GOLDEN OYSTER MUSHROOMS
I can’t discern a taste difference between the variously colored oyster mushrooms, but I do love how the bright yellow of the golden oyster shows up in the kitchen. The mushroom’s first fruits have round caps with a slight indentation in the center, while the more mature ones resemble a morning glory’s almost funnel-like shape. They grow snuggled up into tight shelves curving their way to the light, layer after layer.
When you buy mushrooms from SporeAttic, they’ll come in a brown paper bag, which is where you should keep them—just poke a few holes in the bag so the mushrooms can breathe. Stash in the refrigerator and cook them within a few days. Cooking is essential—don’t eat raw mushrooms—think hot skillet, olive oil, butter, garlic, and thyme.
CELLAR-RIPENED TOMATOES
When the snow is imminent, the tomatoes must come inside. For my backyard garden tomatoes, this usually looks like sheet pans mounded with tomatoes and stems decorating my kitchen and dining room through October and into November. The plump green ones usually ripen to color, which prolongs my farm-to-table cooking joy. For green ones that aren’t hard little nuggets, make a small batch of green tomato chutney and keep it in the refrigerator for grilled cheese or panini.
You may wonder how Three Hearts Farm has tomatoes to sell at their farm stand well into October even after an early snow. The answer is their cellar, where they do the sheet pan thing on a much larger scale. Rachael Hicks, the owner, doesn’t notice a flavor difference between pulling up the whole plant and clipping from the vine, and it certainly requires less room and avoids the mess of dirt and dry leaves.
Please remember that even though the farmers markets stop for the season, the farmers do not. Find their farm stand hours online and get there pronto if you want the tomatoes!
TROPEA ONIONS
You may have seen them in the summer with more of their greens, but these elongated pink onions keep coming through harvest and early storage season when you shop locally from the farmers. This variety originates from Tropea, a town in Calabria in southern Italy—the “toe” of the boot. And it’s no surprise, they’re fantastic for cooking. The flavor is a little sweeter than typical red onions but use them whenever you need an onion, whether you’re building flavor for a soup or stew or enjoying them more prominently. Keep them in a dark, dry, well-ventilated place like a basket in a drawer or cupboard— do what you can, just don’t keep them in a plastic bag or put them in the refrigerator.
Whenever you’re grilling or putting a sheet pan in the oven, add sliced or quartered onions. Onions complement most things you might cook for dinner, and they’re also great left over, just keep them refrigerated until you need to make a sandwich. Cold cooked onions are also great in salads, especially those that use roasted squash.
