The Grapevine: After Giving up Hope on Annual Gifts of Mushrooms, a Last-Minute Surprise from a Friend
By Rosalyn Queen on November 07, 2024 from The Grapevine
To some of you looking at this picture may not mean anything at all. To others, it can be exciting.
This past week I had accepted that I was not going to get any mushrooms and was really depressed that this would be the first year in many that I would not have any for Christmas Eve dinner. The big issue would be having no mushrooms to share with my nephew in Florida.
I was so sure that I would not have any that I decided to can the half bushel of peppers that I had bought at the Clarksburg Farmers Market and had been saving for mushrooms. Just that morning Johnny Guzzi had called me, and he told me that he had not found any so I was 
sure that there were just not any. Now there may have been some people who may have found some, but I think they were sure very few.
sure that there were just not any. Now there may have been some people who may have found some, but I think they were sure very few.
That very evening my phone rang and it was my friend, Mary, who I had not heard from in a while, so I was sure she was just checking on me. We chatted for a while and then she sprung it on me, “Do you want a mushroom?” For a second I was at a loss for words but recovered immediately with “are you kidding?” She said her husband came home with some that evening and she was going to share them with me. Well folks there is no gift that could have made me happier. Mary and John have made my heart full, and my holidays will be fulfilled because of their generosity.
Now here is the rest of the story. Once they were in my hands, I spent about five hours cleaning them. You take each floret and make sure there are no bugs hiding in them and scrape them clean. This is a very tedious job and several times I wondered why I was doing this, but I persevered and finished the job.
Once they were clean, I put them in a large kettle with a little canning salt and parboiled them for about five minutes, I changed the water and did this for three times and on the last water I boiled them for about 30 minutes and when done I drained them in a colander. Because there were not that many, I used a three-gallon crock.
I always use canning salt when I make anything “saliata.” Canning salt contains no iodine. I cover the bottom of the crock lightly with salt. I have prepared my garlic and fresh mint. I have also cleaned about a quart of thin-skinned peppers and sliced them.
Now I start putting them on the crock, first a layer of mushrooms, then a layer of pepper. Then I add the garlic and fresh mint and on top of this a layer of salt. I continue doing this until I have used all the ingredients with a layer of salt on the top.
I have a saucer that just fits into the top of the crock, and I place it in the mixture and weigh it down with a weight. I use a half gallon jar filled with water. Every couple of days I drain any water that may come to the top. When there is no more water, boil a cup of hot water and pour it on the top of the mixture, and add a little more salt to the top. Do not disturb the mixture until it is done, which will take about six weeks.
When done put the mixture in a container of cold water and keep rinsing until most of the salt is rinsed away. Store in a container in the refrigerator. When serving I mix with olive oil and more fresh garlic and “Voila” the holiday season is complete.
If you have extra mushrooms, it is always good to can them with peppers and sauce. Prepare the mushrooms the same as above but instead of putting them in a crock drop them in your peppers prior to putting them in the jars.
So now you know what I did this week.
Take care, be safe and until next week “Now You Have Heard It Through The Grapevine.”
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