E.B. Fungi

05/15/2026

What’s for dinner?

Tonight, we are having a favorite: lamb meatballs topped with rampziki, like tzatziki, but instead of garlic and parsley I used ramp bulbs and leaves. Served with a side of lemon butter orzo.
😋

Do you have a picture of a favorite meal? Maybe one that uses foraged plants or mushrooms? Share a pic in the comments, we would love to see them!

04/30/2026

Deadline for this year’s North American Mycological Association Chopped Challenge is May 1st. You still have time! 🍄🌱

Since I won last year’s challenge, I won’t be entering this year, but I am playing along...I can’t help myself! I’m a big fan of the Food Network show “Chopped,” so I find this a lot of fun.

Every year NAMA hosts a challenge based on the show “Chopped,” where contestants are given a set of ingredients and tasked with creating a dish that highlights each one. This year’s ingredients are:

Mushrooms of your choice
Seaweed
Vinegar
Cherries
Horseradish
Foraged finds

For me, the first thing that came to mind when reading these ingredients was sushi. I’ve made sushi a few times, and while I’m not the greatest at it, it always tastes good. I already had some Lion’s Mane growing outside that needed to be harvested, and I’ve been sustainably harvesting ramps all week on the farm. I also found plenty of chickweed, which I thought would be great prepared like a seaweed salad. Lastly, I have some dried Dragon Cayenne peppers from last year’s garden that I’ve been wanting to use.

So, I made Lion’s Mane sushi topped with a Cherry Dragon sake sauce, rampsabi, and a side of chickweed salad.

Recipes

Sushi Rice
2 cups sushi rice
2 cups water
4 tbs ramp vinegar (ramps stems and bulbs infused in vinegar)
3 tbs sugar
2 tbs mirin
2 tsp salt

Rinse the rice 3 times
Drain for 45 minutes
Mix ramp vinegar, sugar, mirin and salt in a bowl
When rice is done draining, add to a pot with the water, bring to a boil then drop down to a simmer. Cover the pot and cook for 15 minutes
Rest for 10 minutes
Place in a bowl to cool, add the vinegar mix while lightly fanning
Stir gently
Let sit to cool to room temperature

Sushi
Seaweed wraps
Filling is made with shredded Lion's Mane mushroom that was sauteed over medium low heat in butter until it starts to turn pink. The amount of butter used depends on the water content of the mushroom, which varies. Add enough butter to make the mushroom shiny.
Cream Cheese
Julienned cucumbers
Julienned green onion

Cherry Dragon Sake Sauce
Around 7 sliced ramp bulbs
2 tbs butter
Splash of Sake
½ cup frozen cherries
2 tbs honey
1 dried dragon cayenne pepper, crushed

Saute ramps in butter over medium heat
Deglaze with Sake
Add cherries, honey and cayenne pepper
Simmer, stirring often until thick

Rampsabi
Around 15 ramp leaves
2 tsp ramp vinegar
½ tsp (more for more spice) horseradish powder
1/8 tsp salt

Mix everything in a food processor or chopper. I also used a mortar and pestle to try to make it more of a paste.

Chickweed Salad
2 cups chickweed
2 tsp ramp vinegar
2 tsp mirin
2 tsp soy sauce
½ tsp sesame oil
½ tsp grated ginger
pinch red pepper flakes

1 tbs toasted sesame seeds
3 sliced green onion

Mix together ramp vinegar, mirin, soy sauce, sesame oil, grated ginger and red pepper flakes. Pour over cleaned chickweed and top with toasted sesame seed and green onion.

Serve with sake and enjoy! 😊

-Brenda

04/28/2026

What a great lineup! We can’t wait 🙂

04/28/2026

Join us for a weekend of forest farming workshops, live music, and a guided wild edible walk! 🌱🍄🎶

We’re excited to be part of WV’s Forest Farming Weekend at The Yew Mountain Center in Hillsboro, WV, happening May 1–3!

Friday Evening (5:30–7:00 PM)
Come along with us for a wild, foraged edibles walk. We’ll explore the landscape together and take a closer look at what’s growing in the wild this season focusing on edible and useful species you can find right here in Appalachia.

Saturday Presentations
Alongside many other presentations, we’ll host two demonstrations on outdoor gourmet mushroom cultivation featuring two different approaches to growing mushrooms outdoors.

This is a great opportunity to connect with nature, learn valuable skills, and spend time with a like-minded community.

We’d love to see you there!✨

Link in the comments 👇

04/27/2026

This was such a great time!

04/18/2026

Join us Saturday, April 25th at Miracle Mountain Wilderness Park in Gary, WV at 10:00 AM for a FREE presentation, workshop and foraging walk.

We will be inoculating shiitake logs and the first 25 people to sign up will take one home.

Also, there will be snacks 😝

Link in the comments to sign up. 👇

03/28/2026

Humble Heritage has amazing bread and cookies 🤤 Go check them out in Lewisburg, WV.

The Montwell Community Market (MCM) kicks off on Saturday, April 11th, for the 2026 season! Come join us for a day of celebration of the town's Chocolate Festival. There will be a ribbon-cutting, music performances, fresh fruits & vegetables, local meat, baked goods, non-profit education, and arts & crafts. And chocolate, of course!

We look forward to this season! We will be open Saturdays from 8 am - 12 pm from April through October. What the Montwell Community Market has to offer is best described in our Mission Statement:
The Montwell Community Market exists to sustain Lewisburg by bringing fresh, local food, handmade goods, art, and music together in one welcoming place. Located in Montwell Commons in historic downtown Lewisburg, the market serves as a walkable gathering space where farmers, artisans, non-profits, families, and neighbors can connect, celebrate local creativity, and enjoy good food and good company. We believe a farmers market is more than commerce, it’s a community hub that supports local livelihoods, fosters access to healthy food and art, and strengthens the social fabric of our town.

We look forward to collaborating with the Greenbrier County Health Alliance so that the market can accept SNAP and work with food security programs in our community.

In addition to live music, we hope to have community events and education programs to engage children and promote healthy eating. T.L. Fruits and Vegetables LLC has secured grant funding for some exciting programming this season. And don't forget the beautiful demonstration garden on site!

We look forward to having some of the community's favorite vendors and restaurants participate, such as Amy's Market, TL T.L. Fruits and Vegetables LLC, Blue Moon Bagels, and all of the wonderful farmers, craftsmen, bakers, and non-profits involved.

All vendors are welcome to apply to the Montwell Community Market. Applications are linked below:
https://tinyurl.com/4u3uymkj

03/28/2026

Winning the Chopped Challenge last year was an absolute blast. We wish we could do it all over again! It’s super easy to enter, and the winner scores a ticket to the NAMA Foray in Michigan this year.
Who knows… we might just throw our hats in the ring again for fun, Brenda has some ideas😝

03/24/2026

Check out our most recent, beautiful shiitake harvest from just one log, there are enough mushrooms here for three dinners! Pretty amazing what they can produce! 🍄

We’re down to our last bags of Shiitake plug spawn in the shop, and once they’re gone, they won’t be back until fall. Don’t miss your chance! Link in the comments. 👇