Mysteries of mycelium

We have a new member joining our email circle----Glenn du Preez in Namyangju, South Korea. Welcome, Glenn! With the addition of South Korea, our project is in 15 countries now and 23 states. There is nothing like food to bring people together.

A couple of weeks ago Sigrid brought three of us together. She invited Linda and me to lunch and the spread was beautiful. At our request, she took photos of the tasty dishes she served, but as it turns out, the only one of her recipes I have posted thus far is the one without a photo----her Coconut/Cocoa Nibs Cookies:
Coconut/CocoaNibs Cookies, GF

To go with the cookies, you might like to make the spinach pie that Linda created recently. John's enthusiasm for the spanakopita that Beth and Daniel brought to our last potluck motivated Linda to try to make gluten-free version, meaning no filo dough. Without the filo it's hard to call it spanakopita, but you may find the flavors are much the same:
Linda's Delectable Spinach Pie

Last week I pointed out the possibilities of the map on our website if we add our names --it gets more friendly that way. And we can really get to know each other if we add a link to our online presence, such as a website, an article about us, a Facebook page or whatever. If you don't think you have an online presence, just do a Google search for your name. You may be surprised. Well----John Snyder in Texas responded and let me add his name and website to the marker for Austin, Texas. I roamed around on his website and now I know him so much better. He's a poet! Look for him by clicking on the map below and then typing in Austin, Texas.

While you are there, look over at the list on the left. You will see an asterisk by some of the place names. An asterisk means that someone from our circle has reached out and shaken hands with you by putting their name with their place----and some of those people also have links. Have fun exploring and getting to know our group better! I hope you'll let me know if I can add your name too.

If you get to Port Hueneme, CA, on the map you will find our own Betsy Shipley's tempeh website. Betsy wrote me this week about something else:

Heard Paul Stamets on the Thom Hartmann show the other day who does a great deal of mushroom research in Washington showing the power the mushrooms have in healthing both the soil and humans. Google his name and your group might be very interested in what he has to say about soil and the symbiotic relationship between it and the mycelium. His latest book, which we are trying to read, is titled: Mycelium Running. One of the interesting mushrooms is called turkey tail mushroom. Would be interested in knowing if your group knows about this esp. your friend from Germany. He has a great web site but I can't send it because our mail program in not working well right now. ... Happy reading.b

If you have thoughts about soil, fungi, turkey tail mushrooms (!) or this new book, do let us know.

If you are going to be in the Portland area on Saturday, Jan. 31, you're invited to our Winter Potluck. If you haven't already, please let me know if you are coming. You can reach me at [email protected] We really need an accurate count this time---- Sigrid's apartment is very welcoming but quite compact. If it looks like we might burst the seams, we'll revert to Plan B (I'll keep you posted.)

Happy cooking,
Eve