Found mass quantities of morel mushrooms yesterday.

[PufPuf23]

Last edited Wed Apr 6, 2016, 01:02 PM - Edit history (1)

What shall I do with them? New ideas welcome.

So far scheduled:

(1) Butter and garlic add eggs and scramble.
(2) Chicken and morel teriyaki stir fry with brown rice.
(3) Butter and garlic with sirloin steak.
(4) ???

I make great mushroom soup in the Fall with tanoak (matsutake) mushrooms and greatly prefer over made with morels so soup is out unless something truly different.

[MuseRider]

1. How lucky are you?

Ours have not started yet but I have been looking. We just saute ours in butter. Look for morel hunting sites, there is a lot of info to be found from how they got there to how to cook or store them. I have dried them before, not as good as fresh but better than nothing. ENJOY!

[PufPuf23]

2. Mushroom wealthy today.

I sauté mushrooms in butter and garlic (or shallots if available) almost by reflex.

The morels are easy to find this time of year; one looks at the type of forest and where there has been a recent burn and the morels grow along the edge of last year's fire and the unburned duff. I have found them on burn piles in my yard.

I have dried them in the past for backpacking but too old and decrepit and lazy plus no longer have a food drier.

Thought would be fun to troll DU for recipes.

My Mom (RIP 1983) and grandmother used to pickle morels (and other mushrooms, mostly matusake) in pint jars, I actually did not like them that much. Pretty sure I have their recipe tucked away.

[Baobab]

16. Ask Russians

The best mushroom soups I have ever had were cooked by Russians - they are real artists with fungi.

For cooking myself I would suggest omelettes but make sure to simmer the mushrooms at low heat for a long while to get their flavor out, and chop them up very small.

I used to live somewhere where there were a lot of mushrooms and used to know a lot more than I do now. Use it or lose it.

[benld74]

3. My dad would take me out mushrooming when I was younger

Never learned WHICH 'rooms to choose. Good luck with your menu!

[PufPuf23]

4. I also grew up mushrooming with my family, mostly mother.

Know about 10-12 species that can be eaten but stick to tanoak / matsutake (favorite) in Fall and morel in Spring.

Commercial pickers came to the National Forests about 25 years ago for the matsutake so now one needs to get a US Forest Service permit for personal use (free) or commercial use. Some favored traditional areas are closed and posted to prevent commercial picking and the free use matsutake are required to be defaced so cannot be sold commercially.

[KamaAina]

5. Try the Michigan group

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=forum&id=1058

Michigan, as you may know, is Morel Central. I didn't know we even had them in California!

[PufPuf23]

6. I "Advanced Searched" the Michigan Group and did not find a morel post.

There are a number of different species that are generalized as morels, they are ubiquitous in the USA.

One can hunt wild mushrooms in the wild lands of the San Francisco Bay area. Morels can be found in the Spring where there was wildfire the previous year.

More visibility to ask here in The Lounge and I hope to see some spiffy personal recipes.

I had no idea that Michigan is Morel Central.

[KamaAina]

7. But if you cross-post there, you might well find a fellow morel lover

Morels can be found in the Spring where there was wildfire the previous year.

So Lake County is carpeted with them?!

[PufPuf23]

8. This is likely a great Spring to gather morels in Lake county.

Go to mixed California Black Oak and conifer stands that burned at low intensity under say 1500 foot or better 1000 foot elevation on well developed soils.

Where a low intensity fire passed through there will be burned areas and areas where the duff was left unburned. Survey the areas where the fire burned into the duff and stopped and one has a good chance of finding morels. Lots of places to look.

Not all morels (more than one species) have the fire association but that is my experience.

BTW I am in interior Humboldt but most of my education is in SF Bay Area, also Cal grad. I have picked morels in Oakland Hills and by Santa Cruz long ago.

[blogslut]

9. Can you dry them?

If you can then you would have tasty morels for when they're out of season.

NOTE: I didn't see where you wrote that you no longer possessed a dryer.

Found a link to instructions on how to oven dry them:

http://ediblemadison.com/articles/view/diy-preserving-morels

[PufPuf23]

11. I have dried them (long ago) but no longer have a food drier.

Any ideas on new ways to cook them?

[blogslut]

12. Pretty much any dish is tasty with mushrooms added in.

Pasta dishes especially.

[PufPuf23]

14. Oh yeah.

I forgot about pasta. Pasta tends to irritate my insides.

What is ironic is that I only grocery shop once or so a month as it is a 30 mile drive to the Reservation store or a 90 mile drive to Humboldt Bay and yesterday was my shop day and I bought a sack of regular white mushrooms.

The temperature has gone from 60 F and rainy on Sunday to 80 F yesterday and the forecast was for 92 F today - way hot days seasonally - and back to in the 60 F range for the weekend.

So as I unpacked my groceries, the thought crossed my mind of what a fine day for morels. I drove less than 5 minutes and found and picked 50 or so prime morels in less than 10 minutes.

[blogslut]

15. So jealous of fresh free morels.

We don't get nothing like that here on the Texas desert.

I've started eating whole wheat pasta because it's supposed to be better because of more fiber. I'm not fond of the texture, it's really hard to get it anywhere near al dente. I broke down and got regular pasta and I can certainly tell the difference digestion-wise. Much harder on my tummy.

[lagomorph777]

10. You lucky bastard!

Don't drown that flavor! Just saute them in butter and enjoy!

I spent a fortune on morels last season. I think I need to do that again...

[PufPuf23]

13. Saute in butter is default recipe.

I have thought maybe a French-style crepe filled with saute morels but would have to figure out how to make a crepe.

I have an old dusty crepe appliance that hasn't been used for 35 or so years (wedding present).

What do you pay for morels out of curiosity?

