Late Season - Thanksgiving Stuffing

This year's turkey stuffing included two novel ingredients. In addition to the normal bread, carrots, celery and onions, we threw in significant quantities of turnips and Hygrophorus filigineus mushrooms picked from the wild.

The turnips give a mouthwatering sweetness to the stuffing, while the mushrooms added moisture and cohesiveness to the texture, as well as a mild taste with undertones of exotic wild nature.

This picture appeared in the New York Times collection of Thanksgiving photographs submitted by readers. Pine needles from the mushroom's natural habitat are seen stuck to the mushrooms before cleaning.

Hygrophorus fuligineus included in turkey stuffing

Late Season - Mushroom Ragu

This is wild mushroom ragu prepared with dried Agaricus campestris harvested from a local vineyard. Red wine from the same vineyard was included in the recipe, as well as fresh sassafras leaves dried and crushed to make file.

Being dark-spored, A. campestris gives the pasta an intriguingly dark color. The pasta is farfelline, or small bow-ties, which invite dainty, small scoops of the thick, dark ragu sauce. Light colored grated cheese and pineapple are a pleasing contrast for the eyes. Of course, the same wine used in the recipe is the beverage used to accompany the overwhelmingly rich meal.

Wild mushroom ragu using Agaricus campestris and red wine