How I love Morels!

[newcountry]

There is nothing in life like finding a gift you never even were expecting.

Tonight while mowing for the first time on MY Kubota, my lovely wife stopped and started waving her arms. I turned, looked, and what was my first thought? "Oh my gosh, what did she do now?" But instead she shows me two HUGE morel mushrooms just sitting there right on the mowed edge where the brush begins. We figured it was too cool today and not enough sun recently for morels. All work immediately stopped and had the five in my family working the brush. Ended up finding 12!! 50 would've been better, but I'm pleased as punch with 12.

As finishing up mowing found 4 more in my backyard! Right there in the grass, just asking me to pick them.

Can anyone guess what I'll be doing tomorrow?

 

[Egon]

Are you going to share your recipes.

When a kid on the farm I can remember picking buckets of morels.! Seems they always ended up in scrambled eggs!

 

[coobie]

There is nothing in life like finding a gift you never even were expecting.

Tonight while mowing for the first time on MY Kubota, my lovely wife stopped and started waving her arms. I turned, looked, and what was my first thought? "Oh my gosh, what did she do now?" But instead she shows me two HUGE morel mushrooms just sitting there right on the mowed edge where the brush begins. We figured it was too cool today and not enough sun recently for morels. All work immediately stopped and had the five in my family working the brush. Ended up finding 12!! 50 would've been better, but I'm pleased as punch with 12.

As finishing up mowing found 4 more in my backyard! Right there in the grass, just asking me to pick them.

Can anyone guess what I'll be doing tomorrow?

Almost morel season here in Michigan,can,t wait.coobie

 

[SCDolphin]

Post some picts.........I have never seen one in the woods

 

[Podunkadunk]

Are these the kind that grow in the middle of cow poop? Boys around here pickem all the time. They make you whacky from what I've heard.

 

[Foozle]

Post some picts.........I have never seen one in the woods

Morels grow mainly around trees -- they aren't the kind that grow in manure. Here are a few pics. The first two pics are of "black" morels, while the third has a mixture of mainly yellows, with some black and grays mixed in.

 

[newcountry]

Found a bunch more today, it was a great day eating at the MIL who can cook them up just right!

Sorry, no pics.

The best recipe (MIL's) is cutting them in half, dippin in milk and egg mix, dredging in flour and frying in butter. The best!! I've heard alot about mixing in eggs though and I'm remembered why when I had them tonight-- they would go great with eggs.

These are not the wacky schrooms. They grow more around rotten wood and tree trunks, but not always. They're hard to find - that's why it's called morel hunting. Also they're not available commercially since no one can figure how to breed them in captivity

 

[wjoerob]

Those morels in the third picture look more like I would expect to find at this time of year. The dark tops on the others would make me a little suspicious. And for those not familiar with mushrooms, please don't eat any mushroom if you are not SURE what variety it is! Always soak them overnight in water with a little salt, to let the little critters get out.

 

[Egon]

There is what is called a "False Morel" which resembles the Morels but is not good for your constitution.

 

[Foozle]

Those morels in the third picture look more like I would expect to find at this time of year. The dark tops on the others would make me a little suspicious. And for those not familiar with mushrooms, please don't eat any mushroom if you are not SURE what variety it is! Always soak them overnight in water with a little salt, to let the little critters get out.

The black morels are less common in Indiana, which is why you may not have run across them. They are perfectly edible, however. See link.

Classic Black Morels (MushroomExpert.Com)

Regarding false morels, they more closely resemble the yellow morels but are easily distinguishable in that real morels have hollow caps and false morels do not have hollow caps. See link.

The Great Morel - False Morels

Finally, I agree with wjoerob, unless you are 99.999% sure you are eating an edible mushroom, don't.

Dave

 

[N80]

Here is a recent post about my first moral experience. There are also several pictures for those who are curious:

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/rural-living/119000-look-what-i-found-dirt.html

Since then, we found another big patch. Got at least 15 more. This time we tried frying them. And that was the best way we've eaten them so far. First I cut them into rings then rinsed them off in cold water. Dry them well on a paper towel. My wife prepares a batter if flour with salt and Thyme. She first dips them into the flour, then into some egg (farm fresh, of course) then back into the flour again. Then fry till golden brown in vegetable oil. They were just fantastic! Getting the amount of salt right is key. I also sprinkled some freshly grated parmegian cheese on some of them right out of the oil. Good stuff.

It is really nice to find something so good right there on your property that you did nothing to cultivate. Like a little gift from God.

 

[jinman]

Are these the kind that grow in the middle of cow poop? Boys around here pickem all the time. They make you whacky from what I've heard.

The mushrooms you are speaking of are psilocybin mushrooms. I used to have a hippie friend that called them "Silly Simon" because that's what their name sounds like. I never tried them, but their name is fun to spell.

Psychedelic Mushrooms

 

[MossRoad]

Are these the kind that grow in the middle of cow poop?

No. Those are moooshrooms.

 

[jk96]

Anyone know how the black morals taste compared to the greys and yellows? Are they similar? I passed up a ton of black morals a few days ago here in NW Missouri. I wasn't sure they were true morals since I have always found greys and yellows but have never seen black morals on our property before.

 

[Egon]

I believe the Blacks are considered the best?

 

[SCDolphin]

I have had the misfortune of taking care of a few patients that got their mushrooms wrong and sadly no longer with us.

 

[N80]

I'd been coached on the safety of morels, even to the untrained eye. But we were still a little nervous when eating them. If you do a bit of in depth research you will find that a number of mushrooms that are considered perfectly safe can still cause some stomach upset in some people.

It is also interesting that some serious mushroomer (shroomis, fun-guys, whatever) will pick and eat false morels on purpose. Apparently the toxin is a protein and breaks down when well cooked. I've read that on occasion they can still end up in your place of business.

I have also read not to eat morels uncooked. So apprently many mushrooms that are not considered toxic can have some degree of 'toxicity.'

 

[Ray2310]

My wife and I have had a good Morel season so far. However there were snow flakes flying today.

Picked these last Thursday.

And these on Sunday.

 

[Foozle]

The black morels have a stronger, more distinct taste (at least to me) but generally similar to the yellows. Black morels usually come out earlier in the season, while the yellows towards the end of the season.

And yes, many people have reactions to wild mushrooms, even morels, especially if eaten in large quantities or with alcohol. And yes, morels need to be cooked or they will definitely cause a reaction. Usually the reaction is an upset stomach and other digestive problems. I always advise extreme caution and if you do try a wild mushroom that is deemed "safe" by an expert, you should only eat a small portion at first to see if you have a bad reaction.

 

[KYDAVE]

Had morels once. They were great! I saw them at a store in SW Ohio last weekend, $17-$24 for a pint. I had to pass on them. These looked hand picked, soaked and very fresh.
This particular store caters to this kind of stuff. We quit shopping at the big stores, 'cause the quality and variety of veggies at this store was so much better.