Mushroom read and a "cave" for your cheese

 

I’d just settled down to read a book on mushrooms, cracked it open, and jumped out of my seat. I remembered that I’d got some beautiful mushrooms to nibble on while I read. I knew I’d get a craving. Author J. David Holt had contacted me to relate how special this story is. That’s unusual, and I noted how I’d grown a kit of blue oyster North Spore mushrooms on my kitchen counter. I was anticipating this story, a beautifully illustrated youth book about Taylor, who’s moved to the country and meets Aunt Nell and Uncle Hat, some kind neighbors who encourage Taylor to create a personal garden within their spread.

“The Mystery of Mushroom Valley: A Tale about the Magic of Mother Nature and the Power of Kindness” has a lesson of not being greedy. That sure looks like a leprechaun peeking from the forest on the cover. Uncle Hat coaches Taylor on how to spot and collect those tall morel mushrooms from the leafy forest floor. The key is to not take too many, so that more will come back. What happens when you collect all you can see? That’s the page-turner in this one.

Get your Jammies! – Spoiler alert: The best part is you get the flavor without the work of deseeding all those sunflower seeds.  SunButter uses sunflower seeds, not nuts, to get that smooth creamy addition onto your crackers, celery, etc. Free from the top 9 allergens, it’s a to-go dream in no-stir individual cups of creamy and chocolate varieties. Just this chocolate spread on a crisp green apple is a heavenly thought. Now they’ve brought us Jammies, little sunflower and strawberry sandwiches with crimped bread edges. School friendly and fun, I went the extra step of popping one in the freezer. Thaw and eat on the go and bring enough to share. www.sunbutter.com

Formaticum – Cheese paper… honor the cheesemaker… sac de fromage… There are so many entry points to get to a short video of how to use Formaticum cheese storage bags. Cut the cheese, put it in the bag and fold it over. That’s really about it. But Formataicum (a word relating to forming cheese) is about that simple. These bags, and some are reusable, breathe and create a cave-like experience for your fine cheeses. If you are a cheesy sort of guy, like my husband, you don’t want to open the fridge to find your cheese has gotten moldy (ha ha). Extend the shelf live with the bags, manufactured in France and Germany. Now I’m imagining elves guarding the “cave” bag to keep my cheese fresh. Good imagination is likely how www.formaticum.com got started.

Darragh Doiron is a Port Arthur area foodie always looking to try new things. darraghcastillo@icloud.com