296836 Mon Apr 19 21:57:40 -0700 2004 13 27 General Chowhounding Topics 0 1636364 My host is a long time morel hunter/gatherer, so I'm not concerned with safety. But from his descriptions we could (IhopeIhopeIhope) come home with several pounds of these beauties. Can I dry them in the oven like you would tomatoes? Do they freeze well? Should I just prepare a kind of duxelle and freeze this? Any tips and suggestions would be most welcome. Any special recipes would be welcome as well. The last time he brought me some I just cleaned them and sauteed them in butter finished with a touch of whiskey. They were heavenly. TIA. Mon Apr 19 21:57:40 -0700 2004 0 bryan 1 1636377 Do I get a percentage? ;-) Morel are the single best mushrooms for drying. Never successfully dried tomatoes, but morel will dehydrate in the refrigerator (in paper bag on an open shelf) or in oven on lower than my oven goes (which is 225). Oh, wash first -- this is early in the season, but they get needles and worms. (Aside, for worms, good to stick in freezer for 30-45 minutes. That seems to kill the critters, then you can store fresh in the fridge for several weeks.) Another point on morel, they are the one mushroom to have no imitator. You state that you're going with an experienced forager, but nothing looks like a morel. Any other mushroom and I'd say that your kidneys/liver are in danger, but not morel. Lastly, don't freeze or create a duxelle first. They really do dry and rehydrate to 98% of original. I haven't frozen a duxelle of morel, but same of chantrelle was a pale imitation. Tue Apr 20 00:26:56 -0700 2004 1636364 0 SteveT 2 1636381 When morel hunting, always use a mesh bag that allows the nearly microscopic spores to escape and replentish the supply of morels. This will assure that in the future, you will be able to find morels in that particular area again. Using a plastic or paper bag does not allow for this. An old orange bag would be ideal. Tue Apr 20 02:56:48 -0700 2004 1636377 0 Marco 2 1636385 I don't know where you heard that morels have no imitator but that is dangerously incorrect. It is not true that there are no mushrooms that look like morels. There is the false morels which look similar and are poisonous. This is why mushroom collecting can be so unsafe for people who are not experts. See the link below for more information.The following text is from that site. Types of (True) Morels by Michael Kuo The scientists don't completely agree about everything (big surprise!) when it comes to identifying morels, but general agreement exists--especially for amateur purposes--that morels fall into three categories: Black, Yellow, and Half-Free morels. For a more extended treatment of the morels, please see our page for the genus Morchella. For a discussion of what scientific research suggests regarding the classification of morels, see Recent Research. Black Morels Common Names: "Black morels," "early morels," "morels," "grey morels." Scientific Names: Morchella angusticeps, Morchella elata, Morchella conica. The black morel can be anywhere from half an inch high to over a foot high. When it first comes up, especially if it is lodged under leaves, away from the light, it is anything but black; "gray," or even "white" might be a better description. But usually black morels are a very dark brown, nearly black, with darker ridges and lighter pits, and a whitish stem. Sometimes they're pointy, but other times they can be rounded. They are hollow. They come up, generally speaking, before the other true morels, often beginning to appear in my area (central Illinois) as early as the last week of March. Distinguishing between the different kinds of black morels is an exercise in futility, unless you are being paid to do it and you have a microscope. A word of caution regarding black morels: Some people have allergic reactions, apparently, to these mushrooms. While the reaction is not usually severe, it can involve stomach upset and a loss of muscle coordination. Instances are rare, and often involve the combination of black morels and the consumption of alcohol. Still, if you have never eaten black morels, take it easy (a few bites) the first time, and don't drink. For a more extended treatment of the black morel, see our page for Morchella angusticeps. Yellow Morels Common Names: "Yellow Morel," "Morel," "Sponge Mushroom," "Gray Morels," "Brain Mushrooms," "White Morels" . . . and so on. Scientific Names: Morchella esculenta, Morchella deliciosa, Morchella crassipes. The yellow morel is probably the most prized of all edible mushrooms. Its flavor is delicate, and its texture is meaty. Yellow morels range from minuscule to enormous--up to nearly a foot high. They follow the black morels, usually reaching the peak of their fruiting season, in our area, in the third week of April. Though they are usually yellow, yellowish brown, or honey brown, they are sometimes grayish or even whitish--especially when tiny and fresh, or when covered by leaves. They are hollow, of course, and their stems are white. In some varieties, the stem is enlarged towards the base, especially late in the season, and when this is the case there may be several flaky layers of flesh in the base of the stem. They are "pitted," or "honeycombed." When young the ridges may be almost white and the pits nearly black. At maturity, they are nearly uniformly yellowish brown, though the pits are still darker than the ridges. In the "if you care" category: Some mycologists regard Morchella esculenta and Morchella deliciosa as two separate species. M. deliciosa is distinguished by being smaller, pointier, and involving pits that are prominently vertically arranged. The scan above illustrates the two