll consider himself lucky to have three or four cases of asparagus, plus the usual spinach and lettuce mix, this week.

For those in a stir-fry state of mind, consider branching out from bok choy with tatsoi, available from Primrose Community Farm of Middleton. It’s comparable to baby bok choy and also would be great simply steamed or added to soups.

If you’re stir-frying or making anything else calling for spring onions, try Vang Yang’s gorgeous 2-foot-long onions. He’s also selling rhubarb, spinach and garlic at this time of the year.

Shoppers this week likely will find some fresh cut herbs, shallots, garlic, mushrooms, asparagus, greenhouse tomatoes and cucumbers, spinach and various greens including sorrel, pea tendrils, turnips, bok choy, potatoes, green onions, rhubarb, eggs, cheese, meats, dry beans, bread and other bakery, specialty products, and a wide range of herb plants and tomato plants.

George Kohn at West Star Farm has 25 varieties of certified organic tomato plants – some heirloom –  and other vegetable and herb plants from his Cottage Grove business 7 miles east of Madison. One of the new varieties he’s offering this year is Legend, a flavorful slicer that’s been described as having good blight resistance. Among the other choices he expects to be popular this year are two cherry tomato plants: the Sweet 100 and the Sun Sugar. About the Sun Sugar and its big sweet orange cherry tomatoes, he says, “People who try it come back the next year and always ask for that.”

May 15 traditionally is a safe time to plant tomatoes, but, when frost is expected, Kohn recommends protecting the plants at night with something such as plastic jugs or row cover.

Let’s hope we’ve seen the last snow, which a week ago dusted the fabric row cover on the artichokes at the Bauman family’s Real Foods in Athens. More on that story when the harvest approaches.

I’m hoping Ker Lor of Lor Farm in Sun Prairie and Cottage Grove has more of those long-stem, long-lasting tulips, but I’m not counting on it. I am, however, enjoying the hanging flower baskets I got for Mother’s Day. (I don’t know which vendor my husband patronized.) If you weren’t so lucky, treat yourself this week.

Mushroom Sauce with Pasta

2 tablespoons butter
A few morel mushrooms, sliced lengthwise
1 tablespoon chopped shallots or garlic
2 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh parsley
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 package RP’s fresh linguini (about a half pound)
½ cup cream, half and half, or soup stock
1-2 tablespoons grated Parmesan or Romano cheese to taste

Melt butter in saucepan on medium; add sliced morels and sauté. When mushrooms start to release their juice, add the shallots or garlic, parsley and a pinch of salt. Cook linguini according to package directions.

When mushrooms begin to brown a little, add cream or stock and cook until it thickens a bit.  Stir in a grated cheese and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Toss gently with cooked, drained pasta and serve immediately. Serves two.

Note: Amount depends on the size. Use enough for two people; off season, use a few ounces of shiitake mushrooms.

Mushroom Soup

Olive oil
4 cups fresh morels or other mushrooms
1 onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
4 tablespoons flour
4 cups milk
2 cups asparagus cut in 1-inch pieces, cooked
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Sauté morels, onion and celery in a small amount of oil until vegetables are barely tender.  Stir in flour, then gradually stir in milk. Gently add cooked asparagus. Simmer soup until slightly thickened.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Mushroom-Asparagus Risotto

4 tablespoons butter, divided
1 onion, diced
8 cups stock (mushroom, vegetable or chicken)
2 cups arborio rice
1/3 cup white wine
½ pound asparagus, 1 to 2 inch pieces, cooked
Shiitake mushrooms, sliced and sautéed

Heat 2 tablespoons butter in a cast iron or other heavy pan and sauté onions until soft. Meanwhile, heat stock to simmering in another pot and keep it simmering.  When onions are soft, stir in rice and cook for a couple of minutes, then add wine and stir until wine is almost totally absorbed.  With the rice pan on medium low, add a cup of the simmering stock to the rice, stirring until the liquid is mostly absorbed but the rice is not drying out and sticking to the bottom of the pan. Repeat, adding about a cup of stock at a time until the rice is cooked (which may not require all 8 cups of stock). Season with salt and pepper and stir in the remaining 2 tablespoons butter and the cooked asparagus and mushrooms. Serves four.

As a special treat for these early season Saturdays, the WCM is offering free hot chocolate as well as coffee. The hot chocolate will be available after around 8:30 am until it’s gone. When you are at the WCM Information Tent, fill out a chance to win the raffle and win a $5 WCM Gift Certificate.

Happy shopping – and spread the word about the Market to your friends and neighbors: 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturdays at Hill Farms State Department of Transportation parking lot at the corner of Segoe Road and Sheboygan Avenue, one block south of University Avenue and one block west of Hilldale Shopping Center.

Until next week,
Sandy Kallio
for the Westside Community Market

Send recipes to: kalliosandra@yahoo.com