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By Jeffy Geer of www.commonfolkselfreliance.com
As the snow recedes in Northern Michigan, a hunter of a
different sort takes to the forest. Armed only with an onion sack, a small
knife, and possibly a walking stick, this hunter traverses the rolling hardwoods
of Michigan’s interior with eyes cast downward in search of one of the jewels
of the wild edible Kingdom; the ever camouflaged Morel mushroom.
Spring after Spring, the shoulders of M115, M55, and various
other roads passing through state and federal forest lands are packed with
cars, vans, and trucks bearing license plates from a plethora of states. The
owners of said vehicles all have one goal; to return to their respective homes
laden with these delicate morsels of the Northern woods. Many will succeed, and
others… Not so much.
As the weather warms in early Spring, the sun shines down
through the deciduous forests, reaching patches of loam and rotted leaf matter
that normally aren’t reached, due to the full canopy of leaves overhead in the
late Spring to middle Autumn. The moisture left from the snow fall, coupled
with the vegetation breakdown, and the warmth, creates a wonderful atmosphere
for fungal propagation. The exact soil and nutrient levels for growing Morels
has been researched heavily for years, and only recently has there been any
progress in recreating these conditions for controlled reproduction. These
methods are still under scrutiny.
While there are many different subspecies of Morel, they are
actually broken down by the laypersons by two categories: Whites/Yellows
(Morchella Esculenta) and Blacks (Morchella Elata). Whites/Yellows (They are
the same thing) tend to grow a little larger, and hang around a little longer
in the season. My experiences leave me with the impression that Black Morels
have a better flavor, and are the most widely sought after.
It is widely accepted that Morel habitat is mostly composed
of deciduous forests, containing trees such as Oaks, Poplars, Ash, Maples, and
Sycamores. Rarely are they found in conifer stands, however, it has happened.
I have also been known to find them under orchard trees. And every so often,
someone finds a few, totally on accident, under yard trees in rural towns.
Leeks, another wonderful woodland resource, have been known to grow in the same
conditions as Morels, and usually denote a good search location.
Much like deer hunters, many avid mushroomers promote a
conservative attitude toward mushroom gathering. Here are a few rules of
etiquette that apply to this form of gathering in order to promote the
reproduction of this resource: 1. Never completely strip any area of the
resource. Always leave a few to reproduce. 2. Carry a net type onion sack to
gather Morels. These are a fungus, the net type sack allows the spoors to fall
through and spread. 3. Use a small knife to remove the fungus from the soil,
leaving part of the stem in the earth. If a knife isn’t handy, pinch the soft
stem off at the bottom with your fingers to leave the bottom of the stem to
propagate. 4. Do not trespass or hunt mushrooms on private property without
permission of the land owner. 5. Treat this form of gathering as you would any
hunting, and remember that hunter’s orange in the forest will help people
locate you,
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I find it worth noting that whenever you are learning to
utilize a new natural resource, especially when that resource is a wild edible
that you have no previous experience with, that you do the research required to
make safe decisions. NEVER take anyone’s word, even mine, for granted. There
are many online sources for information on Morel mushrooms for you to exploit
before gathering. And of course, there are always field guides, such as Petersons’s,
for those that prefer hand held literature.
Whether your favorite Spring activities involve gobblers or
gills, there is always time on the trail to look for a few Morels to add to
your supper. I leave you with my favorite fried Morel recipe below. Safe
journeys! ~Jeff~
Jeff Geer’s Fried Morels in cracker meal:
Ingredients:
1lb Morel Mushrooms ¾ cup milk
½ cup oil (for pan frying) 1 cup saltine crackers (crushed
fine)
2 eggs 1 tsp
garlic powder
Salt and pepper to taste
Cooking Instructions:
Wash and half Morels, some actually brine them in lightly
salted water overnight.
In separate bowls, combine dry ingredients and wet.
Heat oil on medium heat, do not let oil smoke
Dip Morels in egg and milk mixture, then roll in cracker
meal mix and gently place in oil.
Fry Morels until golden brown on bottom, then flip. Remove
when Morels are evenly bro
Safe journeys
THANK YOU jEFFY FOR SHARING YOUR INFORMATION & RECIPE .I WILL TRY IT THIS SEASON. HAPPY HUNTING.
ReplyDeleteGreat article, and wonderful photographs! Can't wait for the morels to pop...
ReplyDelete