species side by side. Half-Free Morels Common Names: "Peckerheads," "Cows' Heads," "Half-Free Morels," "Morels" . . . Scientific Name: Morchella semilibera. The half-free morel is easily distinguished from yellow and black morels: when you cut it in half, you can see that the attachment of the cap to the stem leaves a portion of the cap hanging (see the picture above). The cap, in other words, is (about) half-free. These mushrooms can be tiny, with almost wrinkled yellowish caps, or quite tall and thin, with caps resembling the caps of black morels (resembling them, that is, until you slice them open and see how the cap is attached). The stem of the half-free morel is often (but not always) watery and fragile; these mushrooms often fall apart on the way home. They are quite common in some years--and in other years they are rare. Usually (but not always) they appear just after the black morels begin to appear, and continue into the yellow season. The half-free morel tastes every bit as good as its black and yellow cousins, but its consistency is sometimes not as desirable. When I pick them, I usually dry them in a food dehydrator, then crush them to dust, which I use throughout the year as a flavoring for sauces and soups. A word of caution: The half-free morel can be confused with another spring mushroom, the verpa. The verpa is not flat-out poisonous, like the false morels, but it has been known to affect some people negatively (stomach upsets, loss of coordination). The attachment of the verpa's cap, however, is not half-free; it is nearly completely free; the cap hangs down from the top of the stem like a skirt. Also, verpas frequently have little wisps of cottony fibers inside them, whereas half-free morels are hollow (like all true morels). (See our page on Verpa bohemica.) Cardinal Rules for Morel Identification by Michael Kuo The only sure way to distinguish between morels and false morels is to have years of experience under your belt. That said, however, there are easily recognized differences between them, and I see no good reason for anyone to get confused. Rule Number One: When in doubt, throw it out! If you are not 100 percent sure your mushroom is a morel, why would you even think about eating it? Rule Number Two: If it ain't hollow, don't swallow! Morels are hollow. Slice open a black, yellow, or half-free morel, and you will find only air (and bugs, if you haven't cleaned it), from top to bottom. Slice open a false morel, and you'll find mushroom flesh. Sometimes the flesh of a false morel is interspersed with air pockets, creating a "chambered" effect--but there is flesh present. Consequently, false morels weigh more than morels. If you hear someone bragging about how much a morel weighed before he ate it, you are speaking to an idiot. Rule Number Three: If it's wavy, don't make it gravy! The caps of false morels are often wavy, rather than pitted. The pits on morels are not, on very close inspection, symmetrical, but they are very regular when compared to the lobed, wavy, brain-like structure of the false morel cap. Here, by the way, we encounter a problem with some of the common names for morels: "brain mushrooms" and "sponge mushrooms." Do not rely on what you picture from these common names! False morels are better described as "brain-like" than morels, and either kind of mushroom could conceivably be described as "sponge-like." Rule Number Four: If it's reddish, you could be dead-ish! False morels frequently (though not always!) have reddish brown shades. I have seen yellow morels develop red stains, especially in age (the stain usually begins as a stripe on the stem and then grows), and when morels are growing under pine. So, this rule might eliminate some good-eating morels. But it is more likely to eliminate false morels. Don't rely on this rule (or any of the rules, for that matter) alone! Link: http://www.bluewillowpages.com/mushroomexpert/morels/index.html Tue Apr 20 08:25:40 -0700 2004 1636377 0 The Rogue 3 1636480 Wow!, I stand corrected. There is a false morel right in my book. Gyromitra esculenta. I am surprised, even though it is in the book. At the same time, to me it looks like a morel as I could mistake a morel for a sharpei (sp?) dog. I can confuse chanterelle and hedgehog, but this looks nothing like a real morel. No honeycombs, amongst other issues. Though as always in foraging, if you don't know, DO NOT eat. Much cheaper to buy in the store than to pay for a burial plot. Wed Apr 21 01:29:17 -0700 2004 1636385 0 SteveT 4 1636490 "Though as always in foraging, if you don't know, DO NOT eat. Much cheaper to buy in the store than to pay for a burial plot." Or living with ruined health. Though note the morels are light and hollow, where the gyromitras are comparatively heavy, dense and a fleshy interior. Optimistic amateurs think they hit the morel motherlode when they found a gyromitra. At the link below is the Illinois State Morel Mushroom Hunting Championship. The morels are picked on private lands and are offered for auction at the conclusion. I just noted Taylor Lockwood, a friend of mine BTW, will be there on Friday night with his dazzling fungi photos to music. I'm going to the Championship on behalf of my club, I'm now going earlier than planned! Regards, Cathy2 Link: http://www.morelmania.com/ismmhc.html Wed Apr 21 09:23:15 -0700 2004 1636480 0 Cathy2 1 1636380 I never have had a morel before, but I love mushrooms! I live in WA, and I often hear about people going mushroom hunting. Is the taste of a morel describable? What about the texture? Thanks! Tue Apr 20 01:58:06 -0700 2004 1636364 0 David in Olympia 2 1636428 The flavor is nutty, the texture much less mushy than other mushrooms. Tue Apr 