You'll shoot your eye out!

“You’ll shoot your eye out, kid!”

In the classic movie “A Christmas Story” by the late Jean Shepherd, this warning was on the lips of every adult who heard young Ralphie’s desperate plea for a Red Ryder BB Gun.  Of course, most users of such toys (including yours truly) grow up with nary a mishap.  But the possibility of such permanent consequences turned this warning into an adult mantra.

And though today’s interview isn’t with anyone from the powerful BB Gun faction of the NRA, we ARE talking to a devotee of an activity that evokes similar warnings – foraging for wild mushrooms.  As with BB Guns, most wild mushrooms are consumed with nary an incident, but the POSSIBILITY of poison brings to mind a warning that might sound like “You’ll poison your liver, kid!”, and the liver is one of those organs without which one dies.  And on the scale of bad things, dying from something you ate has to be way up at the top of the list.

Let me first spend a moment introducing the Renaissance Man, the polymath that is Dan Tudor…

Dan is a partner in Tudor Wines, a grape grower, a mushroom forager and surfing enthusiast.  His family’s history in grape growing spans 600 hundred years, first in Croatia and then, for the last 90 years, here in California.

Dan and I know each other through my Sideways Wineclub, and I enjoy representing his premium wines almost as much as I enjoy drinking them.  What does winemaking have to do with mushrooms, you ask?  Ahhh, but the perfect wine for mushrooms is Pinot Noir, and guess what Dan’s flagship wine is?

Q: Dan, you and I could talk happily for days about wine, but like most wine geeks, you also seem passionate about food.  Which came first for you, the chicken or the uva, so to speak?

A: Definitely the wine came first.

Q: One of the skills you have mastered is the ability to forage for mushrooms without suffering the adverse consequences mentioned in the into.  How did you become interested in this obscure skill?

A: A couple years ago a winemaker friend introduced me to mushroom hunting. I hadn’t really  developed a taste for them, but it seemed like an interesting thing to do.  Then the first day out we found a very rare Agaricus Augustus (see photo) with the cap the size of a dinner plate. It’s a very rare mushroom that you’ll never see in stores because it won’t last more than 24 hours in the fridge. In fact, it’s really best to eat it within hours of finding it. The Agaricus Augusts has a nutty almond flavor that’s just out of this world.  Once I tasted a sautéed Agaricus, I was hooked!

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[Ed. note. Dan provided me with some great links for more info on this mushroom:

1. This one provides photos, a good overview, and five helpful recipes
2. While this one from Evergreen State College is the best for showing size, and
3. This one from Tom Volk of Wisconsin’s Botany Dept is the most complete.

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Q: Dan, I have a wife who was rushed to the hospital after eating poisoned mushrooms as a child.  And the Sebastiani family lost an adult son to a vengeful mushroom.  Given the dire cost of making a mistake, how did you gain enough confidence to forage without fear?  I mean, I’ve read that only a well-trained eye can determine the difference in toxic and edible mushrooms, and that only a toxicology test can tell for sure.  What is the foraging rule that you has kept you alive?

A: I only eat the half dozen mushrooms that I can positively identify beyond a shadow of a doubt. There’s a saying that goes “If in doubt throw it out” and another one, “there’s old mushroom hunters and there’s bold mushroom hunters, but there’s no old, bold mushroom hunters.”

Some mushrooms, such as the Porcinis, just can’t be mistaken with anything deadly so they’re a good mushroom for beginners to learn to identify.  And besides, they are a great-tasting mushroom.

Q: I’ve heard some stories, romantic in an Ernest Hemingway sort of way, about foragers who make their living by finding and selling wild mushrooms to gourmet stores and restaurants.  These folks travel in a loose convoy, camp in the woods, and essentially live off the land as a sort of educated hobo.  Have you ever foraged with folks like these?  Do you have any stories that might give our readers a better insight into their lifestyle?

A: I haven’t foraged with any “professionals”, although sometimes if we find too many on a particular day we’ll take to them to a favorite restaurant and trade for dining!

Q: I like that idea.  OK, about the mushrooms.  You once mentioned to me that Portobellos are farmed, but that Porcini and Chanterelles can only be found in the wild, hence their high price.  What other types of mushrooms are only found in the wild?

A: Agaricus Agustus and Agaricus Liliceps are both only found in the wild and never available in the store either. Anyone lucky enough to find them eats them promptly!

Q: If you could tell just one story about the greatest find you’ve come across, what would it be?

A: That would have to be the day we filled a couple of shopping bags with our favorites, including the rare agaricus liliceps and agustus. We went to my cousin’s restaurant (the Big Sur Bakery and Restaurant), and had a mushroom lunch with a couple bottles of fine pinot noir.

Q: Dan, you lead a great life!  What advice would you give to readers interested in mushroom foraging?  Can you recommend any good web sites to help them get started?

A: There are a couple of good books by David Arora – All That The Rain Promises, and More: A Hip Pocket Guide to Western Mushrooms, and Mushrooms Demystified – that provide great information.  But it is critical to take an expert with you and to never eat a wild mushroom without an expert inspecting it first.

Q: OK, you knew I would have to get around to this question!  What is your favorite dish to make with the mushrooms you bring home, and what wine would you pair with it?

A: I love making porcini risotto with lots of onion and some bacon paired with Tudor Pinot Noir. With the Chanterelles I like to saute’ them with onions, butter, and scrambled eggs for a late breakfast or brunch and open a nice white burgundy or New Zealand Chardonnay.

Dan, you are too modest.  Egg dishes fight most wines, and I think your Tudor Riesling is a great match for this egg dish, though the lean wines from Chablis or New Zealand might give it a run for its money.  Let’s see if our readers can leave any comments about this topic – "Wines for egg dishes".  Thanks for taking the time to answer our questions today.  We’ll be talking soon, and one day, maybe competing to fill our own grocery sacks with pristine Monterey mushrooms before you get them all!

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Tudor Wines:

Tudor Pinot Noir, Santa Lucia Highlands.  $39 

This is Dan’s flagship wine, and was chosen by Wonderkind Sommelier Alpana Singh for the list in Chicago’s famed Everest restaurant, where they sold it for $18 a glass, if memory serves.  So well-balanced it could easily traverse the Grand Canyon on the tiniest of threads.

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2004 Radog Pinot Noir, $20

The little brother to the Tudor Pinot, with the smaller frame that one expects in younger siblings.  We vote this wine a "great value", and suggest it be used when the occasion demands good wine but the conviviality overshadows serious vinous contemplation or discussion.

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2005 Radog Rhone-Style Rosé, $14

The Radog label (rhymes with "mad dog") has two very enjoyable blush wines – one made from pinot and one from the usual Mourvedre/Syrah/Grenache blend common to the south of France, where rosés are like mother’s milk to the locals.  The rosé of pinot is sold out, but we’re fortunate enough to have a small amount of this wine still available.

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Last, but certainly not least, the 2005 Radog Riesling, $16

Enough classic Riesling aromas to be identified blindfolded!  Floral aromas abound, but the telltale sign of almond and a tinge of petrol promises great things to come, if you can let it lay down for a year or two of quiet repose.

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Cheers!
Dave Chambers, Wine Merchant