Morel Mushrooms

[homeihead]

Looking for a reliable place to buy morels this spring. Whole Foods has been hit or miss. Any suggestions?

[sandylc]

I saw them at the Wedge.

[semanticantics]

Saw them at Whole Foods on Grand last night. Giant, really nice looking mushrooms. $15 / 3.5 oz. LOL. A mere $68 / lb.

[rp1760]

I saw them for $12.99 a pound on Sunday at the Mimneapolis Farmers Market, at the end of the first row. They were huge!

[Reetsyburger]

I saw them for $39 per/lb at EastSide Co-op

[Diana_mn]

I saw some this morning at a stand on the SE corner of Nicollet and 6th St, in the downtown Minneapolis Farmer's Market this morning. But they didn't have very many.

[BigSal]

I just bought some at the Mississippi Market.

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Mississippi Market Food Co-Op
1810 Randolph Ave, St Paul, MN 55105

[KTFoley]

I checked for morels last Saturday at Mississippi Market and the ones in the produce section were from Oregon. Were you able to pick up any local ones?

[semanticantics]

CraigsList.

[Diana_mn]

Bob's Produce Ranch in Fridley usually has them. I called about them last week and they said they expected some soon. I haven't checked back yet this week.

[kamper]

I was at Bob's Produce Ranch yesterday and saw them there. I can't remember how much they were, even though I looked specifically for this board!

[Foureyes137]

This time of year you can find them at just about every farmer's market, but I know Mill City for certain...

[SmartCookie]

The Wedge tweeted a few days ago that they had some, don't know if they still do or not.

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Wedge Community Co-Op
2105 Lyndale Ave S, Minneapolis, MN 55405

[rp1760]

I was at Mill City Market a little after 10:00. They were sold out, and it was a slow market day due to the bad weather. They told me they were selling them at $48 a pound.

-Mary

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Mill City Cafe
2205 California St NE, Minneapolis, MN 55418

[Foureyes137]

This I why we get there early, it's a seller's market.

That price is quite reasonable for fresh morels. I recall them being $60+ @ coops last year.

[semanticantics]

I lol'd at $48. Try CraigsList. Morels.com has people selling too, I saw someone asking $15 / lb in Mankato.

They are free if you enjoy the outdoors.

[Foureyes137]

Yeah, I'm not buying a mushroom that has a toxic "false" version off craigslist.

At least my estate will know whom to sue if I choke on one from The Wedge.

Plus, I work in a restaurant that buys them in quantities that make buying them equivalent to about the price you note. I realize not everyone has this luxury.

[semanticantics]

A false morel actually looks nothing like a real one, especially after sliced in two. It's one of the least look-a-like look-a-like's. CL is a viable to option to someone who can ID their own.

[Foureyes137]

"May I slice all these in twain before I buy them?"

There is more than one "false morel" and this isn't really worth arguing about.

I would never advise someone to buy a consumable on craigslist, end of story.

[Enso]

My research supports semantic...'s info as well.

Of course, it's not a bad idea to keep in mind that all mushrooms are edible. Once.

[galewskj]

Yeah, there is way too much concern over the supposed "false" morel. Just google it and you will see that it does not look like a morel at all. Moreover, if you ever actually see one, cut it in half, it is not hollow like a morel, it has a completely different structure.

[Foureyes137]

Again, there are more than one. Second, who is going to let you cut apart their product before you buy it?

[semanticantics]

There are False Morels, Verpas, and Half Free Morels. False look almost nothing like real, if you know what a morel is, don't eat one that isn't. Easy enough. Verpas and Half Frees are similar, and this is probably where most people get tripped up. Solution: Don't eat them either. True morels are easy to ID, without the need to cut them. I mentioned cutting them with the idea of someone buying a decent amount of them, getting them home, and possibly stumbling on a non-morel of some kind while preparing them.

o what you like, or think what you like, but CriagsList is a viable option. Unfortunately, the season in MN looks to be over, and from most accounts, was a poor one.

[Enso]

Morels are tasty enough for a mushroom, but the price is over-rated, IMO, and due to the same kind of hype and mythology that surrounds walleye.

I'd love to find a source of maitake, though, that is as good as I could buy when I lived in Japan.

[semanticantics]

I don't know how they'll compare to the ones in Japan, but when I find some maitake in the woods, I'll post here.

Last weekend I found 1 lb. of morels (my first find), one weighed a 1/4 lb. on it's own! No trouble ID'ing them. The ones that are somewhat hard to ID are Verpas vs. Half Free Morels, neither of which I have found on my own yet.

I also find the taste overrated. They are good, but the hype and price is just due to their short season and the fact they haven't been cultivated widely yet. I think maitake (hen of the woods around these parts) are just as good.