LOCALadk Magazine

composed of pores (many other mushrooms have gills). Found from summer to early fall, they grow in association with either conifers or hardwoods. Boletes (the French call them cèpes, the Italians call them porcini) are prized by chefs and cooks in the know. Beware: ough many boletes are edible—the King Bolete (Boletus edulis) is an especially choice edible—some cause gastric upset and are intensely bitter. Refer to a good field guide or bring along a knowledgeable friend when foraging. Otherwise, one reliable rule of thumb is to avoid boletes with red-colored pores and those that turn blue or blue-black aer bruising the underside of the cap with your thumbnail or a twig. You will eliminate some good edible Boletes this way, but will also avoid any poisonous ones. Chicken of the Woods, Sulfur Shelf (Laetiporus sulfureus): Brilliant yellow-orange mushrooms that form densely overlapping ("shelving") layers on dead or dying hardwood stumps and roots. ey have a texture reminiscent of chicken, and carry a lemony flavor with hints of seafood. From a cook's perspective, properly cooked or dried mushrooms are a wonderful source of umami. Described as the fih taste (salt, sweet, sour, bitter, umami), umami is also referred to as savory. In the kitchen, umami also translates into delicious. Used as a flavor enhancer, umami-rich mushrooms add an earthy flavor to cooking and stimulate a desire for more. Typically, the darker and meatier the mushroom, the more delicious anything cooked with it will be. A properly caramelized or braised mushroom will make your tastebuds snap to attention. Chef Curtiss Hemm of Carriage House Cooking School is an avid mushroom forager. "Mushroom hunting is a powerfully alluring hobby with delicious rewards. To enjoy the beauty of nature, to be present and to experience the harvest of natural, wild food is as good as it gets." In fact, Hemm offers cooking classes in the Adirondack Park focused on using wild mushrooms: Golden Chanterelle Foraging and Cooking Lessons: 7-10-2021 and 7-24-2021. For more information, visit his website at www. carriagehousecookingschool.com. If foraging in the woods is not your cup of tea, have no fear. Beautiful cultivated Adirondack mushroom products are available on-line through Adirondack Mycology https://adkmyco. com/ (Corinth, New York). Chaga and wild mushroom tinctures and teas (some claiming medicinal properties) can be found at the Birch Boys in Tupper Lake, New York: https://birchboys.com/. ank you to Joseph D. Cohen and John Plischke for sharing some of the photos. LOCALadk 34

• Cover