by Greg Marley
In spite of the specific name esculenta (meaning succulent), Gyromitra esculenta and related species of false morels (#13) are mushrooms to leave in the basket or on the ground—anywhere but the cooking pot. The various species of false morels can be very toxic and are responsible for a number of deaths in Europe and serious poisonings in America. (See Chapter 9 for a full discussion.) My advice: Never eat this group! Our common false morel fruits earlier than most yellow Morchella and is commonly found in association with pines or in mixed woods. Unlike the true morels, Gyromitra caps do not show the typical pitted structure of the true morel. Rather, they show brain-like folds and convolutions. In addition, where morels are generally conical in shape, the false morels are more rounded or irregularly shaped.
CAVEATS
Cook your morels! Morels contain a heat-labile toxin that is neutralized by cooking. For those adventurous cooks and those who like their vegetables cooked only lightly, this can pose an unexpected problem. In his book Mushrooms: Poisons and Panaceas, the pathologist and amateur mycologist Dennis Benjamin describes a 1992 banquet in Vancouver, British Columbia, whose guests included a number of city leaders, among them the head of the Department of Health. The chef for the evening made a festive salad to which he added a liberal number of chopped raw morels. Though likely thinking that the morels would add a touch of class, the result was 77 (out of 483) poisoned guests, many of whom required medical attention for severe gastric distress.5
As this book moved into the final stages of editing, a new study was being published detailing the results of analysis of a number morels collected in old commercial apple orchards from New Jersey to Vermont, along with analysis of soil samples from each site. The study, carried out by Eleanor and Efrat Shavit, was prompted by the arsenic poisoning of a long-time member of the New Jersey Mycological Society and an admitted morel maniac who reportedly collected thousands of morels from old apple orchards across New Jersey each spring since the 1970s. Following a long illness of increasing severity, the victim was diagnosed with acute arsenic poisoning in 2007 and, after ruling out alternate sources of contamination, attention focused on his morel-rich diet as the potential source of his problem. He was treated with intensive chelation therapy for nine months and regained his health.
From 1900 to 1980, an estimated 49 million pounds of lead arsenate and an additional 18 million pounds of calcium arsenate were applied to crops across the United States.6 Both lead and arsenic tend to be quite stable in inorganic form in the soil and it is recognized that much of the pesticide residue remains in the topsoil of fields and orchards where it was applied. The pesticide was the main one used in commercial orchards for more than fifty years, and an estimated 200 pounds per acre might have been applied on average. Following early indications that morels are able to accumulate metals from their environment, the Shavits, working with a small group of committed volunteers, arranged for soil and morels to be carefully collected in twenty-nine locations of apple orchards that were active between the mid-1800s and mid-1900s. The analysis revealed that morels are able to accumulate high levels of arsenic and lead from the soil and, although they do not reach the level of an acute poisoning risk, eating morels from these contaminated sites in large amounts over time can easily lead to toxic levels of these metals.7 It certainly warrants a much more cautious approach to collection and eating morels from old commercial apple orchards. If in doubt, consider testing the soil from sites where you regularly collect morels. I would avoid feeding orchard morels to children.
Each year, as I track the reports of mushroom poisonings across the country, there are a few cases where morels have caused gastric distress. There is no clearly discernable pattern to the victims, but a few common themes emerge. People who get sick often had alcohol with their meal of morels. In some cases the mushrooms may not have been fully cooked or were eaten raw. At other times it seems that an individual’s unique make-up is such that they are unable to tolerate this species. People who develop GI distress after they eat represent an incredibly small percent of the people who eat morels. To be sure you enjoy these delectable finds comfortably, eat only a small quantity the first time and be sure to fully cook your gourmet repast.
