Earth Star...

an appropriate name for a cool little puffball.

Foggy Sunrise

I took these photos a few miles from my house on my way to work this morning. I was glad I left for work a few minutes early so I could savor the beauty of the sun rising through the fog.

Giant Puffball Steaks

Fall would not be fall without frying up the mandatory giant puffball. And this fall I have no excuse at all, seeing that our woods are almost literally exploding with puffballs. I don't think I have ever seen so many giant puffballs in one place before. The problem is I have never really liked puffballs. They have a stronger flavor than most mushrooms, and tend to get a slimy texture when cooked.. Even though I continue to follow the my parents' tradition of finding and cooking a puffball during puffball season, it is more about the novelty than anything else.  This year I decided to do a bit of research and find a recipe that not only makes them edible, but delicious.

While I didn't find a actual recipe that sounded good enough to follow, I did find some cooking tips. One suggestion was to dip large slabs of the puffball in egg then coat with breadcrumbs and fry. I took that idea and came up with my own recipe.

Breaded Giant Puffball Steaks

2 1/2 inch thick slabs from a six inch diameter puffball

3/4 cup stuffing (I used cornbread stuffing)-ground into fine crumbs using blender

1 onion cut into small pieces

1 egg

butter for frying

Lightly beat egg. Cut each mushroom slab in half and dip in egg, then press into the stuffing crumbs. Thoroughly coat each slice, by pressing each side into the crumbs. I used up the entire 3/4 cup of crumbs.

Heat butter and lightly saute the onion in the butter. Remove and fry the mushrooms steaks in the butter, until both sides are crispy and brown.

This got a five star rating from my usually picky husband. (He loves mushrooms, but in the past has not been very enthusiastic about eating puffballs.)    The puffball steaks were very crispy with a mild delicate mushroom flavor.

Seeing that we have a woods full of puffballs, I will be trying some more recipes. I found one for "pizza" using a slice of the puffball for the "crust", that sounds interesting.

Disclaimer: This post is for entertainment purposes only and is not meant to identify any mushroom or recommend that you eat wild mushrooms. Prior to eating any mushroom picked in the wild, check with a trusted resource and be 100% certain of the identification.

Fall Greens

I planted my fall greens the last week of August this year, several weeks later then I usually do. It doesn't seem to have hurt them though, and the last few days we have starting having flavorful salads made from tender young greens.

 Spinach.

 Mix of mustard and oriental greens.

 Collards.

Strips of broiled strip steak on a bed of mixed baby greens tossed with olive oil and cider vinegar and topped with young radishes.

A break in the clouds

Budding Photographer

                      My niece Annah practices her photography skills at a recent wedding.

Field of Gold

The evening sunlight turns a field of soybeans into a field of glowing gold.

Heart Rock

Some husbands give their wives flowers.
Some husband give their wives jewels.
My husband gives me rocks.

And you know what, I would rather have the rocks.

Shadows

Our new kitty, Shadows. He is Blackberry's half brother.

Wild Aster

Wild Cucumber

Click here for more information about wild cucumber and some stunning, very detailed photos.

Abandoned House

Once upon a time this house was loved and full of hope. Children played in the back yard and I am sure climbed the huge tumbled down weeping willow. Someone took care to plant lilacs, forsythias, trumpet vine, and peonies. Someone fed the wild birds outside the kitchen window. Someone planted a small orchard of apple trees and a butternut tree.  Someone hung laundry out to dry in the sun. Somewhere there had to have been a vegetable garden.

Now the lawn is grown up and full of burdock, the apple trees are in desperate need of pruning, and the lilacs are tangled and gnarled. There is a broken down swing set in the back yard, a warped and faded bird feeder tangled in the lilacs, and the rotting posts for a clothes line is in the side yard.  A peek in one of the windows revealed what must have one been the pantry still filled with tattered boxes of canning jars. The house now reeks of mold and mice, but once upon a time it was full of warmth and love.

 

Alien in bronze armor

No, really just a grasshopper (or locust?), but I was pretty impressed by how he looks like he is wearing a suit hammered out of bronze.

Pearly Onions

The onion harvest, dried, cleaned up and ready for storage.

Thistle Down Stars

Thistle Pom Pom

These thistle flowers are little round balls about the size of a marble. They grow in abundance along side Michigan roads, making goldfinches happy when they go to seed.

Asian lady beetle on soapwort flower

Turkey Family--All Grown Up

As babies they roosted in the tall pines behind our house. We would see the parents and little ones every morning and evening as they made their way across the yard to and from the roosting place. Now that they are grown we don't see them as much. As babies they ate all the berries in my garden (blue berries, raspberries, and bog cranberries), and I was worried they'd start on the tomatoes once they started to ripen. But so far no tomato damage and I haven't seen the turkeys in the garden for a while. So that is good.

And  it is when I see things like this that I realize I need a much better camera. I was unable to take any photos of the little ones that didn't make them look like dark blurry blobs.

Summer Day

Dew Covered Thistle

Mullien Rosette