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Welcome February!

The groundhog saw its shadow and that means we have 6 more weeks of winter. Even though February is historically the coldest month of the year, it’s also the shortest. Stay warm and cozy with hot mushroom chili and a good read, like this newsletter.
 

Winter Farmer’s Market

Shopping for local produce, baked goods, and flower bouquets is easy in the middle of winter when you visit the Hyde Park Winter Farmer’s market!! It happens every week at Madtree Brewing on Sunday mornings from 10-1.

From 10am - 1pm on February 12th, 19th, and 25th.
@3301 Madison Rd., Cincinnati, OH 45209

We will be stocked with Shiitake, Comb Tooth, Lion's Mane, Pioppino, Blue Oyster, King Oyster, Queen Oyster, White Oyster, and Chestnut!
 

Mushroom of the Month: Blue Oyster

Blue Oysters are an iconic gourmet mushroom. We like to call them β€˜Blues’ for short and their scientific name is Pleurotus ostreatus. These are the iconic oyster mushrooms featured in our circle logo because their large clusters, eye-catching blue color, and year-around seasonality.

Blue oysters seem to be a customer favorite (we have our own Blue Oyster Cult) with their mild and versatile flavor. These mushrooms are easy to incorporate into any dish while their blue cap adds a pop of color. You can top pizza, do a simple sautΓ© or make a Cincinnati chili, recipe below.

You can forage for wild oysters throughout the year in this area. Typically, they grow out of hardwood trees (like oaks) and commonly out of dead wood, like stumps or fallen logs. They grow in clusters with lateral, stubby stems and fanning out caps. At optimal harvest time the caps should be firm, yet delicate; so cracks and blemishes are expected when handling them. There are look alike mushrooms, so make sure you check for a lilac spore print. Never harvest wild mushrooms without an experienced guide.

Medicinally, blue oyster mushrooms are found to have beneficial effects on lowering cholesterol and blood sugar. They contain a molecule that is closely related to lovastatin, which is a medication created to lower cholesterol. The oyster mushroom’s molecule is more mild than lovastatin, so a very large amount of oysters would need to be consumed to lower cholesterol by a significant percentage. Researchers recommend consuming 1 - 2 fruiting bodies of blue oysters 2 - 3 times a week for a healthy diet. Meaning, you could purchase 1 medium bag of Rich Life Farm’s Blue oysters for your week.

If blue oyster is your favorite mushroom, let us know by sharing your favorite picture or recipe via social media.
 

Recipe: Cincinnati Style Chili

Here's what you need:

  • 1 large box of Blue Oysters from Rich Life Farm

  • 1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste

  • 5 cups water

  • 1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce

  • 1 large yellow onion, minced

  • 6 cloves garlic, minced

  • 3 tablespoons chili powder

  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin

  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

  • 3/4 teaspoon ground allspice

  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

  • 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

  • 2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus more to taste

  • 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce (vegan options)

  • 1 1/2 cups brown or green lentils

  • 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

  • 1/2 ounce chopped unsweetened chocolate, optional

    For serving:

  • Oyster Crackers

  • Cheese to top (vegan alternative to make completely vegan)

  • Yellow onion minced

  • Hot, cooked spaghetti

How to:

  1. Mince the mushrooms. In two batches, pulse the mushrooms in a food processor until they are finely minced. Be mindful not to go too far, or they’ll turn to mush. Alternatively, you may grind the mushrooms in a food grinder or mince them by hand with a knife and cutting board. Set the mushrooms aside.

  2. Cook the tomato paste. Heat a large, heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the tomato paste to the dry pot and cook, constantly scraping the bottom, until the tomato smells rich and toasty, and you start to see browned (not burned) in the bottom of the pot. This should take 1 to 3 minutes.

  3. Add the spices, lentils, and mushrooms. Add the water and stir well, scraping the bottom to free any stuck-on paste.

    Add the tomato sauce, onion, garlic, chili powder, cumin, cinnamon, allspice, cloves, cayenne pepper, salt, Worcestershire sauce, lentils, and minced mushrooms. Mix them together.

  4. Cook for at least 1 hour.

    Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat, stirring frequently.

    Then, reduce the heat and continue to gently simmer, uncovered, until the lentils are tender but not falling apart. Time depends on the type and age of the lentils you are using.

    Stir the chili often. You want the volume to reduce, but add water if needed so the lentils can cook through. When the chili reaches its ideal consistency, there will be bubbles slowly gurgling up like lava, and a spoon will leave a trail when you drag it through the chili

  5. Add the vinegar and chocolate, if using. Let sit for 10 minutes, then taste and adjust seasonings if needed.

  6. Pulse with an immersion blender. To break up the lentils and get a more convincing Cincinnati chili texture, stick an immersion blender in the pot and pulse it a few times.

  7. Serve as desired, over spaghetti, over a Coney dog, or in a bowl. Top with the combo of toppings that speaks to you.

    This Cincinnati chili will keep refrigerated for up to 1 week or frozen for up to 1 year. Thanks, Simply Recipes for this recipe.

Enjoy! For more recipes, check out our website.
 

Restaurant Spotlight: Alcove

Alcove at Madtree is a casual, cool spot in Over the Rhine offering Madtree beer, handcrafted cocktails and a food menu highlighting seasonal local farm-to-table local ingredients. Our mushrooms are offered as a side dish and highlighted in the short rib risotto dish.

We were lucky enough to have the Alcove chef (Zach Leetch) and kitchen crew come visit our farm. We showed them the entire process of how we cultivate mushrooms before the restaurant receives and transforms them.

This time of year is tough for the service workers, especially after 3 years of the covid pandemic. So we want to say thank you to all our service industry partners. We appreciate you! 

Check out the Alcove at Madtree on Vine Street, open for dinner 7 days a week with lunch/brunch available Friday through Sunday.
 

You can also find our mushrooms at:

  • Mid City

  • Hart and Cru

  • The Wheel Oakley

  • Mita's

  • Alcove

  • St Francis Apizza

  • Dear Restaurant and Butchery

  • Rich’s Proper

  • Baker’s Table Bakery

  • 20Brix

  • NorthSouth

  • Mom β€˜N Em (Madisonville location)

  • Iris Read

  • El Camino

  • Madison’s at Findlay Market

  • Pipkins

  • ETC Produce & Provisions

  • Reddens Fine Meat and Seafood

  • Daylily Deli
 

β€˜Shroom Dinner Success

We partnered with Oakley Wines to have a shroom dinner event - pairing wines from all across the world to different dishes featuring Rich Life mushrooms. 

If you missed out, fear not! There are more events coming soon.

 

Valentine’s Day Idea

Switch it up this Valentine’s Day and buy your loved one(s) a mushroom bouquet! Strengthen your love through a delectable mushroom dish and pair with your favorite wine (Iris Read will have some suggestions for you) or non-alcoholic drink. Luckily, we will be at the Winter Hyde Park Farmer’s Market the Sunday before, so you can gather all the mushrooms you need. Hope to see you there, mush love!
 

That's a wrap!


We hope you enjoy the last weeks of winter. See you soon!

Instagram: @richlifefarm

Facebook: Rich Life Farm and Fungi

#liveyourrichlife
Rich Life Farm and Fungi

Rich Life Farm & Fungi, info@richlifefarm.com, 1144 Ten Mile Rd, New Richmond, United States

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