ECOLOGY, HABITAT, AND OCCURRENCE
Morels are saprobes, using as their food source the leaf duff and wood in the soil. They also have been shown to form symbiotic, mycorrhizal associations with various tree species during parts of their life cycle. Their mycelia colonize broad areas, and often the fruiting body appears far from the original site of inoculation or obvious food source. The fruiting bodies can arise from over-wintered sclerotium produced the year before or can form directly from the mycelium. A sclerotium is a dense knot of compact hyphal tissue able to act as a form of battery, storing energy and tissue during periods of adverse weather and fueling rapid growth or fruit production when environmental conditions again become favorable. This energy-storing ability may be the primary reason that morels can fruit early in the year.
Now that we recognize that morels can form symbiotic mycorrhizal relationships with trees during portions of their life cycle, their growth and fruiting patterns make more sense. Recent studies suggest that morels living in symbiosis with trees are triggered to fruit heavily as the tree is nearing death or in the years immediately following its death. The food energy in the dead root tips plays into the surge of food energy needed to produce fruit as the mycorrhizal fungus switches to full saprobe on the dying or newly dead roots.8 This helps explain why morels often are found in greatest abundance in the two years following a forest fire and as elm trees die from Dutch elm disease. Trees stressed by infection or insect infestation also can trigger greater fruiting of morels, as can a mechanical injury to the trees or tree roots. A close Maine mushrooming friend of mine told me that she saw heavy fruitings around a young elm and an apple tree in the year following a field being disked, fertilized, and limed, and also around an apple tree following a driveway construction that disturbed the root system.
How Saprobes Feed
Saprobic fungi feed by growing their root-like hyphae into contact with their source of food, generally some form of dead plant tissue, and releasing powerful enzymes into the space surrounding their hyphal cells. These enzymes break apart large organic molecules or polymers of sugar such as cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignins into their component simple sugar–building blocks. The fungus is then able to transport some of these simple sugars into the cell for use as food. To put it simply, rather than ingestion of complex food followed by digestion into simple components (as happens in animals), fungi digest complex food outside of their “body” followed by ingestion into the cells. This same process occurs in the small patches of mold mycelium seen on bread left overlong in the breadbox. In a mycelial matrix composed of miles of hyphal strands, the degradation of organic matter into its component parts happens on a massive scale and results in a quantity of nutrients becoming available in a short period of time. Plant roots living in the same area benefit from the release of nutrients and their growth is enhanced. The lush growth along the leading edge of a fairy ring is caused by the fungal activity releasing nutrients previously bound up in dead plant tissue.
Morels occur singly or in small clusters. They often hide behind and amid sticks and vegetation. The edge of a boulder or log on the ground form common microclimates for fruiting. When you see one morel, stop, stay quiet lest you scare off its kinfolk, and scan the area around your find. By far, the best place to look for a morel is in an area where you have already found one. They blend well with their surroundings, and your first morel always will be the hardest to spot. Once you have the visual image burned into your brain, the next one is easier to pick out of the background litter.
In general, morels favor climates where there is a distinct winter followed by spring warmth; they don’t grow as predictably in areas with milder winters or where there is a less distinct passage from winter cold to spring warmth. Look for yellow or blond morel
s in your region when spring is in full glory with the explosion of newly emerging leaves taking center stage seemingly overnight after a week of warm weather accompanied by adequate rain. Here in northern New England look for shadbush in full bloom, the lawn almost ready for the initial mowing of the season, red oak leaves the size of squirrel ears, the apple blossom buds swelling into bloom, and the blackflies starting to bite. (#2) For Maine and the more northern Midwest, this generally means that the season begins in mid-May, but the timing varies due to weather patterns and your location in the state as well as the influence of altitude and slope aspect. The season generally lasts three or so weeks, longer in a cool wet spring. Black morels generally fruit two weeks earlier than yellows.
Morels grow in association with a range of tree species, most notably apples, elms, ash, and aspens in the Northeast. In the West, they grow with those same species, as well as with spruce, fir, and pines. In the Midwest and Southeast they are found associated with other trees such as the tulip magnolia and various nut trees. They tend to favor well-drained soils that are somewhat sweet or alkaline, and often can be found in areas of limestone bedrock or glacial gravelly soil, as well as in areas where there has been a recent fire.
