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Post by kyredneck on Apr 30, 2015 8:19:49 GMT -5
My area is typically NOT prime morel hunting ground simply because the season here is generally too short, but, the El Nino weather pattern has so far produced a long cool wet season that's 'just right' for shrooms. Mushroom porn taken with my cell phone:
It just so happened that the annual Mountain Mushroom Festival was going on this weekend and it took me maybe ten minutes to sell 5 lbs at a premium price; these were in high demand.
Since then my wife and daughter have foraged about 3 lbs this week. Everybody has placed 'normal operations' on hold to take advantage of this unusual bounty.
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Post by steev on Apr 30, 2015 10:10:02 GMT -5
Lucky you!
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Post by kyredneck on Apr 30, 2015 17:07:07 GMT -5
Yea, you don't know HOW lucky, we literally stumbled upon them not expecting them at all; my daughter turned her car around to come back and check what we thought was OYSTER mushrooms growing from a log, and bam! There was a pair of morels sitting all pretty on the other side of the highway, on our property! And from there we extended our search and several cedar thickets in the area produced.
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Post by templeton on Apr 30, 2015 21:00:05 GMT -5
Morels grow here in spring, under Yellow Box (Eucalyptus meliodora) woodland - at least, that's the only place I've seen them. I've tried them on a number of occasions, but just a chewy, gritty mushroom, in my opinion.
T
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Post by steev on Apr 30, 2015 22:26:31 GMT -5
I don't know what the problem could be, T; around here, NorCal, they have a lovely, walnutty quality, when cooked; they dry very well, so sparse production is not a block to getting enough to use, eventually. Granted, I've been told by more than one "expert" mycologist that morels don't grow in the Bay Area, but they're full of shit like a Christmas turkey (stuffed), as I've found them in many places; not numerous, I admit, but one or two at a time. Best I ever found was in a sandy-floured basement in Piedmont: 9"x3".
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Post by templeton on May 1, 2015 2:39:03 GMT -5
I don't know what the problem could be, T; around here, NorCal, they have a lovely, walnutty quality, when cooked; they dry very well, so sparse production is not a block to getting enough to use, eventually. Granted, I've been told by more than one "expert" mycologist that morels don't grow in the Bay Area, but they're full of shit like a Christmas turkey (stuffed), as I've found them in many places; not numerous, I admit, but one or two at a time. Best I ever found was in a sandy-floured basement in Piedmont: 9"x3". probably lacking chefiness, Steev. Or perhaps it's a different species linkT |
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Post by kyredneck on May 1, 2015 3:41:25 GMT -5
Morels grow here in spring, under Yellow Box (Eucalyptus meliodora) woodland - at least, that's the only place I've seen them. I've tried them on a number of occasions, but just a chewy, gritty mushroom, in my opinion. T It's odd, when I sorted out five lbs to sell I kept back the aged or broken culls for ourselves to indulge, and contrary to common method/opinion left them soaking in water in the fridge for two days before finally getting around to battering and pan frying exactly as I do fish, and they were SUPERB! The flavor was akin to turkey fries! Everybody loved them.
Since then I've followed the common method of NO prolonged soaking, only rinsing and washing enough to get them clean before battering/pan frying and there was not so much special about them. Kinda reminds me of fried green tomatoes, nothing special.
I believe I'll leave them to soak for a couple days next time around. Heck with popular opinion.
