Sunday, April 10, 2005

about morel mushrooms

Some of you wondered if I'm in danger of getting a poison mushroom while collecting morels:  The answer is no; I've never seen anything that resembles a morel mushroom, which is why I don't gather any other variety.  There is something called a "false morel", but it really doesn't look much like the real thing.  Click HERE for pictures and information.

A lady at work found a gallon and a half of morels last week; she sells all she can get for $35 a gallon.

Toonguy said he heard you shouldn't wash mushrooms:  that is true with the ones in the store, but morels have those little crevices, and are hollow inside.  You must soak them in salt water to get rid of the tiny snails, spiders, and so forth.

Morels are NOT to be eaten raw in salads.  If I only find a couple, I saute them and put them in scrambled eggs.

Yesterday I walked around the place for almost two hours, looking for the elusive morels:  All I got out of it was a set of very painful knees, and one tick (so far).  I found a spot where my neighbor had made a haul. 

I never feel my time in the woods is wasted, though.  The little wildflowers are blooming in profusion, and now the redbuds are starting to show off, as shown in this picture I took as I headed back toward the house.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Ticks....ewww! They are the one little critter that drove me out of the woods once and for all.

Anonymous said...

Mo, That was a very interesting article on mushrooms. I think my fugus eating days are over, however.   Anne

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the link - it was very informative.  One day I'd like to try one of those morels.  Blessings, Penny