The Morel Mushroom Hunt
When I was a child, my mother and father would take our family to morel mushroom hunt in the woods of southwestern Indiana. I can't remember a spring that we didn't have these tasty morsels. The morels usually come up in mid-April and for a few precious weeks, are found in the woods. My grandmother took us to the woods in the river bottoms and I believe we found more there than any other place I've been. She knew where to find them and always found an abundance.
My grandmother passed away many years ago so we don't go back there to mushroom hunt anymore. We have lived in Kentucky for thirty-seven years, but we still go across the river to a park in Indiana to look for the morel mushrooms. They are supposed to be found here in Kentucky, but it seems the people around here don't have the knowledge or desire to find them. We know where to go in Indiana, about forty-five minutes away, and so that is where we head.
The morels have a sponge-like look to them, which you can see in my pictures. When we pick them, we collect and carry them in net bags, so the spores can drop as we walk through the woods. Hopefully, we are spreading the opportunity for more mushrooms to sprout up throughout the woods.
We consider the morels a treat to be cherished each spring and are always excited when April rolls around. Although I have heard that chefs use the morels in sauces, we still eat them fried. They are really a rich mushroom and we usually eat them on bread as a sandwich.
When we get the mushrooms home, we put them in cold water and store in the refrigerator overnight or for a day or two. Before we fry them, we cut them in half and cut off the end of the stem if there is dirt on it. Then they are soaked in cold salt water to remove any bugs or remaining dirt.
We found that by storing them in salt water in the fridge, it seemed to cause the mushrooms to be more mushy, so we store them in water only. Shortly before we are ready to prepare them, we drain the water and pour it in the backyard by the woods in hopes that some of the mushroom spores will take root here!
As you can see in the picture, the mushrooms can be white, yellow, gray, brown or black. Although they are different colors, they all have the same sponge-like look to them. The long-stemmed mushrooms have a smaller cap.
Then the mushrooms are covered with cold water again. This time salt is added to remove any bugs or remaining dirt. They are allowed to soak in the salt water for awhile, rinsed and then laid on paper towels to drain off some of the water.
Dredge the mushroom halves in flour and season with salt and pepper. Fry in vegetable oil and a little butter until golden brown. Place on paper towels to absorb the extra oil. They are delicious alone, but so rich! We have always enjoyed them on bread. There are never any leftovers.
We have often talked about drying them with the food dehydrator Dave uses to make jerky, but it seems there have never been any left for that! Maybe this will be the year. The morel mushroom hunt will go on for a few more weeks!
