I have never thought of myself as a “Green Thumb”.  I have done ok with small herbs and I have gotten a few tomatoes but my garden production has left something to be desired.  Today, I have moved away from plants and onto fungi.  My best friend, Ben Jeter, was in town this weekend, and we inoculated 8 oak logs with Shitake mushroom spores.  Strain 512+ is a warm weather strain which is designed to fruit in warmer weather from 65-85 degrees.  That sounds like Georgia weather to me.

This starts episode 1 of our daily picture and blog of “Fungi Farmer”.  You have to look forward to 365 more posts and daily pictures of wood.  Not just any wood but logs that have been cut and inoculated with Shitake mushrooms.  The pictures will be boring and the posts monotonous.  The daily life of the wood will become your reason for turning on the computer in the morning.  You will ache and pain each day as you become more and more agitated at the lack of substance or growth but you will always come back for more.  Just for that single hope that you will be able to watch a fungus grow.  Not only will you be shocked and amazed at how every picture looks exactly the same but you will soon also appreciate the fungi you eat on a regular basis.  And so starts “Fungi Farmer” only available at S & J's Woodfired Pizza.

Dinner this evening was:

Ancho chili and dry mustard spiced thick cut bone-on pork chops with rosemary and garlic roasted red potatoes and spiced fuji apples.  It was all made in the wood-fired oven and was delish.  A positive step towards a broader catering menu, which I like.  It all went together really well and tasted really well and was cooked really well.  Great night with my baby.

What is there not to like about Fall?  This is my favorite part of the year.  The cooling temperatures, warming sun, lack of humidity and general feel of Fall is all I need to just enjoy every minute of it.  Not to mention the awesome colors that mother nature bestows on us.  I can only hope to be so pretty as I wither and grow old.  I imagine I am not alone in the feeling that the 100% humidity and 100 degree temps of August in Georgia are not the reason we live here.  Could the 65 and sunny degree weather of yesterday be the reason? Get outside and enjoy it.

As we continue to grow as a business and gain more experience, we have become bolder with our menu and with what we try.  I love looking thru the market or really anywhere outdoors and take in the inspiration.  I want people to taste Fall in our pizzas.  Hence, the inspiration for our new Apple Pizza, i.e. “Apple Awesomeness”.  Apples, bacon, goat feta, and a splash of pesto sings sweet fall flavors to me.  Looking for something more rustic and hearty you can’t beat wood-fired roasted butternut squash.  Our Squash pizza pairs, roasted butternut squash, olive oil, sage, ricotta and a touch of honey into a taste of Fall.  What other fall flavors do people love?  I am in the infant stages of my cooking life and I am growing and learning everyday.  I would love some opinions from S & J's Woodfired Pizza fans.  What do you want to see on your pizza?  Get in touch with me at let us know.  Or post something on our wall.