Scrumptious Fungus with Matt Demmon

Matt Demmon over at Little House Farm is once again offering his most-fascinating mushroom class. Learn how to grow and get tips on preserving and cooking up your own delicious fungi, and enter a world of tasty beauty with Matt as your guide.

To whet your appetite, read my interview with Matt from last year and then check out his mouth-watering recipe below!

Backyard Mushrooming

Sunday, April 11th

12pm - 3pm

Little House Farm

$50 for class; $70 to take home your own log

Call Matt at 734-255-2783 or email to register

Hurry! Class size is limited.

Quick and Easy Mushrooms with Cream Sauce ala Little House Farm

8 oz. fresh mushrooms or 2 oz. dried mushrooms (reconstituted in water first)

1/2 of a small onion

3 tablespoons of butter

2 tablespoons of flour (can be a combination of millet, amaranth, buckwheat and/or teff for those hankering after gluten-free)

1 cup milk or half and half

Salt and pepper to taste

Pasta of your choice

Saute the mushrooms in the butter for about five minutes, and then add the onion. Continue sauteing until the onion is golden brown. Stir in the flour and continue stirring until the flour smells roasted and changes color. Add the milk or half and half while stirring constantly until it comes to a simmer and begins to thicken. Salt and pepper to taste and serve over a pasta of your choice.

Greening the Garden Guidelines

(Note: I also blog for Project Grow now and again, and this post will also appear there. Hence, the shameless marketing of that organization.)

This great article in the New York Times about the Sustainable Sites Initiative is a really fascinating read. The idea is to offer guidelines for landscaping similar to those that now exist for green building. Use of native plants, permeable walkways, and rainwater catching (for lack of a better phrase) are integral parts of the system.

To view the full report, visit sustainablesites.org and offer your two-cents until January 20th.

Feel inspired to begin creating your own sustainable site?

Well, you can:

Sign up for the Landscaping with Native Plants class taught by Greg Vaclavek of Native Plant Nursery. Better yet you could take the whole Organic Gardening Certificate Program offered in conjunction with Washtenaw Community College.

Or you can attend The Stewardship Network Conference at the end of this month! An inspirational two days of talks and presentations about native plants and restoration efforts in Michigan and the Midwest.

Plan to take a field trip to Wildtype Native Plant Nursery as well as peruse their helpful articles on native plants.