Mushroom Foraging with a Monk

Filed in archive Gourmet Goodies , People Who Cook , Traditions on September 26, 2006

There is a long tradition of mushroom foraging in countrysides the world over. How interesting can that be? Apparently it does have some appeal that The Aerie Vancouver Island Resort in Canada offers it as an autumn activity.

Wickedly wild, exotic and hidden - the hunt is on. The hunters equipped with sensible shoes, rain gear and words of wisdom from mushroom lovers of great repute. The hunted are elusive, aromatic and alluring. They lurk in forest and field. The hunter's reward for perseverance is a sensual earthy culinary encounter few experience first hand.

The hunted give up their treasures this one time, perhaps to be grilled, perchance a sauté; a small gastronomic offering from those who will always remain wild and untamed. The Saturday mushroom hunts are led by Brother Michael, a Benedictine Monk from the Sole Dao Monastery in the Cowichan Valley, who supplies local restaurants with mushrooms, along with Executive Chef, Christophe Letard.

I can almost smell the fresh, dewy scent of the woods!

The Saturday mushroom hunts for this year are on Sept. 16, 23 (ooppss, sorry I just saw this now) and 30, and Oct. 7, 14 and 21. For details and inquiries, log on to www.aerie.bc.ca.