The ecological crisis is a crisis of disconnection: we only preserve what we love. To renew an intimate link with our territory, we must learn to know it, to name it and to cook it. Last of a series of five texts on the edible fauna and flora of Quebec.
This forest that you know well is constantly changing. You have been going there for a few years, winter and summer, and always find with joy the fragile flowers of spring, the abundant ferns, the small fruits which ripen at the edge of the paths. And the aromas, all the aromas, which remind you of your childhood memories. Day after day, this forest remains the same, but new details are created. Seeds germinate, flowers wither, nests are built and new furrows are dug after the passage of the rain. But what fascinates you the most, in this wild and organic expanse, is the often sudden, sometimes even magical, appearance of a multitude of mushrooms.
A friend of Swedish origin introduced you to picking these half-vegetable, half-spirit creatures of the forest. She explained to you that in Scandinavia, as in several European countries, mycology is taught to children. In Quebec, there are indeed a few groups of mycologists and several mushroom enthusiasts, but picking these strange fungi was surrounded by a somewhat daunting aura of danger. You’ve learned to recognize a dozen varieties — classics that can’t be confused with other indigestible species — and you’ve decided that you’ll always carry a pocket knife and brown paper bags in your luggage from now on. Each of your forest walks was to become a food expedition.
real treasures
There are nearly 3,000 species of mushrooms in Quebec, of which at least 200 are edible. Some varieties are reputed to be excellent and are even all the rage on the market: this is the case of the morel and the American boletus.
For pickers, both beginners and experienced, finding an edible mushroom in the forest is a great experience. Chanterelles, trumpets-of-death, sheeps-foot, sulfur polypores, maitakes, salmon milk caps, lobster mushrooms and Jackson’s amanitas are then treasures of inestimable value.
The quest for mushrooms remains undoubtedly the most exciting part of the adventure, but cooking them is also a great pleasure. On the other hand, although some great restaurants honor wild mushrooms on their menu, few Quebecers give them a place of choice on their plate – perhaps due to a lack of knowledge or access to the forest.
In the eyes of Yvan Perreault, president of the Cercle des mycologues de Lanaudière et de la Mauricie, one thing is certain: for the mushroom to find itself at the heart of Quebec gastronomy, we will have to refine our view of it. “Quebec is a paradise for wild mushrooms. Not only could we be able to achieve self-sufficiency, but we could also make it one of our main export products. The key is forest permaculture or agroforestry! »
Cultivate autonomy
As some companies have already demonstrated, such as Violon et champignon, in Sainte-Lucie-des-Laurentides, the cultivation of wild mushrooms in a forest environment is possible, but also promising.
Yvan Perreault explains: “We are so convinced that food self-sufficiency for Quebecers can only be achieved through agriculture specific to the St. Lawrence lowlands that we forgot that there was, further north, a huge playground in which to grow food crops in the forest. Annually, we could generate billions of dollars with mushrooms. »
A myco-economy (or myconomy), in a way.
The man who also co-founded the rustic orchard Au Jardin des Nuts, in Saint-Ambroise-de-Kildare, is enthusiastic about the future of forest permaculture. According to him, we must learn to better understand the ecology of species and the dynamics of forests. The mycelium of many varieties of mushrooms, he explains, grows when it comes up against a stress or a line of tension in the soil — a change in topography or composition, for example. “There is mycelium everywhere, ready to express itself in the form of fruiting bodies. With all the necessary knowledge, we would be able to exploit it so that it gives us fruit, without compromising the health of the species. »
The mushroom at the heart of the plate
The magic of mushrooms is first expressed in their way of coexisting with the other components of their ecosystem. It’s true: they are essential to the proper functioning of forests. Why then are they not just as essential to our gastronomy?
Fine gourmet, Yvan Perreault would like to see the mushroom hoisted to the status of a piece of resistance in Quebec cuisine. “Rather than starting with a piece of meat or fish to develop a recipe, why not make the mushroom the centerpiece of a plate? »
It is true that the mycological world lacks neither diversity, nor colors, nor textures, nor flavors. The common chanterelle tastes apricots. Tufted polypore, black beer. Lobster mushroom, crustaceans. The sulfur polypore, poultry. Matsutake, green apples. And Jackson’s amanita? Hazelnuts, nutmeg and citrus.