May 23, 2002

7:07 AM

Morel Sightings 2002 There's a fungus among us. Morels are one of the most highly sought-after, delectable wild mushrooms. Each spring, morel hunting goes into high gear in many parts of the country. This site has state-by-state reports. (mine is in MA) You can learn more about these spongy fungi here and here. If you do go out foraging for them, just remember...if you don't know it, throw it!
posted by martk (14 comments total)

I saw one in Gdansk a couple of weeks ago. That is, I think I saw one. It may have been a false morel!
• When in doubt, throw it out!
• If it ain't hollow, don't swallow!
• If it's wavy, don't make it gravy!
• If it's reddish, you could be dead-ish!
posted by pracowity at 7:23 AM on May 23, 2002

I forget what they're called in spanish, but I was introduced to those spongy mushrooms in Chile and in fact have a bag of dried ones on my shelf. Trouble is, I'm not sure how to cook them - they're dried and i think i'm meant to soak them in milk and make a cream sauce of some kind, but if anyone has a recipe... (I'm veggie tho' I can adapt a carnie recipe)
posted by mdn at 7:58 AM on May 23, 2002

There are a tremendous amount out now in the hills north of Vancouver. There is a guy who sells fresh and dried for great prices at the Granville Island public market. He sometimes, RARELY, has that greatest of all fungi for sale as well: HEN OF THE WOODS. Hoo haa!
posted by luriete at 8:52 AM on May 23, 2002

"There are fungus amongus."

Where did that come from? I remember a Muppet Show with John Denver where they sang .... brain fart! ... damn. Something involving a refrigerator and fungus.
posted by five fresh fish at 8:58 AM on May 23, 2002

luriete - ditto! Hens rule! Each fall, I manage to collect enough of them to freeze in small batches. If I start coming down with a cold or the like, later in the year, it's time for soup or an omelette fortified with those wonderful Grifola frondosas.
mdn: One idea for you - cover your dried morels with a small amount of warm water and let them sit for a half hour or so. You can use that liquid in your dish or discard it after the morels have softened. Try to use them in something fairly simple, so you can appreciate their wonderful taste and they won't be overwhelmed by other flavorings. Saute with a little butter and a few drops of sherry or add to rice or saute with some veggie like asparagus. mmm!
posted by martk at 9:05 AM on May 23, 2002

MDN:

To quote the great composer and mycologist John Cage :

We mostly just cook them in a frying pan with a little butter, salt and pepper, but there's nothing that doesn't taste better with lemon juice.

Just soak them in hot water for about 15 or 20 minutes beforehand.
posted by fellorwaspushed at 9:28 AM on May 23, 2002

I just want everyone to know that I live forty minutes from The Mushroom Capital of the World, a Missouri town famous for its morels.

And slightly less but still deservedly famous for its psyllocibin.
posted by annathea at 10:50 AM on May 23, 2002

All I gotta say is: if it's the first time you go foraging, make damn sure you go with an experienced mushroom hunter.
posted by darukaru at 11:13 AM on May 23, 2002

mdn: to reconstiture the morels, just soak them in very warm water for an hour, pat them with paper towels, and then you can use them in any recipe calling for fresh morels. Tons of morel recipes for vegans on google, too. There are tons more if you leave out the vegan part.


Hhmm.. I think I might going to go morel hunting this weekend. I've found some in the past and it's always a blast to ferret them out. Thanks for the reminder, martk.
posted by iconomy at 12:38 PM on May 23, 2002

That should say reconstituTe. That's what happens when you don't use spell check, boys and girls.
posted by iconomy at 12:40 PM on May 23, 2002

Ah, yes, now I remember: "Nobody knows the truffles I've seen... nobody knows or cares..."
posted by five fresh fish at 1:17 PM on May 23, 2002

Nobody knows the truffles I've seen...

that's beautiful.
thanks everyone for reconstitution advice.
posted by mdn at 1:55 PM on May 23, 2002

annathea: Where in MO? I went to school in St. Louis and remember morelling every spring in a park outside the city whose name completely escapes me now. The redbud would be in bloom and it was spring and beautiful and we'd find tons of morels. Box turtles too. It's one of the few things I miss from Missouri.
posted by TimeFactor at 7:53 PM on May 23, 2002

There were Porcini mushrooms sprouting in the woods where I grew up, which was apparently quite unusual for the area. They were huge (and delicious). I like morels until I went on a morel forage and learned how many bugs and wormy things live in them. EWWW!! Right put me off of them for a while.
posted by evanizer at 4:51 PM on May 25, 2002