[shroomgirl]

I just got in from WI and picked up some excentric berries (elderberries, bilberries, golden/orange and red raspberries, butternuts....) the raspberries were made into jam yesterday but the elderberries and bilberries are kind of musky....what have you made with them?

Also bought a PRIME 8# hen of the woods (maitake) from the smoked trout vender (yes yes yes!!!!!) sauteed the majority of it and froze it the rest was dried....the whole thing was tender and edible....not many creepy crawlies living in it dispite the size. Any good hen recipes? I've got a mind to powder some of the dried stem and use it in sauces or to coat fish/chicken.

Parsnips are abundant, I may make parsnip soup and add bits of maitake at the end.
The bilberries really stumped me.

[cape chef]

The Bilberries are also great for jams as well as tarts, pie fillings and cobblers.

Shroom, try making a ketchup with the elderberries, you'll be surprised how good and versatile it is.Of course jam as well.

If you dry out your Hen shroom, why not use some of the "dust" in a pasta dough with some local squab and autumn squash.

Or, Do a sauté and serve it over a grilled croustade ( A La Morel style) you know what I mean.

[shroomgirl]

love the pasta idea, I made bison tenderloin stroganoff with the hen and some mascarpone and s/c....a hit of Cal chili flakes for the heck of it and some good nutty Sherry...
Ketchup hmmmm, I made a tomato jam with cider vinigar, sugar, ginger and garlic....cooked down 3 hours....yummmy.
This year I bought 100 # of juliette tomatoes (plum) and roasted and froze them for the winter....stocking up like a squirrel, the long cold winter is coming in soon and there is a derth of local food....it's kinda dead like for 5 monthes.