Rick Neilson
“The morels are out!”
That is a piece of news many district residents receive with much excitement.
Morel-hunting is a spring tradition for many. And for good reason; not only do they mark the beginning of the mushrooming season, they also are among the most delicious of our wild mushrooms!
Reports of the morel crop have been disappointing so far this spring, with many people finding only one or two per outing in the past few days.
With the cooler-than-normal weather, it is very likely we are just seeing the beginning of the harvest.
Morels need shady ground and grow in a wide variety of forest types, with excellent picking to be found in mixed woods, birch ridges, and in highland cedar groves.
They show their best growth following a forest fire. In fact, some people inoculate their bonfire sites to cultivate this tasty mushroom.
The black morel is the most common, but we also find the yellow morel, which does not grow as abundantly but appears a couple of weeks earlier.
It favours ash swales.
Some people are very secretive about their mushroom areas, supposing that others will come and rob their favourite patch. The reality is that once one knows the habitat, they can go off and find their own “secret patch.”
Morels tend to grow near where they grew the previous year. Looking for a patch, for the most part, entails walking about in the bush.
By examining closely any morels that they find, the novice will establish a search pattern and soon will find it easier and easier to spot these somewhat inconspicuous fungi.
Where you find one morel, you often will find more so it is a good idea to circle back towards the place of your original discovery. Morels are most easily spotted from a low position so it is a good rule to stoop, but not pick, until you spot another.
When picking mushrooms, it is always a good idea to carry them in a basket. That way, as you walk about the bush, you are doing nature’s work—distributing spores far and wide.
Black morels have a very distinctive conical shape, dark-grey to black longitudinal and radial ribs, and long yellow brown pits, and are attached to a whitish stalk.
They are hollow and grow up to 15 cm (six inches) in height.
The black morel is described as choice in the Audubon Field Guide to North American Mushrooms, but that designation comes with a caution: they may cause stomach upset, especially if taken with alcoholic beverages.
Morels should never be eaten raw and should not be cooked in a confined area as they contain a toxin which is evaporated during the cooking process.
As a precaution, anyone eating a new type of mushroom for the first time should limit the quantity.
Fresh morels are tasty fried in butter and served on toast or as a side dish. Some shake them in a paper bag with salt, pepper, and flour before frying.
They can be refrigerated for a few days if placed in a paper bag on top of and covered by a damp paper towel.
To prepare for freezing, wash, cut them in half, and remove any damaged or spoiled areas before placing them in boiling water for 30-60 seconds; then plunge them into cold water.
Freeze the morels on a cookie sheet, then place them in an airtight bag.
They will keep for six or eight months.
Morels also dry well in a food dehydrator. Once dry, they can be placed in an airtight container and stored in a dry, cool, dark place or bagged up and put in the freezer.
The deadly false morel, sometimes called the brain mushroom, is saddle-shaped with a wrinkled and folded surface like a brain and the interior is chambered.
True morels, on the other hand, have honeycombed caps and are hollow, not chambered.
We are fortunate in Northwestern Ontario to have a large amount of Crown land where it is possible to hunt for mushrooms.
It is best when first learning about a particular type of mushroom to go with someone who is knowledgeable.
