the firsts. surprisingly, our yellow raspberries are much tastier than the red. actually, the one you see is a mix between the small, tasty yellow variety and the big, juicy red one. a plump, delicious golden. and they did that all by themselves. on occasion the wild raspberries in the forest pollinate with the garden variety and the result is a huge, ruby red berry with amazing aroma. one thing is always sure — there will be loads and loads of nettle and thorns to dodge while picking them.
i didn't venture into the woods today, but found some mushrooms for dinner under the tall firs that shade our yard, yellow swamp brittlegills or russula claroflava. usually i don't bother with russulas because i'm more familiar with other mushrooms, but these were small and fresh from the depths of the earth so i added them to my scanty handful of baby chanterelles. i cooked a noodle soup with white miso and ginger after frying the mushrooms in a little bit of sesame oil. the russula was a pleasant surprise, with almondy flavor (and not the horrible almond extract kind but sweet and nutty) and a firm texture with just enough bite. the aftertaste of this meal lingered in my mouth as i was trying to figure it out. then it hit me. white chocolate. if the russulas and raspberries joined forces in a recipe, i wonder what might happen...
