April showers bring May flowers! Here is a mayapple plant blooming out, you’ll see lots of these, along with bloodroot, trout lily, iris, periwinkle, violet, chickweed and so many other flowers gracing the forest floor. With the morels moving on, it’s small window of rest and reset before the big mushroom season kicks off. It’s a great time as a forger to focus on some plants and simply admiring the season here in the mountains.
Markets: Black Mountain- 9-12, Saturdays I’ll be there 5/6 and 5/27
Yancey County/Burnsville: Saturdays 8:30-12:30 I’ll be there 5/13 and 5/20
East Asheville: Fridays 3-6, I’ll be there all month.
Weaverville: Wednesdays 3-6, I’ll be there 5/3, 5/17, 5/24 and 5/31
New Product: Ramp Sea Salt. Made with wild (sustainably) foraged Ramps and natural sea salt. Ramps have a strong garlic like smell and flavor and go good on everything! $7 a pack.
Monthly Special: $5 off Turkey Tail teabags and half pounds. Turkey Tail is perhaps the most researched mushroom in the US. It’s known for it’s cancer fighting properties, helping improve gut health, immune system boost, fighting fatigue and anti-inflammatory benefits. Set of four teabags, each one makes a quart of tea and can be used twice.
Highlight on the pheasant back mushroom. Usually when you see these mushrooms, it’s a good indictor that morels have moved on. These pretty mushrooms smell just like cucumbers or watermelon rinds and taste great when young and fresh, trying to eat the older, fanned out ones is tough and bitter. Also little Reishi babies are popping out early this year. It’ll take a few weeks for them to grow and maybe a few more before they mature. You can slice off the outer edges and sauté them, just don’t forage the whole mushroom at this stage, it still has to release it’s spores and gain all that great medicinal goodness!
