Amidst the debris of Pacific Northwestern forest fires, the emergence of these Conica Morels is a glimmer of hope. Tucked deep into the bark of their host trees, dormant morel spores are activated by the char, catalyzing the growth of morel mycelium, and eventually yielding the honeycomb headed mushrooms cherished by chefs and foragers.

These morels are foraged in the spring and early summer, retracing the paths of the previous year’s fires and excavating areas with prime morel-patch potential. They tend to fare best at the fire’s fringes, areas with enough residual char to spark the growth process, but not so much to have turned the host trees to ash entirely. Even with this loose compass in mind, morels typically hide beneath brush or between tree roots, making them particularly tricky and rewarding for foragers to unearth.

Oregon, United States

1lbs

Made from sustainably raised Moulard ducks on what we believe to be the nation’s finest vertically integrated duck farm and processing operation, this selection delivers everything we look for in sliced foie gras. Buttery smooth, sweet, and sturdy enough to withstand frying without rendering an excessive amount of fat, there is no foie gras better suited to this ingredient’s full breadth of possibilities, whether turned into a terrine, pâté, torchon, or, in this format, simply seared.

Based in Sullivan County, Upstate New York, our duck partners give an incredible amount of care to their birds, from breeding to feeding to slaughter. Few consumers are aware of the disproportionate difficulty in ethically raising waterfowl without antibiotics, or the amount of space and attention required to ensure that ducks have ample space to roam and feed without irresponsible exposure to disease introduction from migratory relatives. In order to optimize their birds’ dispositions to these circumstances, these Moulards sustain a careful lineage originating from a hybrid of Pekin hens and Muscovy drakes, balancing ideal traits for size, fat content, mobility, digestion, and demeanor. From there, the ducks are raised significantly longer than the majority of American chickens, spending their final twenty five days before harvest experiencing the eminently complex and controversial period of gavage -- deliberately feeding the birds more than they would otherwise ingest, fattening their liver for the development of foie gras.

Regardless of feelings toward the practice itself, our partners have developed and refined the least intrusive means of administering this feeding process that we have ever seen anywhere in the world. Every duck’s esophagus is carefully monitored before its daily feeding to ensure it is not bulging or uncomfortably saturated, and the birds are then fed a precise amount of corn and soy through a plastic tube that slides into their gullets. After twenty five days of this process, the ducks are stunned before being slaughtered, hung to air dry, and then portioned into various foie gras formats as well as breasts, legs, confit, and other finished renditions.

• These store fantastically in the freezer. This product arrives fully frozen, please allow at least 1 hour to thaw in refrigeration. 
• Each portioned slice of Foie Gras is 2 ounces. This item includes 10 portioned 2 ounce slices.