morels on my property!

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My brother reports he just found morels on some property we own together. He is going to take some to the extension office to confirm the identification but feels pretty confident based on what he found online. What is the best way to dry them? '

 
I will, but,

how long will they keep? I'm headed out of town for several days and further, I guess there are a lot. My brother said he filled a paper bag that weighed in at 3 lbs (uncleaned) and that there are several times that still in the ground plus some just poking up. Will they grow back next year? Should some be left to go to seed or whatever mushrooms do? I'm preparing for my trip and don't think I'll have time to google for him.

 
We have them too so here is what we do....

When you pick them try to pinch or cut them off close to the ground. Pulling them up damages the fine root webbing that they pop up from. There are two ways to store them and they typically will hold about a week pretty easily.

There is no need to take them to an extension service. If they look like morels and you cut them open and they are hollow, they are safe. There is only one other mushroom that looks like them at all, the false morel. The false morel has a sort of white cottony stuff inside them.

We do about 2 to 3 rinse/soaks but don't let them soak too long - maybe 15-30 minutes, particularly on the salted water soak because that can make them go limp. You can do longer but do not soak more than several hours total or they start to get mushy.

We pick them and then rinse/soak them in water - this one is for removing the majority of the dirt, leaves, bugs. Remove from water keeping the water. Trim any dirt off the bottom of the stem and we cut them in half at this point - makes it easier to get any bugs out and just easier to cut at this point.

Save that water and pour back outside and we know for sure that we did something right because where we dumped the water back in 2010 from a different color one we got from Portland, OR has come up last year and this year. They are hard to cultivate but we have been doing this and this time we know it worked because of the color.

Second rinse/soak is in salted water to help kill any bugs. Drain and rinse. At this point you can refrigerate and I have kept them probably at least a week. Just make sure they are drained well - maybe gently spin them in a salad spinner or lay on a rag/paper towel to absorb some of the water.

We have stored them in a paper bag unwashed and they seemed to last a little longer but just remember that they do have bugs, particularly slugs and some tiny tiny little bugs (or at least most of them do at least here but the ones from Portland were not nearly as bad).

When I am ready to cook them, we like enjoying them simply and so if they have been in the fridge, I just rinse them to moisten them a little but gently shake off any excess water. I toss them in flour that has been salted lightly. Then I put them in a fine mesh strainer and toss them to shake off excess flour and cook in ghee or clarified butter until they are golden brown and starting to get crispy. Drain on paper towels, taste and add additional salt if needed. Enjoy!!!

I have also found that I can go through the flouring step and place them on a sheet pan and put in the freezer until they are frozen solid. Then I put them in heavy freezer bags with additional flour to keep them from sticking together and freeze. I pull out whatever I need and fry them up while still frozen and they are almost as good as the day you pick them.

I have dried them before and they are okay but we love them fried in butter more than any other way so that is why we freeze them. We didn't have too many this year but we have had anywhere from 15 to over 900 in a year. But most of ours are small, not the giant ones. We also have the half-free morels.

 
Okay- here is some info for you

If you are going to dry them you need to blanch them first after cleaning. If you try to just leave them at room temp you might come home to mold. Since you are leaving and must deal with these lovely morels before you go, consider freezing them. You must blanch first (or cook in butter) then freeze. Not as wonderful as drying but it will work just fine.

 
Thanks for the info.

My brother is in charge of handling things until I get home. I sent him the info provided.

 
Lucky you smileys/smile.gif. I love morels, and morel soup is one of my absolute favorite dishes smileys/smile.gif

 
If they did, I should probably be dead by now.

We usually have upwards of 300 a year and have topped out at 900+ one year. I cook them and stand over them so I would think that year should have killed me. I have been cooking them for about 18 years now and I am still here.

 
Isn't that a funny one? Her superstitions are odd, and yet I have to reassure her that

I am being careful because she worries! You would love to be a fly on the wall when we talk about food safety. I'm very scientific and she is NOT!

 
A local grocery store is buying morels for $25.00 per lb & promptly selling them 4 $45.00 per. If

those little gems are a popular treat in your area, people will come and people will pay top dollar for that delicacy. The IGA can hardly keep morels in stock because they fly off their produce shelves so fast. Last summer a guy I know stumbled across the Mother Lode out in the hills of Brown County and ended up w/ $1000.00 of extra pocket change from his "little" discovery. Personally, I would have kept and frozen them all for later feasting, but in truth, 40 pounds of morels would have required buying another freezer.

 
My brother has sold several lbs on ebay for $27/lb.

Once I get home and can help, we can get them prepped and frozen for our use.

 
Just got home from my trip.

There are 3 large bags of morels waiting in my refrigerator and my brother still has several bags at his house. Tomorrow I'm going to start cleaning, cooking, and freezing. I'm going to a take some to a Belmont party on Sat and wonder if once fried they reheat nicely. I could fry them right before I left but they would then be at room temp for service.

 
cyalexa2, this is the recipe I use now: Morel soup

2 ounces dried morels or chanterelles
1/4 cup Madeira wine
8 Tbsp. (1 stick) unsalted butter
2 cups finely chopped yellow onions
2 pounds fresh mushrooms
Salt and freshly ground black pepper , to taste
4 cups chicken stock
1 pint heavy cream (optional)

Rinse the dried mushrooms well in a sieve under cold running water and soak them in the wine for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.

Melt the butter in a large heavy pot over low heat. Add the onions and cook, covered, over low heat until they are tender and lightly colored, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes.

Trim the stems from the fresh mushrooms and save for another use. Wipe the caps with a damp cloth and slice thin. Add the caps to the soup pot, season with salt and pepper and cook over low heat, uncovered, stirring frequently, 15 minutes. Carefully lift the mushrooms from the bowl with a slotted spoon and transfer to the soup pot. Let the wine settle a moment and then pour it carefully into the soup pot, leaving the sediment behind.

Add the chicken stock and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer until the dried mushrooms are very tender, 45 minutes. Strain the soup and transfer the solids to a food processor. Add 1 cup of the liquid and purée until very smooth. Return the purée to the soup pot along with the remaining liquid and set over medium heat. Taste, correct the seasoning and thin the soup slightly with heavy cream if it seems too thick. Heat until steaming and serve immediately. Serves 6 to 8 portions

 
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