New England Wild Edibles

I understand that mushrooms aren’t for everybody. Some people love them. Some people hate them. Some people like them raw but not cooked. Some people eat them cooked but cower at the sight of them uncooked. That’s just the way we are I guess.
But mark my words, if you are a mushroom guy or gal, you will flip handsprings at what this company offers. Organically grown wild mushrooms and edible plants are what they sell.
I ran into NEWE at the Northampton Farmers Market and struck up a conversation with Paul Lagreze. It took me about 5 seconds to see how knowledgeable and passionate he was about what he was selling.
NEWE offers Shitake mushrooms (100% Organic, log-​grown), Oyster mushrooms (Sustainably wild-​gathered), morels, ramps (a kind of wild onion), and something called «Chicken of the Woods».
Of course I had to buy a $ 5 pint of Chicken of the Woods, What is it? Well, I don’t really know — it looks like old breakfast biscuits that have been tossed under a steam roller and left out in the sun too long. Paul said you could cook it just like chicken, and, yes he did say «Tastes like chicken».
I wrapped it in foil, added some water and teriyaki sauce and sirachi, and baked at 350 for a while. I gotta say — it was very good, and yes, it did taste like chicken. I took a photo for you to see how it came out.
Go support a cool local business run by a very nice guy…