Meatless Monday and the Mushroom Guy
Today’s post is really a two for one. A delicious Meatless Monday recipe and the story of a pretty cool sustainable farmer on Nantucket.
We’ve all heard of the Juice Guys right? The two Toms that made such an incredible success out of Nantucket Nectars. Well this is the story of the Mushroom Guy who has a sustainable niche market with mushrooms. Todd Leftwich has been an island resident for 25 years with an interest in fungi since childhood. He leases land at Moors End Farm where he is growing gourmet mushrooms for the weekend farmer’s market and various island restaurants. When I stopped by for a visit, I learned that demand is over the top and Todd can barely keep up with production.
Flickr photo via Andrew-Hyde
The mushrooms look otherworldly and seem to float in space. The room is damp and quite moist and the growth medium appears to be some sort of organic earth matter. I’m sure this can not be an easy business and wish Todd much success in keeping it local!
This mushroom ragout with creamy polenta is a wonderful foil for whatever type of mushrooms are available in your area. Here is a yummy version from Food and Wine, but many different versions are available on the internet. I would normally post the recipe, but instead, will be spending the day at Logan trying to get my daughter on a standby flight to her semester abroad after the hurricane. Believe me, I’d much rather be cooking. Wish us luck-Arrivederci!
