Megan Palmer

Quote from this site

https://www.mushroom-appreciation.com/phoenix-oyster-mushrooms.html


“One of the key differences between the Phoenix oyster mushroom and the “true oyster,” P. ostreatus, is their fruiting season. The Phoenix prefers warmer weather – it usually fruits from April through September, appearing as soon as the weather transitions out of winter.

Pleurotus ostreatus, on the other hand, is a cool-season mushroom that won’t fruit until the weather cools down. This is an excellent way to determine which oyster mushroom you’ve found initially.”

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pleurotus_ostreatus

Slot

If you look to the bottom of this page, there are links to similar threads discussing soil remediation that will give you really helpful advice.

A search of the word "remediation" in the top banner will also bring up many threads.

Here are just a few to get you started -

https://permies.com/t/63383/chicken-manure
https://permies.com/t/4903/Lead-contaminated-soil-wildlife
https://permies.com/t/240232/High-chromium-soil
https://permies.com/t/216479/Heavy-Metals-Soil

Matthew Nistico wrote:
What are "cepes"?

Boletus edulis, aka penny buns, porcini, ceps


Chestnuts are also delicious boiled and sauted with onions and celery served as a vegetable, chopped cooked with diced onion, celery, tart green apple and used as a stuffing in chicken/turkey.

A Japanese friend gave me a jar of whole cooked chestnuts preserved in a light syrup that I eat as a sweet.

The French prepare a delicious confection called marron glacé that I have never attempted to make myself which is like a dry version of the chestnuts in syrup that my friend gave me.

Chestnuts purée is another method of preparing chestnuts - savoury for stuffing and sweet in desserts.

I don’t know whether the local chestnut trees are European or Chinese but they grow well in our climate and there are many found in parks and on the roadside where we can gather the nuts in autumn.

Kate Downham wrote:

Sounds good. 'Kumara' in NZ is sweet potato, I imagine regular potatoes would go well in this too.

Thanks Kate, I completely forgot that it said kūmara😉

I’ve substituted pumpkin, cauliflower florets, Brussels sprouts and of course regular potatoes in the roasted vegetable base too.  

John C Daley wrote:Carla,

because our labor, time, & spoons are worth more to us, than the $5

What are the spoons you speak of please?

Spoons are an expression for the available energy we have

https://permies.com/t/48536/spoon-theory

Although we keep chickens it is for their eggs so the old girls get to live out their lives as free loaders

We always buy free range chickens and the price per kg of ready portioned chicken is much more expensive than portioning them myself.

Like William, Michael and Anne, I am comfortable portioning and/or deboning whole chickens.

I prefer to use the thigh and drumsticks in stir fries, my husband uses the breasts for pilaf, risottos, caesar salad etc.

When we roast a chicken, I often debone and stuff the chicken. It is so much easier to carve and the chicken goes so much further. We had roast chicken last night that fed 4 and there were six portions leftover for my weekday lunches.

I try to cook enough vegetables for the leftover portions.

The bones get bagged up for the freezer and used for stock.

I have found a new favourite drumstick recipe that freezes well too.

It is from a NZ site, food lovers forum

Chicken Shawarma style tray bake

A can of drained chickpeas can be added for some more bulk.

Middle Eastern Chicken Tray Bake

600g chicken thigh fillets
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp lemon juice
4 cloves garlic, crushed
2 tsp cumin
2 tsp sumac
2 tsp paprika
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp ground coriander
S&P
1 orange kūmara, peeled and chopped
1 red onion, quartered
2-3 capsicum, sliced
2 carrots, roughly chopped
3 zucchini roughly chopped
1 broccoli, cut into florets.
1/2 cup hummus
1/2 cup tzatziki  ( or just yoghurt with mint and garlic)
1 handful parsley, chopped

Marinate the chicken in the olive oil, lemon juice and spices for an hour (or longer if you can).
Heat oven to 200 C fan bake.
Arrange vegetables in a single layer in a large roasting dish. Cover with chicken and scrape any remaining spices from the dish.
Bake for 30 minutes or until cooked and vegetables tender.
Top with hummus, tzatziki and parsley.

I have only ever eaten farmed rabbit in restaurants when we holidayed in France annd Malta, almost 30 years ago. Had I not ordered it especially, I would have found it indistinguishable from free range chicken thighs or drumsticks, not a hint of gameyness.

Since moving to Otago, I am often given wild rabbit that friends shoot that I skin and butcher myself. I always soak them overnight in brine to draw out any blood and that also helps to tenderise the meat.

I have never found the meat to taste gamey, the rabbit is usually cooked on a low and slow heat, having been marinated in wine or vinegar before cooking. The simplest dish that I prepare is simply slow cooked rabbit in white wine, bay leaf, lots of garlic, black pepper with a dash of oyster sauce.  

The meat is stripped off the bones and served with pasta.

Another favourite recipe is similar to the Silver Palate chicken Marbella but simpler - white wine, vinegar, prunes, thyme, brown sugar, bay leaves and long slow braise.

Even wild rabbits have a very mild flavour, unlike hare which tastes like liver to me.

I urge you to try cooking rabbit - any chicken recipe works well with rabbit, just be prepared to extend the cooking time.