Spring.Greens.And.Mushrooms.Breckinridge.HISTORY-OtherFrom: KyArchives 
[Archives@genrecords.org]
Sent: Saturday, September 23, 2006 4:00 PM
To: Ky-Footsteps
Subject: Spring.Greens.And.Mushrooms.Breckinridge.HISTORY-Other


Spring Greens And Mushrooms  
Breckinridge County KyArchives History Other 
Book Title: A Glimpse Of The Past 
Before the days of vitamin pills and supermarkets, the first warm spring days 
brought the housewife out of doors to gather the new green leaves of a group of 
plants known collectively as potherbs, greens, garden sass or sallet.  All of 
the wild greens offer much good and nutritious food full of minerals and 
vitamins.  It is necessary to know and recognize these plants at an early stage 
of growth; they must be gathered while very young and tender, for they become 
strong and bitter as they increase in size. 
Some of the most used greens are sheep sorrel, dandelion, poke, dock, lamb's 
quarter and mustard.  There are many other weeds that are edible and tasty. 
The greens were most welcome after a long cold winther. 
Morel, merkel and hickory chicken mushrooms were plentiful in this area in the 
spring. 
The mushrooms most commonly gathered in spring, and a delight to eat, is the 
hickory chicken.  There are various signes to tell it is time to go hickory 
chicken hunting, but usually you look for them after a warm rain, when the dark 
blue violets bloom.  A favorite place is under old apple trees.  They can be 
found in swamp ground, in oak, beech or maple forest. 
The hickory chickens can be used in sauces, gravies and soups.  They can also 
be dried for winter use.  Hang them strung on twine, with a knot between each 
to keep them from touching.  Hang in a dry place.  Before using dried morels, 
soak in milk to restore freshness or grind into mushroom powder. 
Fried mushrooms: soak in salt water.  Slice crossways in rings or long ways.  
Dip in egg and corn meal, season to taste with salt and pepper and fry at 
medium low heat.  Or put one pint of of morels in pan with egg-sized piece of 
butter.  Sprinkle on salt and pepper.  When butter is almost absorbed, add 
fresh butter and enough flour to thicken.  Serve on toast or cornbread. 
Merkel omelet: let stand in salt-water one hour.  Chop fine; mix with eggs, 
salt and pepper and fry in butter. 
Merkel pie: cut in small pieces.  Cover bottom of pie dish with thin bits of 
bacon.  Add layer of merkels, salt and pepper then layer of mashed potatoes.  
Put in layers of merkels and potatoes, finishing with potatoes on top.  Bake 
one-half hour. 
Submitted by: Dana Brown 
http://www.genrecords.net/emailregistry/vols/00005.html#0001067 



This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/kyfiles/