Here in my little part of the world morel season is just about to start. So how about y'all anybody hunt them tips and recipes?
I usually don't see them until I step on them! When I was a kid we used to find them by the grocery sacks full! Now I just seem to find a few for a mess or two. Gary
It'll be a while here since it's friggin snowing right now!!! As for recipes....we do one of two ways...dip in milk and then flour/salt/pepper....or we do an egg/milk dredge then cracker crumbs....of course sautee' or pan fry in cast iron using butter....or margarine...I kinda prefer butter.
A few years back I found a handful of the smaller early greys first week of April,that was way early.But ''normally'' the season don't start around here until the 30th or thereabouts.Usually see the greys for a few days before the bigger yellows appear,much more of them once season is along.If temps & conditions are right,the season can sometimes last until the 3rd week of May,that's not real common however.In 2011 I didn't see any until 2nd week of May,then 2 weeks later it was done. Back in 2006 through 2010 I found so many I filled several 3lb plastic peanut butter jars with ones I dehydrated.Great to crumble a few into sauces,stews & soups on a cold winter day's meal.Still like to have a few fresh ones either fried in a cornmeal batter or just simply sautéed in a little butter.Still have quite a few dried ones left,they keep for years in airtight container,especially nice since 2012 only found a small amount & none in 2013 since the weather wasn't cooperating at all.VERY expensive to buy them dried in those little bags,I wouldn't do that even if I could afford it....Hope this year is better,we've had the moisture what with the heavy snow last winter & few rains in past few weeks.Just need the warm sunny days now.
Those look like sea sponge more than anything edible. Not sure I'd feed that to the chickens even! (ps... mushrooms....yuk!)
Enjoying the responses everyone. We have been having some unusually hot weather and some are popping up but its really early. One spot i have they start out by the creek and go up the ridge when I find blacks at the top greys are starting at the bottom then yellows it's cool seeing them change. Sounds like we all cook them the same ways that's cool. I need to get some of my pics off my old phone. Dehydration is the best way I've found to keep them over long periods. I also hunt chicken of the woods, dryad saddle, and shaggy mane all very good.
Blacks just starting around here. I can't wait for the big yellows. As far as I'm concerned, cut in half long ways, soak in salt water, rinse, dry, dip in flour, shake off excess, pan fry in butter. I've had good luck cleaning and freezing the extras, but mainly just eat them all fresh.
I went out Saturday and didn't find a damm thing. Usually the grays are done by now and I find yellows the first week of turkey season (this week). I'm not sure when they'll come up...the may apples aren't even up yet. I used to pan fry them but last year we deep fried them and I'm not sure I can go back to pan frying. Its so easy and they get so crispy....about 2 minutes in the oil is all it takes to get them perfect.
Our tip for finding mushrooms, get there before they get poached. Love to eat them, just have trouble getting to them.
Anybody have a good source of identifying the good ones from the bad? I really like shrooms and want to try and find some of these. Just don't want to kill myself over identification mistakes.
The great morel dot com is a good site and I have a book called mushrooms demystified that is really good. Nothing beats going with an experienced hunter.