Edible Mushrooms

[Hillbilly]

The stem  and all should be hollow-the morel is one unit with no junction between the stem and cap when you cut it open (except for the half-free morel.) The false morel has a semi-solid stem and the cap is noticeably seperate from the stem. Top pic is a true morel, bottom is a false morel.

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[david w.]

Great pictures Hillbilly.  Thanks

[FlintWalker]

Thanks for posting those pics Steve.  That's exactly what I was talking about.   

[stickbender]

     Aha!   That clears things up now.   Now I feel more comfortable about picking a Morel.  If I had seen the false Morel, I might have taken the semi hollow stem as being hollow, and not Knowing about the separate head attachment.  Thanks for the Pictures, it sure makes it a lot clearer......   Does the Morel taste anything like the mushrooms you get in the store?

                                                                                   Wayne

[Hillbilly]

Kind of, but much better. The store mushrooms aren't sold because they're the best tasting, but because they're the easiest to grow commercially. A lot of mushrooms are mycorrhizal with different tree species and can't be tamed and grown in commercial quantities.

[stickbender]

     Thanks Hillbilly, I will have to see if I can get som Morels in Montana.  I am thinking of going out there either the middle, or latter part of this Month.  Be out there for a month or more.

                                                                                       Wayne

[John K]

I've heard that Morals can't be commercially grown, anybody know if this is true ? I know the wild ones bring a pretty penny around here. 40-50 bucks a pound for the fresh ones !

[Buffalogobbler]

I've heard that morels cam't be grown commercially also,
But I've seen growing kits that are sold commercially.

Also It's very easy to dry morels if you do not have a dehydrator,
just wrap one or two in a paper towel and place in the fridge.
They start to dry out almost immediatly.
Kevin

[stickbender]

   Wow, $40-$50.00 a pound?  Man, now I can see why so many people grab their buckets and hit the woods in Montana.  Hillbilly, what is a Half Free Morel?

                                                                                     Wayne

[Hillbilly]

Wayne, a half-free morel is a species of morel (Morchella semilibra) that has the cap only partially attached to the stem.

[stickbender]

     Are the Half Free Morel's edible?

                                                               Wayne

[Hillbilly]

Supposed to be but I've never tried 'em. No morels here yet.  Maybe next weekend.

[stickbender]

     Hmmm, with "suposed to be edible", I will pass em by.     I do want to try the Morels though.  I have read stories in the outdoor mags, about how good they are.  Thanks.

[TRACY]

We eat them(half morel) and they have the same taste as the black, grey and yellow morels. Usually just take the caps and add them to dishes since they are a bit crumbly and dry out quick. I've never called them half morels and they are usually referred to as anatomical male parts around here, take your pick I've seen the dried morels at the grocery store and are not as expensive as the seasonally fresh. I know that at Michigan State University years ago, they developed a way to produce them in a controlled environment. I still haven't found any on my property in So. IN, but it is time to find them.

Tracy

[Hhop]

Hello!
 Mushrooms are just beginning to pop up here. The next couple of weeks should be prime time.
Have any of you ever frozen your mushrooms for later in the year? A very easy way to do it, is to clean and slice them lengthwise. Do NOT cook them yet. Place the sliced halves on a cookie sheet, place in freezer. When frozen, place them in an air tight freezer bag or container; and place back into freezer. When you want to eat them, just remove them; and cook them however you normally do. I just roll them in flour and place in a skillet while still frozen. They taste very good, especially when the season is long past.
Harold