Thursday February 23 2012

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WSIU InFocus: G.A.R. Flag; Stained Glass, Morel Mushroom, Joe McMushroom

Fri, July 6, 9-9:30pm; repeats Sun, July 8, 12:30-1pm; Fri, July 13, 5-5:30pm

Stained glass artist, Sandy Herrin. Photo: Art Lovers Trading Company.

InFocus talks with Sandy Herrin, owner of The Glass Barn, a stained glass studio that specializes in custom design work for windows, doors, and cabinets. With the help of Tim Heath, who specializes in restoration, and glass cutting expert Grace Lively, The Glass Barn not only creates designs for commission, they also teach a variety of classes on stained glass production. Herrin demonstrates the two glass-merging methods used at The Glass Barn: the copper-foil technique, which involves applying adhesive copper tape to the edge of each piece and soldering the copper-edged pieces together, and the copper-lead technique, which involves cutting individual shapes together to form a pattern, then using lead strips to join the pieces. The Glass Barn is located at 2735 Dogwood Road in Carbondale.

Morrel mushrooms. Photo: Russell, Lima, Ohio for www.thegreatmorel.com.

Rosalita Spiller, a volunteer at the Crab Orchard National Wildlife Refuge, takes InFocus on a trip through the woods to find the morel, an edible mushroom widely used in cooking. Growing mainly in the spring, the mushroom can be identified by its brain-like cap, which is fused to a hollow stem, and can be either light or dark in color. Morels usually achieve their full height within 4-14 days and produce spores, which help them reproduce. Spiller explains that when picking a morel from the ground, the stem should be covered with leaves in order to help the spores propagate.

Chef Lasse Sorenson. Photo: University Communications.

Lasse Sorenson of Tom’s Place invites his friend Joe McFarland, a.k.a. Joe McMushroom, to talk about the large “Sheap’s Head” mushroom he found and demonstrates how to clean this prize. Growing to over a foot in length at the base, this oversized mushroom can be found at the base of oak trees in September and October and is often used as a meat substitute. To create a delicious treat, Sorenson lightly sautés mushroom pieces in garlic, butter, and lemon juice, then adds wine, rosemary, tarragon, and cream. After briefly simmering all of the ingredients, the mushroom mix is poured over a pastry to create a simple entrée or side dish.