20 17:00:22 -0700 2004 1636380 0 butterfly 1 1636382 Hi, I don't know what region of the country you are collecting from. However, there is a morel look-alike, which once you know better you realize you were being very optimistic. It is the Gyromitra family with one member being Gyromitra escuelenta a.k.a. Big Red in Missouri. Where the morel is light weight, hollow and has a honey comb appearance. The Gyromitra is large, heavy, the interior is fleshy not hollow and the exterior is smooth tangled folds, depending on the variety. You will encounter people who will assure you the Gyromitra is edible, I will not advise any consumption. Hydrazine, a component in jet fuel, is a constituent component of Gyromitras. Hydrazine builds up in your body and does not leave. Potentially, you can eat these for years without ill effect, then you reach a threshold where thereafter you have unpleasant chronic health issues, like kidney failure. Gyromitras are rare in the Chicago area, where I reside, but are present in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. A friend took an informal survey at a local diner inquiring who was eating the Gyromitras. Actually, she referred to them by their local name but I just can't recall what it was. The waitress advised she fed them to her husband but wouldn't touch them herself. I read in another post where it was suggested to use a mesh bag while collecting mushrooms. I prefer discretion when collecting mushrooms and mesh see-through bags don't cut it. I have a friend who uses his backpack to store the mushrooms and binoculars around his neck. The binoculars is to give an air of bird watching, to throw off the scent! If you collect your morels in sandy soil, just dropping them point down on a table will dislodge quite a bit of sand. Any water I use for cleaning is used for a fast dip because mushrooms suck up water like a sponge. The cleaning water is dumped outside to encourage morels with any spores which may be riding along. The morel construction being what it is, they dry with practically no input from me. When I cook with them fresh or dried, I prefer a very light touch as I want to taste the mushroom not the add-ons. At my mushroom club meetings, we will have a skillet, butter and a little salt to prepare and taste the pure essence of the mushrooms. If you are interested in further information, you can go to www.mushroomthejournal.com which has information and links to regional clubs. Happy hunting! Cathy2 Link: http://botit.botany.wisc.edu/toms_fungi/may2002.html Tue Apr 20 06:32:09 -0700 2004 1636364 0 Cathy2 2 1636392 Morels arer not propagated by spores. Mesh bag not necessary and tossing the water they are washed in will not help to grow more, they grow on runners under the soil. Sorry. Another tip to be sure you have a true morel is to look at the stem, it is not a seperate part of the mushroom, the cap and stem are all one. Tue Apr 20 10:44:14 -0700 2004 1636382 0 Candy 3 1636408 Candy, Spores are definitely a component in morel, or any other mushroom's, propogation. I have linked to an article on this issue. All mushrooms created a webbed network underneath the surface called mycelium. When it is time to reproduce, it fruits with one or more fungi from the same mycelium system. This is probably what you are refering to, however the visible fungi we see is both a reproductive organ as well as an eliminator of waste from the mycelium. The reproductive organ drops spores to begin the life cycle again. The Humongous Fungus discovered some years ago based on DNA tests on an Armillaria ostoyae (honey mushroom) which grows in rings. This mycelium ring just happened to be acres in diameter and it was the same fungal system throughout. Some mushrooms have mycorrhizal relationship, where the presence of both a specific tree species and a mushroom species need to be present for both to thrive. So much for sex and the fungi! Regards, Cathy2 Link: http://www.mushroompeople.com/cat2000/morel.html Tue Apr 20 13:03:09 -0700 2004 1636392 0 Cathy2 2 1636450 The area is in southwest Michigan. They grow on his family's land. I'll be sure to ask him if he knows the difference, but the morels he gave me last time sure looked and tasted exactly as the restaurant and grocery store morels I've had in the past. Thanks for the link. Tue Apr 20 20:14:09 -0700 2004 1636382 0 bryan 1 1636432 I am so envious! Having gathered them by the grocery bag as a child, I just can't bring myself to pay $39.99 a pound for them. I think the most important thing is to try to avoid washing the morels and to handle them as carefully as possible when you pick them. If possible, just brush off the dirt and try to live with what is left (as long as it isn't too gritty). Also, limit any future exposure to moisture. We would just dry ours on a bit of chicken wire. When you are looking, they love spots at the edge of the woods, particularly on half rotten logs. In Missouri, we would usually find them in the same spots you would find dogwood trees. We also only sauteed them in butter, the flavor is so wonderful that nothing else is needed. Tue Apr 20 17:08:58 -0700 2004 1636364 0 butterfly 1 1637199 If you find a lot then dehydrating them is the best way to preserve them in my opinion. You really don't need to do much with them. My wife and I have been running 2 dehydrators for the last 3 weeks. We cut them in half and put them on the trays. Done in about 8 hours. You can also dry them outside by running thread through them and hanging them in the sun. Anytime it is sunny you can put them out in some way and they will dry quickly, but if its breezy keep an eye on them cause they will blow away. Tue Jun 01 05:45:58 -0700 2004 1636364 0 vieper