1st Post of 2013 - Purple Russula

Started finding this purple Russula in the woods/yard.  Seems to be associated with oak. Taste is a mildly acidic, and pleasant.  No aroma. Gills and stalk of fresh specimens are white. Flesh is brittle as is typical for Russula.

Thought I'd try smoking them...  Salted with sea salt in a ziplock baggie.  Mushrooms got very soft and exuded a lot of pink liquid.  I carefully patted them dry and put them in the refrigerator overnight.

Here is how the mushroom appears after smoking.  I used green twigs stripped of bark from a wild cherry tree in the yard.  Smoke flavor, although very good, overwhelmed the delicate tartness I could taste in the raw mushrooms.

Slivered, the smoked mushrooms were added to what has become my lunchtime staple, ramen noodles with homemade kimchi and chutney, from the Virginia Chutney Co.  The blend of ramen, kimchi and chutney brought the smokiness of the mushrooms into a rich, savory balance with a delicious, complex, exotic character that's hard to imagine.