“Ahhh! No don’t eat those!” 

It’s not often I yell at my child to not eat his vegetables. Benson’s been such a distracted eater recently, that if he’s on a roll with whatever’s on his plate, in general I try not to make any sudden movements or noises so as to not break his concentration. I’m clearly not just tiptoeing around or only speaking in a whisper, but as long as he’s not simply spooning up one of the forty-seven sauces he thought necessary for the meal, I probably want him to keep going. 

Unless, of course, the vegetable he is bringing excitedly up to his mouth is a mushroom from the grass. He usually enjoys mushrooms at the table, so why shouldn’t he in the yard? 

Poor kid, it can be hard to explain context. 

All this glorious rain last week changed the environment a little bit around here, at least for a couple days. Not only did the humidity encourage wild mushrooms to start popping up, but it made the garden comfortably soggy, our Muscovy and Peking ducks waddle around in bliss, and the corn in the fields rocket their canopying stalks skyward. 

We pray for long-term benefits too, like bringing soybean and milo sprouts up and replenishing the aquifer, but in our household, we were selfishly grateful for the short-term benefits of actually seeing Brian again. The last few weeks of time-sensitive harvesting, planting, and spraying, on top of the daily needs of the dairy, required much from our hardworking, farmer man; he was tired, and we were tired of missing him. Benson was starting to really feel his absence, and it was both adorable and heartbreaking the day he refused to go to bed until after Daddy came in at 10:30, woke up in the middle of the night screaming for Daddy, and got up with the sun immediately wondering where Daddy was (already out feeding calves). 

The good news is, he likes his dad, and in general we are spoiled by getting to at least catch glimpses and moments of him throughout the day. The other good news is, it rained that night. We’ve trained Benson to run around yelling, “Happy rain!” when we get some precipitation, and it makes it all that much better. 

Another thing that tends to happen around here when it rains is that we break out the grill. Now, I know most people tend to operate in the opposite pattern, but I’m assuming you’ve picked up by now that we are not most people. 

We have just enough of an overhang from the garage that Brian can wheel out the pellet grill and cook something up without getting soggy. And when it rains, that means he might have time to not only come in for supper but to also participate in its cooking. It’s not that grilling is only a male milieu, or that I can’t do it, but it’s not my natural bent. Our old grill had a problem lighting and I didn’t feel like getting blown up, and this new grill is a new style, so I’m still learning. Slowly, without much motivation. 

Which is ironic, because I love grilled food. I did roast two chickens and a bunch of tomatoes all by myself the other day, so I’m getting there. But if Brian offers? The answer is yes please. 

So this past weekend when he offered to grill something, I said perfect, the meat is already thawing in the fridge. All three of us contributed to the making of the meal: I formed the burgers and prepped all the veggies; Benson peeled the onions, salted the mushrooms, and got out all the sauces; and Brian did the actual grilling. (The baby didn’t help much except to catch the stuff I dripped on my belly.) 

It was a lovely meal, another blessing through the gift of rain. Even though Benson didn’t want to eat these mushrooms after all. 

Beef and Mushroom Burgers

Now, don’t go hating on me, but even though I’m a dairy farmer’s wife, I don’t love burgers. Naturally, they’re one of Brian’s favorite things. But we may have found a tasty middle ground in this mushroomy version. I will definitely not be allowed to mix mushrooms in with the beef every time, but maybe I can make at least a few burgers like this and look forward to them, too. 

Prep tips: I used button/white mushrooms, but I expect you could use mostly any type. Also this isn’t a recipe so much as an idea, so vary the ratio to your liking, although I wouldn’t go any higher on the mushroom content than 50/50. If you have a problem with them crumbling while you’re trying to grill them, just pop them on a piece of foil so you still get that nice smoky cook. 

4 ounces mushrooms (not from the yard)

1 lb. good quality ground beef

salt and cracked black pepper

Chop mushrooms finely using a blender or food processor. Add to a mixing bowl along with ground beef, and mix with your hands or a dough whisk just until combined — try not to overwork. Form into 4-6 patties, and season both sides with salt and pepper. Grill over medium-high heat to your desired temperature, but keep the middle pink if you’re going to talk to Brian about it. 

Amanda Miller lives with her husband, almost-two-years-old son, and whoever else God brings them through foster care on the family dairy farm in Hutchinson. She enjoys doing some catering, teaching cooking classes, and freelancing, but mostly chasing after her kid(s). Reach her at hyperpeanutbutter@gmail.com.