jsc@nbires.UUCP (06/16/83)
most of us mycologists know of a good source for morels, but have you ever
met a mushroom hunter who would divulge such a source? (hint: 40+ minutes
west of Boulder, south of North Arapahoe Peak, north of Corona Pass).
One of the mycologists from Denver, who specializes in the rearing of
mushrooms from spores, has been able to grow boletus, oysters, and a few
others, but has NEVER been successful with either chanterelles or morels.
He claims it can't be done...
s.carnes {ucbvax|allegra}!nbires!jscjeff@rtech.ARPA (Jeff Lichtman) (05/08/85)
The Monterey Market, a produce store in Berkeley, sometimes carries
morels, a type of fancy mushroom. I had heard wonderful things about them,
but the price had always kept me from trying them. They cost over $10 per lb.!
A few days ago I decided that I should try them, just for the
experience. I got a small amount (just a couple of ounces), and brought them
home.
Morels don't look like other mushrooms. They are fluted on the
*outside*, and the have pits or holes along their length. They have hollow
stems. Their odor is strong and musty. I noticed when slicing them that they
are a little leathery.
I didn't want to mask their flavor, so I simply sauteed them in butter.
They didn't shrivel as much as most mushrooms do (which is fortunate,
considering the price.) I shouldn't have worried about masking the flavor;
they turned out to be very rich, almost like meat. The flavor was stronger
that any other fungus I have tasted. The texture was firm without being chewy.
Comparing morels to regular grocery-store-variety mushrooms is like
comparing the best cheddar to Kraft American Singles. The difference is that
great. If you can find morels, and are willing to pay the price, I strongly
recommend them. They are worth it, even if you get only enough to taste.
One warning, though. I have read that some people are strongly
allergic to morels. One book I have on fungus suggests eating a small amount
as a test the first time you try them. Given the price, it's not hard to
stick to that guideline.
P.S. The Monterey Market is so called because it is at the intersection of
Monterey and Hopkins streets.
--
Jeff Lichtman at rtech (Relational Technology, Inc.)
aka Swazoo Koolak
{amdahl, sun}!rtech!jeff
{ucbvax, decvax}!mtxinu!rtech!jeffwfi@unc.UUCP (William F. Ingogly) (05/11/85)
> ... Morels don't look like other mushrooms. They are fluted on the > *outside*, and the have pits or holes along their length. They have hollow > stems... Morels are one of the easiest wild mushrooms for the novice to identify; the only mushrooms that look vaguely like them are the false morels. Morels have two fruiting seasons, in the fall and in the spring. They love burned-over orchards. As far as I know, no one has successfully grown them commercially. If you haven't collected and eaten wild mushrooms, you should definitely either study them under someone who has (and whose competence you're sure of), or take a course on fungi. Many fungi (including morels) are highly variable in appearance. Going to the trouble to learn enough to identify fungi is DEFINITELY worth it from a gastronomic perspective! > ... I didn't want to mask their flavor, so I simply sauteed them in butter. Yum. The only way to eat morels, as far as I'm concerned. Your comparison of rich cheddar to pasteurized process cheese is a good one. > ... One warning, though. I have read that some people are strongly > allergic to morels. One book I have on fungus suggests eating a small amount > as a test the first time you try them... You should do this with ALL wild mushrooms. One person's delicacy can be another's trip to the emergency room. This applies even to fungi that all the guidebooks claim are safe. And NONE of the folk superstitions about identifying 'toadstools' work, so beware! The only sure way of identifying edible fungi is to become adept at identifying them. A few genera (e.g., the morels) are very difficult to confuse with anything else, but many confound even the experts. -- Cheers, Bill Ingogly
seb@mtgzz.UUCP (s.e.badian) (05/13/85)
REFERENCES: <358@rtech.ARPA> For most of us, it is impossible to buy fresh morels. I believe they are only sold fresh in California, Oregon and Washington State. You might be able to find fresh ones at one of the of very classy gourmet shops in NY, but you'd end up paying a lot more than $10 a pound. The reason for this is that morels only grow in great profusion in the Pacific Northwest. Luckily for us Easterners, there aren't enough morels to make picking them commercially successful. This fact makes my mother very happy since she goes out to pick her own in the spring and doesn't have to worry about some commercial picker grabbing all the morels in the woods. Well, for those of you who can't get the fresh ones, dried ones serve very well. They're not cheap either, but once in a while they are worth it. I know that the Williams and Sonoma store in the Short Hills Mall(NJ) sells them. Probably lots of other stores sell them also. I heard that outrageous sums of money are paid for fresh morels when they are not in season(don't know where they find them since no one has figured out how to grow them commercially). To give you an idea of how choice these mushrooms are, the peasants in France used to burn down entire forests to get the little buggers to grow. Morels seem to flourish in burned over forests. Talk about going to extremes! Sharon Badian ihnp4!mtgzz!seb
doug@escher.UUCP (Douglas J Freyburger) (05/16/85)
[] Morels are very hard indeed to find in the Los Angeles area. There are a few gourmet shops that carry them irregularly. The first time I had morels, I was impressed with their flavour. Unfortunately, I'm one the alergic ones, they give me a headache and slight nausia. I have found chantrelles a couple of times, and I think they are much better than morels (maybe it's just my reaction to the morels, but...). Are there any good recipes for chantrelles out there? I just saute' them and serve them with Schnitzle (Holstein, Wiener, etc.). Also, does anyone know of a place in LA that carries them regularly? DOUG@JPL-VLSI, ...trwrb!escher!doug, etc.