Monday, 27 June 2011

Sunday...Market Day - Fairy Ring Mushrooms



it's true that we venture 
to the organic food markets each sunday,
buying our weekly supplies 
from gorgeous rosy-cheeked folk

so forget fluorescent lights 
and cold metal trollies

no!
the sunday market.
she smiles.

where earthy types emerge
in bright threads 
with their pups and weekend eyes

where you can talk to the very man
who grew that pumpkin
and the sweet lady 
with grey hair proud
who gathered your eggs
from a warm nest of hay
the morning just gone

each week brings something new
and
this week 
it was mushrooms
...
fairy ring mushrooms
that journeyed from france
...

while nature 
has graciously allowed 
science to come up with a reason
for mushrooms 
spontaneously bursting into being 
in a perfect ring

it's so much more fun
to read about the thousand 
year old folklore
which humbly tells that these circles
are created by the dance of fairies
the mushrooms mark 
the edge of their dance


these glorious little fellows
trundled from france
packaged in a wooden crate 
to our sunday morning

and
a small bundle
decided to come home with me


chef of the universe advised:
'fill a bowl with
fresh water.
let them soak
for a minute or two
then scoop them gently 
from the bowl 
replace the water
and start again
do this three times
no more
no less'


'remove the ends
and after that 
they need so little'
he said

'sweat them in a pan 
with butter
salt
and pepper
and enjoy them in
their nutty, rich simplicity'

and i'm not sure
if it was the folklore
or the knowing 
that they came from france
but these mushrooms
were heavenly

so if you even find yourself
in a market place
rich with earthy types
and there is a wooden crate
laden with mushrooms
fresh from a fairy ring in france
then let a handful
steal themselves into your basket
and home

sadie
ox

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