Buyers come in the Fall for the Matsutakes and pay generously based upon seven grades (buttons with unbroken veils on the gills have sold for over $100 per lb from pickers), the high grades are flown to Japan.

I have never had any interest in commercial and am actually bugged by the local practice. One reason why the US Forest Service came to regulate was that commercial pickers would come and figure out where locals were picking and attack the slopes with rakes looking for the matsutakes.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matsutake

Morels are a Spring treat but I would rather eat the Matsutakes (that are known locally as tanoak mushrooms).

[lagomorph777]

33. I bought them at two different places

At a farmer's market, I think they were around $40/lb, maybe twice that at a grocery store.

I'm pretty good at crepes - in my family they're "Swedish pancakes." - no fancy equipment is needed, just eggs, milk, flour, baking powder (optional), and a frying pan. The proportions are pretty important though.

Couldn't somebody figure out how to cultivate the little gems?

[lastlib]

17. I'll PM you my shipping address......!

(Hope springs eternal!)

[PufPuf23]

18. All I wanted was some clever recipes.

Never expected "Send them to me please"

[Generic Brad]

19. Make a necklace with them. Use as a door stop. Hurl them at intruders.

You did say new ideas were welcome.

[PufPuf23]

20. The necklace idea is clever. I have seen people string wild mushrooms and

hang for drying.

[whistler162]

21. You are sure they aren't immorel

mushrooms!

[PufPuf23]

23. Immorel and having fun doing it!!

The deer and other animals go nuts over them, the big competition to the wild mushroom picker.

I am too old and crotchety to have fun being immoral anymore alas.

[Enrique]

22. smoothies

i just got a blender.

[PufPuf23]

24. That never occurred to me.

Maybe I should invent a recipe for each unused appliance?

I only use toaster, microwave, crockpot, and rice cooker.

Belgium or regular waffle cooked morels?

Today's brunch:

Pan#1
2 eggs
5 large morels
butter

Pan#2
sirloin steak
garlic
olive oil

I just started barbeque and will grill the morels and make mushroom cheese burgers.

The conditions for their growth were such these are some of the largest morels I have ever seen and I have been picking them for over 50 years.

[chknltl]

25. A freind lightly smoked a few pounds of Chantrells....

....in his smoker last fall. I dunno if he has any left but those smoked/frozen shrooms popped up in dishes like spaghetti for weeks after freezing.

[PufPuf23]

26. Never occurred to me to smoke mushrooms.

I have picked Chanterelles but usually don't because I am on the hunt for the matsutakes (mentioned above) that I prefer.

The Chanterelles need to be used quickly as they do not stay fresh as long as morel or matsutake after picking and weather faster in situ.

I have frozen the matsutake as well. Brush fresh mushrooms tenderly (never wash in water). Slice into several thick slices. Dip in boiling water. Freeze.

Here is my own matsutake recipe (mostly leaned to cook watching Mom and grandmother years ago):

Slice 1/2 to 3/4 inch centers out of matsutake mushrooms.

Lightly sauté in butter and garlic.

Put sauté mushroom between sour dough bread and cheddar and grill in garlic butter from matsutake.

This would work with other mushrooms but one can literally cut firm "steaks" out of the matsutake.

Yummmm I ate two morel cheese burgers (really one too many) and have an extra in frig.

[suffragette]

27. So jealous of you. Morels are incredibly delicious.

Went looking for a recipe for the kind of cream sauce with morels I had in Europe and found this site.

It has a few recipes there, with chicken and morel, salmon and morels, even an asparagus and morel salad.

Yum!

http://chezbonnefemme.com/french-recipe-for-morels-chicken-with-morels/

[PufPuf23]

28. Aha! Recipes. I even have chicken and asparagus and salmon (albeit frozen) on hand.

Note that the chicken and salmon recipes call for shallots (and not garlic).

I learned to cook watching mostly my Mom and she used shallots (and not garlic) when available.

I make this mushroom soup that my Mom made and other people especially those well-versed in wild mushrooms really like it.

I prefer tanoak (matsutake) mushrooms for the soup (and in general) but have also used Chanterelles but never morels.

Very simple and fast tanoak mushroom soup.

Clean with brush 3 or 4 tanoak mushrooms and slice thin.

Peel and chop a handful of shallots or 4 to 6 cloves garlic (don't use onions)

Saute gently while stirring mushrooms and shallots until soft.

Add half and half and Christian Brothers Crème Sherry on a two to one ratio.

Bring gently to a boil while stirring several times.

Can top with sprinkle of fine chopped chives and/or paprika; for presentation, not flavor.

[suffragette]

29. Shallots are wonderful

Your recipe for mushroom soup sounds similar to how I make it, though I usually use chanterelles. I don't think I've had tanoak mushrooms before.
Sherry makes the soup taste so good. I always finish my onion soup with sherry and butter.

Sounds like you have the makings of an excellent feast there!

[PufPuf23]

30. If you can buy tanoak mushrooms in the market, they are called matsutake.

In the USA to my knowledge, they grow in northwest California, southwest Oregon, and central Oregon. I am not sure if they are found north of the Rogue River. They are expensive when sold commercially and the best grades bring high prices sold to Japan.

I prefer by far the tanoak mushrooms. They were part of my family culture as a child.

Yes. Shallots are a magic food ingredient, more subtle than garlic and no way like onion.

[suffragette]

32. I'll be on the look out now, if I can find some that aren't too expensive

The shallots got me thinking about leeks, which are also yummy.

Found this which includes both:

http://www.ironstef.com/2011/04/caramelized-leeks-morel-tart.html

Add a salad and a glass of wine and springtime is in the air!

[Scuba]

31. Rinse and freeze, sautee' at Christmas!

[Nac Mac Feegle]

34. Inappropriate, but strangely fitting here

In a weird sort of way....