Morel Mushrooms

[Coltont]

Meh, you would try it right? Hehe

Hell yea

 

[jakethesnake]

So y'all dry these things how do you eat em? I'm mind *f-worded here I wanna eat some can I buy em online what do I do lol

 

[SteveSS]

So y'all dry these things how do you eat em? I'm mind frenchied here I wanna eat some can I buy em online what do I do lol

At my house, I rinse them real good, pat dry, dredge them in flour, and fry them in real butter until just crispy on the outside. Some folks dip them in egg and flour.

They can be dehydrated and saved for later, but I don't know anyone who finds that many. They'll last in the fridge for maybe a week while fresh. After that they start to get soft and mushy. They never last that long at my house.

You can probably find some dehydrated ones online, but why not just go look for some on your own? Around here folks sell them on craigslist when in season. But I'm not rich enough to spend the $40 - $60 per pound that most folks ask for them.

 

[jakethesnake]

I'd go hunt em but prolly eat the wrong stuff and stay on a perma trip. Or die I'd love to I'm just afraid honestly

 

[Dingeryote]

Wash 'em good. Chop up 2-3 until you end up with about a Cup and a half of pieces the size of a dime.

Melt 6tbsp of butter in a large sauce pan, toss in half a sweet onion, chopped fine, and sautee until clear.

Turn heat up to med. High, and deglaze with 3/4 cup of Pinot Grigio, or Orvieto classico and stir while the alcohol vapors off. Drop back to Med, and add the Morels.

Cook on Med. for approx 10 Min. and add 1/2 cup of cream,and stir, dropping heat to med low to reduce and thicken. When the sauce sticks to the back of the spoon, it's done.

Add 1lb of Fusili, Rotini, or Fettuccine cooked just shy of Eldente' to finish in the sauce.
(Always toss in 1/4-1/2 cup of pasta water)

Better yet, drop in your favorite Cheese Ravioli.... Peccorino Toscana e' Rapini Ravioli, in Morel Sauce, is the stuff Culinary wet dreams are inspired by.

Or...you could just batter and fry the things in one big Morel Orgy.

Morels freeze well, if they are to be used for sauces etc.
NOTHING compares to fresh Morels right outta the hot lard though..nothing, and it's always a conflict of wants to toss a bunch in the freezer for later.

 

[Coltont]

At my house, I rinse them real good, pat dry, dredge them in flour, and fry them in real butter until just crispy on the outside. Some folks dip them in egg and flour.

They can be dehydrated and saved for later, but I don't know anyone who finds that many. They'll last in the fridge for maybe a week while fresh. After that they start to get soft and mushy. They never last that long at my house.

You can probably find some dehydrated ones online, but why not just go look for some on your own? Around here folks sell them on craigslist when in season. But I'm not rich enough to spend the $40 - $60 per pound that most folks ask for them.

I find enough. Here's some rehydrated

 

[SteveSS]

I find enough. Here's some rehydrated

Very nice!

 

[Greenthorn]

64 blacks found today, 2 greys, cold temps gonna kill em' again this year..
I hope to have at least 2 or 4 days of yellows and whites, but prolly not.

 

[titanman6100]

I haven't found them like that in years

 

[Greenthorn]

So.....anybody finding them? I been finding around 15 -20 a day all blacks, they say the big white ones are up in the spoil banks around here, but I don't hunt them old stripper pits any more, too hard on the body! Have probably found around 400 blacks and about 20 greys so far. I'm thinking my white and yellows are still a couple weeks away.

 

[Greenthorn]

Where is Arrowhead these days? I liked his posts as well. Do you know any Kissel's in Princeton? I lived with Dennis, Mark, Joe, Jeff and Terry in college.

Pretty sure Ed's still around on a different forum? He is a mushroom ninja! Kissels I know are farmers from Ft Branch.

 

[quietfly]

The freeze up here went and killed the lot of them, I had a horde that i was letting grow, I was hoping to get some Giants this year. hopefully they will come back as the temperatures rise.

 

[Magic_Man]

Freeze killed off the grays here, found a few yellows starting to pop up yesterday.

 

[Greenthorn]

Our white and greys finally kicked in last week.


Still finding some blacks too.

 

[Dub11]

My spot is under water so GFY

 

[Outback]

The season tends to start with blacks and end with yellows. However there are several different varieties identified from genetic testing of morels from a study done around 5 years ago. For the most part though its name variations on the 3 colors.

They appear globally. They start at the lowest/warmest elevations in the spring and slowly move up the mountains. They do not like to freeze, that ruins them. However, I have also seen them grow out of the snow melt puddle at the base of a drift at 7k feet.

Cold wet years there out in the open. Dry warm years i've found them in dense clumps of tree's. I've found them in creek beds of open grasslands. I swear there's a mushroom hiding every where.

There is nothing poisonous that you can confuse with a morel. Period. Unless your super dumb, blind, and belligerent. There is a false morel called a verpa, which i have eatin with no ill effect. Morels and verpa are listed as "sometimes" makes you sick mushroom.

I've found 30 pounds in a half acre. Then two years later had a hard time finding 10 pounds across the whole damn forest. It varies as to rainfall and temp as to when they appear. Different every year, just start walking early and pay attention.

My spots are all at 5000ft or higher so I haven't seen any yet this year. Hope its a good one.

 

[Dub11]

A stranger place I have found them is by yucca plants in town that trap maple leaves.

 

[Brush Ape]

Kinda thin so far but it's real early.

 

[Greenthorn]

My spot is under water so GFY

I understand your pain, this year we are finding them in the river bottoms that I haven't been able to hunt for several years due to flooding, and we are not finding them in the usual places? I've had some years where none were found.

 

[exSW]

Anybody freeze them with dry ice? Seen some ramps yesterday in Ohio also.