Forest fire creates temporary conditions of sweet soil, and in the one to three years following a forest fire, morels can be found fruiting in large quantities. Historically, some European landowners would set fire to their land in hopes of increasing their morel yield! In the western United States, morel hunters use this knowledge of fire association to great advantage; commercial collectors from California to Alaska target areas where forest fires burned the previous year. Many enterprising commercial collectors travel with the seasonal mushroom wave as morel harvests peak from south to north, and a few make their livelihood in a time-honored tradition of the hunter-gatherer following their food sources through the seasons.9 My friend Michaeline Mulvey recalls eager mushroomers finding hundreds of M. elata following a large forest fire in western Maine some years ago.
Look for limestone areas and/or rich woods that support a good number of sugar maples, white ash, and basswood, or tree species that grow in sweet soil in your region of the country. Search old untended or overgrown apple orchards under and between the trees, especially where a tree is dying or has recently died. My most consistently productive collection site is an unproductive apple orchard with sixty- to seventy-year-old trees and abundant grass between the trees. I find individual morels and clusters in the grass and in among raspberry canes and dead branches beneath the trees. Morels also can be found around dying or newly dead elms, especially where the elms are growing on limestone soil. It is also worthwhile to look in garden beds the year following the addition of masses of bark or wood mulch. I have seen large fruitings of morels in these sites, though generally only for one to two years.
The bottom line: Morels are where you find them. The bottom, bottom line: This is one mushroom well worth finding! If all else fails, plan a trip to Michigan in May.
Across America morels fruit from January (California) into July (Rocky Mountains of Montana and Canada) as spring marches north. The peak times are from late March and April in southeastern states, late April and May in the Midwest and West Coast, and May through mid-June in the northern Midwest, New England, and the mountainous regions of the western United States. In different regions they are associated with various species of endemic trees and microclimates from sandy beach areas in parts of California and along the Gulf Coast to forests of spruce and fir in the mountains of Montana and Alberta. If you are a motivated novice, you’d be well advised to connect with experienced morel hunters in your area to learn about local habitat types that produce morels. Don’t bother asking about specific sites for collection. That type of brazen behavior is likely to elicit tall tales or outright deception as the morel collectors seek to protect their secret spots and have fun at your expense. I can state with some authority that experienced mushroom guides are not above the occasional well-baked bribe. At some point, inevitably, it will be up to the new hunters to take to the woods, scout their territory, and train their eyes to find this tasty, shy, elusive fungus.
For those who live in the Midwest and northern Midwest, many states hold annual morel festivals complete with competitions about the most morels found, the largest individual, and the most severe case of poison ivy. Minnesota is home to the National Morel Mushroom Festival, which held its fiftieth annual gathering in May 2010 in Boyne City, as well as many other local festivals. Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Indiana, Minnesota, Kentucky, Illinois, and Ohio all have annual morel celebrations in their rural towns and small cities. In 1984, the Minnesota state legislature named the morel as the official state mushroom, facing some ridicule in the process, as Minnesota was the first of only two states to have a state-designated mushroom. (The other is Oregon, whose mushroom is the Pacific golden chanterelle.) Knowing the bounty of midwestern morels, in May and early June as spring greens and apple blossoms bring on thoughts of morels in cream sauce, I sometimes wish I were a midwestern man.
In Tennessee, Kentucky, Arkansas, and the mountains of northern Georgia, the morel season begins in the early spring, and when they come up there’s often a mountain man looking to bring ‘em home. I recently got an email from a well-known chef who related meeting a local Virginian preparing to head into the woods from a Blue Ridge mountainside parking lot. The man, garbed in camouflage and equipped with a couple of five-gallon mud buckets, was headed up slope to gather “morls.” When asked by the carload of food professionals how he liked to eat his morels, he said stewed with meats or simply pan fried, but that his favorite was to dip them (first cooked, I presume) in melted Cracker Barrel cheese. The morel cooking tips published and online reflect the diversity of tastes, from classic risottos and crepes to quiche and pasta sauces. On the more rustic level are morels coated with crushed corn flakes or potato chips and fried in butter, or the seasonally appropriate deep-fried wild turkey with fried morels.