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Post by kyredneck on May 1, 2015 3:53:36 GMT -5
I don't know what the problem could be, T; around here, NorCal, they have a lovely, walnutty quality, when cooked; they dry very well, so sparse production is not a block to getting enough to use, eventually. Granted, I've been told by more than one "expert" mycologist that morels don't grow in the Bay Area, but they're full of shit like a Christmas turkey (stuffed), as I've found them in many places; not numerous, I admit, but one or two at a time. Best I ever found was in a sandy-floured basement in Piedmont: 9"x3". I wrestled with whether to keep and dry these or sell them, but I had already witnessed a lb go for $75.00 earlier that morning and had just days earlier bought a new Stihl chain saw and Generac generator so the idee of replacing some of my cash prevailed. Now I'm wishing I had some dried morels to try my hand with later on. But it's still cool and wet so the season is maybe not over yet, so who knows, I may get to dry some yet. |
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Post by reed on May 1, 2015 6:02:48 GMT -5
We usually have more than one round of them per season, each time it rains more come out until it starts getting hot. Ours range from large 6" or so white ones to just little 3" dark ones. Seems like they get smaller and darker as the season progresses. Is there more than one kind, or does it depend on weather, soil or whatever?
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Post by kyredneck on May 1, 2015 7:47:31 GMT -5
Hello reed. I believe there are three variations of Morchella Esculenta, black, yellow, and white; I'm not sure if whites grow in my area. There is a high escarpment extending from Natural Bridge/Red River Gorge that ends abruptly about seven miles from where I live and the smaller black ones are quite plentiful at these higher elevations and are in season longer than the yellow ones that grow around my place. By far, the black ones are the most common that the locals bring to the Mountain Mushroom Festival in Irvine to sell. There is great sport in hunting the black ones in deciduous forest because they are in every sense "masters of camouflage" as my friend calls them. It's uncanny, you can be standing right on top of them and not see them until your eyes 'get in the right mode' as in the exact same way it takes to perceive the hidden image within a 3D stereogram. There truly is a sport to it that the locals take pride in.
The yellow ones in cedar thickets don't even come close to being the sport the black ones are in poplar and oak. |
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Post by kyredneck on May 1, 2015 12:31:50 GMT -5
"....the best places are usually slightly sloping hillsides with tulip poplar. When the blacks come up the ground cover is usually sparse, just old leaves and the occasional tulips from the trees. They are extremely hard to see unless they are big enough to stand above the leaves. Their color matches the leaves perfectly...." www.morels.com/forums/topic/black-morel-help/ |
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Post by kyredneck on May 1, 2015 16:17:59 GMT -5
Hello reed. I believe there are three variations of Morchella Esculenta, black, yellow, and white..... ...and evidently that is wrong:
"...The best known morels are the "yellow morel" or "common morel" (M. esculenta); the "white morel" (M. deliciosa); and the "black morel" (M. elata)...." en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morchella
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Post by steev on May 3, 2015 20:21:18 GMT -5
$75 per pound! I'd have sold my kid for that kind of money. Out here, even morelles are rarely more than $25 per pound.
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Post by kyredneck on May 5, 2015 5:29:19 GMT -5
That's exactly what I sold them for and folks were standing in line to buy them and a couple have called me since the festival to see if I had anymore to sell! It's incredible. One reason was the dire shortage of mushrooms at the festival due to the blacks coming on late and that's mostly what the locals bring in. Two years ago they were selling for $50.00 a lb. Check this out: "We produce Blonde / Yellow morel mushrooms. The yellow (blonde) mushrooms are considered a delicacy in throughout the world. The yellow morels are the finest tasting and most tender variety of the morel mushroom family. We ask that they not be confused with the less desirable black morels, which are produced in the Western States and Canada. Mushrooms are available during the month of May. Retail prices listed below. Orders ship via Federal Ex Express. 1-4 lbs........$36.00 per lb. 5-9 lbs........$34.00 per lb. 10+ lbs.......$32.00 per lb." www.wiebketrading.com/morel-mushrooms/I more than doubled the current retail price. I'll be keeping track of the Mountain Mushroom Festival schedule and these shroom patches every year from here on out now. |
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Post by reed on May 5, 2015 7:49:11 GMT -5
I'm gonna have to try to keep track of this festival too. It's a bit of a drive for me but well worth it if those things bring that kind of money. Heck at a price like that, I can't afford to eat these things anymore.
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