A Deconstructed Sensory Salad and Marinated Mushrooms

When Janna Jo messaged to ask if I were free on Saturday - and asked if I would help present a deconstructed salad for their Sensory Day at the Farmstand - I agreed. First, I love the Earthbound Farmstand and Janna Jo. Second, it's my self-proclaimed mission in life to expose people to good ingredients. I firmly believe that if people ate what was in season and prepared it properly, everyone would love vegetables!

Janna Jo and I met earlier in the week to decide what we wanted to showcase from the produce wall and to plan the serving station. Then I just rolled in on Saturday and set-up my area. The Earthbound Farmstand team is such a joy to work with. They had everything set. All I had to do was chop some celery, make carrot ribbons, and put everything into bowls.

My job was easy: talk about the five tastes - sweet, salty, sour, bitter, and umami. For sweet I chose apples, carrots, and honey from the on-site hives; salty was celery and Maldon salt flakes; sour was Meyer lemon and French sorrel; bitter was raddichio and cucumber with the peels on; and for umami, I made marinated mushrooms ahead of time.

We chatted. We smelled. We squeezed. We tasted. And we had so much fun! I will be back there next weekend for another salad demo for their Earth Day event. Stay tuned.

Marinated Mushrooms

Until then, you really have to try these mushrooms. I served them as part of the deconstructed salad last weekend, but at home, they were delicious on top of toasted sourdough with a smear of mascarpone cream.

You can make this with any vinegar, but I used the Champagne Mimosa vinegar from local-to-me The Quail & Olive. This recipe makes three half-pint jars. You can easily halve the recipe if you don't want that much or don't have enough ingredients. These are also not processed in a water bath, so keep them in the fridge and eat them within ten days.

Ingredients

• 2 cups water

• juice from 2 lemons (I used Meyer lemons from our tree)

• 1 teaspoon fennel pollen, optional

• 6 or 7 cups mushrooms, brushed clean and sliced (I used crimini mushrooms)

• freshly ground salt

• freshly ground pepper

• 4 Tablespoons vinegar (I used the Champagne Mimosa vinegar from The Quail & Olive)

• Also needed: medium sauce pan, clean jars with lids

Procedure

Place the water and lemon juice in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil. Stir in the mushrooms, making sure they are covered, as much as possible, by the liquid. Simmer for 8 minutes, then remove from the heat. Let stand for an hour.

Remove mushrooms from the cooking liquid and place in a mixing bowl. Stir in the vinegar and fennel pollen (if using). Season to taste with salt and pepper. Spoon into a jar or container. Then ladle in as much of the cooking liquid as needed to completely submerge the mushrooms. Keep these in the fridge and eat within 10 days.