Morel Mushrooms |
| Find on this page - "I Love 'Em" Season Conditions When to pick How To Pick Where Morels Grow My Secret Spot Climate & Conditions Preserving & Storing Cooking & Safety Favorite Morel Book Paper, Plastic or Mesh? Why I hunt |
... I Love 'em!
Before we go any further, let me set the record straight. I am NOT an expert! Hey it's just me. Your buddy Frank. I know the basics and am still learning about the morel. As far as I am concerned there are two basic types of morels. Black and Not Black (Thank you Bob and Ken). Black morels range from dark black to very light brown or tan. The Not Blacks include white, yellow, gray morels as well as the so called Bigfoots. Yes, there are many variation and different names for morels, but for the novice, Black and White will do. Keeping it simple is the idea. I know almost nothing about other kinds of mushrooms yet, but I am learning. As I learn, I'll add to these pages. So don't e-mail me with technical jargon or questions on them, because I won't know the big words or the answers. LOL I have links to other mycology pages for that stuff! I'll try to talk in our common language. You know Hunter speak. I've recently become interested (or hooked), on finding and identifying many more mushrooms, other than just morels. Believe it or not, my best source for information and help was my own website. Specifically, the message board area. I now hunt various mushrooms, spring, summer and fall. Right up to when the snow flies If you would like to learn about some of the other mushrooms to hunt in summer and fall, join the message board. You'll find very knowlegable people who are willing to teach and share. |
Morel Season ConditionsCaution! Year
2006 Season
The
Black morel season was almost nonexistent in 2002 due to the extremely
cold spring. The white/yellow morel season did much better in some
areas, and saved the season from total disaster. This year was not
the norm. Folks were finding them where they have never seen them
before, and not finding them in the usual places. Weird weather
this spring. But now we are headed toward this next season! Check the report
archives to see how it went in previous years. Year
2000 Recap Year
1999 Recap |
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When to pick Black
morel mushrooms in northern Michigan, usually starts slowly during the
last week of April. The best black morel hunting is the the
first 2 weeks in May and Mothers Day is usually a big weekend. So
come on up and bring Mom! . . . Or at least
tell her where you're going. The
blacks start slowing down to almost nothing by the third week of May.
The white or yellow morels start coming on around the second week of May
and last into early June. How To Pick a Morel Try
to never"pull" a morel from the ground! You'll stand a chance
of destroying the mycelium this way
and you'll only get about 1/4 inch
more of the stem anyway. Always "CUT" it off with a small
knife or shears (or pinch)! Pinching works well with black morels.
(Pinch, cock the plant a bit, then pinch again. Works like a
charm with the early black morels.) Mesh, Paper or Plastic Bags? OK.
Here is where I get into trouble no matter where I stand, but I'll give
my opinion anyway. Why not? I sure get enough e-mail about this
subject. LOL Where Do Morels Grow? - How To Find Them Explaining That's
why we call it "Hunting". I know you must be a little exasperated by now in your quest to find information on these little buggers. When I first started searching the Internet a few years ago for information it seemed like nobody wanted to give the "real" information out on how to find them. Now it seems there are a ton of mushroom sites on the web. So I understand how you feel. It drove me crazy too for awhile. I've only recently begun to find whites (yellow) (other than the occasional ones). I looked where people said to look, . . . but for me they are just weren't there. Then I started learning to "identify the different trees". Take it from me, this is all important when scouting a new area to hunt. Learn your trees. It's the closest thing to a guarantee you'll ever get, and it sure increases your chances of finding morels, or any other mushrooms. [ See: The White Morel Hunt ] The truth is friend, none of us truly understand the morel completely. Even some mycology experts are arguing whether they are a fungi or a yeast. Go figure - Arguing, when they could be hunting and eating them! :)
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Caution! Small kids and elderly people are the most likely to have a reaction. To test your reaction, you should cook 2 or 3 and eat only a few bites of a mushroom. Wait two hours and try a few more bites. If still no reaction, try tomorrow with maybe 5 or 6 morels. Still no reaction......? Go ahead and enjoy. :)
NOTE: My
sister-in-law,Annette, pointed out; "If you eat a sizable quantity of
any wild mushrooms and have any dizziness, cramping
or upset stomach, you should have someone drive you to the hospital
and ask for a stomach pump in your size." Good advice Annette.
It really is best to hunt with a person that knows about wild mushrooms
and how to identify them in the field. My Favorite Recipes:Recipe #1 - Sautéed in a pan of steak drippings and butter on medium high heat. Add the spices or herbs you like, but don't salt the mushrooms until they are ready to come out of the pan. Salting while cooking will make them tough by removing moisture from them. Cook about 3 or 4 minutes on each side, or 6 to 8 minutes if they are whole, stirring often. Recipe #2 - Just Sauté them as above, without the drippings, in just butter or flavored olive oil, garlic & oregano. Salt and pepper at end of cooking. Recipe #3 - Sauté about 30 of them in butter with oregano, minced-garlic, chopped-wild leeks/onions and chopped green peppers. Add pepper and salt at the end of cooking. Remove them from pan. Start a 3 egg omelet and stir in the mushrooms just as the eggs begin to congeal. Finish cooking your omelet and enjoy with homemade toast. Mmmmm! The black morel is my favorite fungi to eat. I don't use batter or dredge in any dry flour mixture. They get too crispy that way for my taste. Morels are as popular here as Truffles in other countries. Whites just don't have the same woodsy flavor, tho' they DO stand up better in cooking. (Maybe I'll change my mind when I start finding more whites. Eh?) Getting hungry? See links for more recipes. |
My Favorite Morel Book
Secret
Spot
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