Foraging is fun, but I'll stick to morels in the Spring
As a kid I loved finding puffballs, especially when I could stomp on them and raise a cloud of “dust.” I haven’t been puffball hunting for years, so imagine my surprise when one appeared on my regular dog walking path. And it was a huge one!
We’ve had a lot of rain and I think that may have played a role in encouraging this puffball to suddenly appear — it hadn’t been there two days before and I hadn’t taken the path the day before because of the pouring rain.
Since I’m not a mycologist and choosing the wrong mushroom to eat could easily be fatal, I took the puffball home and began researching how to tell if what I had was a puffball.
Since I’m a big believer in science based sites I was delighted to find the Cornell Mushroom Blog which was full of great information for mushroom eating safety as well as some fun facts on puffballs. Turns out the biggest puffball ever found was over eight feet in diameter and weighed nearly 50 pounds. Mine was nowhere near that big but it was a fun find anyway.
Last night we tried cooking the puffball. Following Cornell’s instructions we cut it in half to check for gills and color. All appeared to be well so we cooked it up adding scallions and garlic because we read that puffballs have a pretty mild taste and a marshmallow like texture. Right on both counts. Adding some smoked butter made it tastier, but I think I’ll go back to stepping on any puffballs I find in the future to watch the “smoke” come out.
Scott and I agreed that we prefer spring foraging for morels, ramps and fiddle head ferns!
Creative and targeted programs that make an impact are the hallmark of experienced marketing professional Ruth Steele Walker. Focusing on results that improve the bottom line, she accelerates projects from conception to implementation with a mastery of writing, production, placement, budgeting and coordination.
During more than 25 years with Foremost Corporation of America, the nation's leading insurer of manufactured housing and recreational vehicles, Walker consistently produced effective communications programs that resulted in increased net written premium. Her expertise in crisis communications was a vital part of Foremost's exemplary customer service in the wake of hurricanes, floods and earthquakes. Walker specializes in communications targeting the 50+ demographic, with an emphasis in communications for the 65+ segment.
Among other achievements, Walker developed communications for the merger of Foremost and Farmers Insurance, addressing audiences including customers, employees, trade and consumer media. For Foremost's 50th anniversary, she created a celebration program of internal and external promotions, special events, recognition and a 162-page commemorative book.
Earlier in her career, Walker was a newspaper reporter, a TV and radio producer, and worked in national sales and traffic at network TV affiliates. Walker earned a BA in journalism from Michigan State University and an MS in communications from Grand Valley State University.
She and her husband Scott operate a small vineyard in Michigan's Leelanau Peninsula, producing premium vinifera wine grapes. The vineyard has been the largest local supplier for Suttons Bay wine label L. Mawby, recently named one of the world's top producers of sparkling wines.