In the heartland of America, morels have become a great unifier of people. In the words of one Tennessee turkey hunter: “It doesn’t really matter how you cook either one, but I always try to eat my morels with a freshly harvested wild turkey. Most of the morel hunters in Tennessee find their shrooms while they are chasing gobblers through the woods. Here’s my favorite recipe.”
DEEP-FRIED WILD TURKEY AND SAUTÉED MORELS
Pluck your turkey (after scalding). Inject your turkey with Cajun butter (16 ounces) and rub Cajun seasoning salt over the whole turkey. Heat peanut oil to 375 degrees in a deep pot that will hold a turkey and 4 or 5 gallons of peanut oil. Fry about 3 minutes to the pound once oil has reached 375 degrees. Most wild turkeys will weigh between 10 and 15 pounds dressed and plucked. Keep your oil at a constant temperature. Sauté morels in butter and soy sauce. Add a dash of the Cajun turkey rub. (Courtesy of Keith S., Kingston Springs, Tennessee)
EDIBILITY, PREPARATION, AND PRESERVATION
Cut morels at ground level with a sharp knife. Leave any old, over-mature ones to continue to release spores for the future. In general, morels do not begin to release their spores until they are quite mature. When cleaning your catch and preparing them for cooking or preservation, it is a good idea to cut them longitudinally in order to expose any sluggy or buggy hitchhikers within the hollow confines of stem and cap. Brush off any soil or debris adhering to the mushroom or, if needed, rinse with water and towel dry.
Morels dry well, retaining their full flavor. Sliced in half, they dry readily in a food dehydrator or on screens in a warm oven. Store fully dried morels in a sealed freezer bag or canning jar and the flavor will last for years. Morels also can be sautéed and frozen in serving-sized containers. In the Midwest, some collectors clean the morels and lightly coat them with flour. They are then frozen either raw or partially fried in butter and can later be popped into the frying pan right out of the freezer.
The rich, full flavor of morels is well suited to many preparati
ons. Sautéed in butter and added to scrambled eggs with the scant needed salt and pepper shows off the flavor and will make a breakfast you long remember. In a cream sauce they will grace simple egg noodles, a chicken dish, or even toast.
SIMPLY MORELS
½-1 pound fresh morels, sliced lengthwise
2 tablespoons butter or butter/olive oil mix
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
½ cup cream to finish (optional)
To really enjoy the flavor of your freshly collected morels, keep it simple. In a large shallow pan or iron skillet, melt 2 tablespoons butter for each ½ pound of morels (you also can use olive oil or a mix) and add the morels. Cook thoroughly over low heat for 5–10 minutes, adding salt and freshly ground pepper to taste. For a truly decadent finish, add cream and heat to just under boiling. Enjoy this dish right out of the pan, on rice, or over meat or chicken.
SIMPLE MORELS À LA THE HINTERLAND
1–2 pounds fresh morels, sliced lengthwise
2 or 3 eggs, beaten
2 cups crushed saltine (or other) crackers, flour, a corn meal and flour mixture, crushed corn flakes, or crushed potato chips
Lots of butter, olive oil, or bacon fat
Salt and pepper, or seasoned salt, garlic salt, Cajun seasonings, etc.
There are as many variations to this recipe as there are for homemade mac and cheese, but the basic theme is consistent. Using fresh morels cleaned and sliced lengthwise, dip the morels into the egg mixture and then dredge them in a coating of whatever happens to be in the pantry and complements the mushrooms. Season with salt, pepper, and other spices. Each aficionado swears by his or her own special coating, the simplest being just flour, salt, and pepper.