Feeling Fungal

Bless - I'm sure that you look fine. But it's always a help to get clothes given. 

Eileen - I had forgotten about the online theatre stuff. I know that yesterday bear was looking around at the different lighting rigs and stuff for his drama GCSE, which may not be so obvious when screened, but it's all grist to the mill and still cheaper than a trip to McDonalds!

I have these ideas, and then sometimes I wonder what I was thinking. I bought a dehydrator last year and, for some reason, I bought five punnets of mushrooms yesterday. I thought I could dehydrate them. I have quite a few of the dehydrator rings, but putting the slices in a single layer with tiny gaps in between took up a surprising about of space. So I chopped the rest and bunged them in the freezer, apart from the attempts at pickling.

If you are going to pickle mushrooms, please do not follow my example. I was planning on getting all jars cleaned out and sterilised in the microwave and then doing a load in a go. Instead I grabbed the only thing available, a sort of kilner jar with the metal clip lids. I couldn't use the microwave to sterilise it as the metal would not have been helpful, and the plastic seal meant that the oven method wouldn't work well either, so I settled for washing well and keeping it in the fridge. I heated 'some' white vinegar with 'some' pickling spice for a few minutes using a glass jug in the microwave. While that sat, I chopped some mushrooms into the jar and covered with strained vinegar. The pickled mushrooms are meant for casseroles and stews to give a little bite, and I'm hoping that it works out okay. 

I've put the dried mushrooms in a ziplock bag. If I remember, I'll take pics tomorrow. I plan to grind them up for a seasoning powder. I'll let you know how it goes. 

I just did a quick comparison. It is cheaper per kilo to buy sliced mushrooms frozen than it is to buy even the cheapest fresh. I think that if the dried mushrooms work out, I'll save the next attempt for when I find mushrooms marked down or on offer. 

It is feeling springlike enough for me to look at the disaster area that is my garden. What I hoped were self-seeded alyssum were in fact shepherd's purse. 

But the gooseberry bushes survived. We may get a few ounces this year.

I just hope that they get through the snow that's forecast for the end of the week.

Bear got me a lovely card and a really nice candle for Mother's Day. He then went out with a friend and, according to his pedometer app, walked around 20 miles around various roads and fields. I didn't lift a finger to make dinner, which bear practically inhaled, and DH cleared up. I am incredibly grateful for them both. 

Hugs and good health to all.