Morel Mushrooms

[Suvir Saran]

I always thought of them as a Spring mushroom.

Last night, we were with friends at F. Illi Ponte and they had on their menu a pasta that was made with "fresh" morels.

Could t hat be true?

The mushrooms were certainly not fresh. They looked like they had been re-hydrated and not correctly.

[Lady T]

They surely are spring and early-summer mushrooms around here (Chicago). Sorry to hear you ran into a place that made a claim like that!

[Wilfrid]

Hmmm. I have some issues with F.Ille Ponte. Surprise prices on the specials in particular. Shame, because it's an amusing setting.

[Suvir Saran]

Hmmm.  I have some issues with F.Ille Ponte.  Surprise prices on the specials in particular.  Shame, because it's an amusing setting.

It is an amusing setting.

The pastas we ate were the best thing...

And of course the drunken lobster.

The dessert with roasted almond gelato was more almond essence and flavoring than real almond. And the tart that accompanied it had spots ruined by garlic.

[ngatti]

I'm certainly not an authority, but isn't this once 'only wild' mushroom now cultivatible (is that a word?)? There were some experiments trying to do this in the Pacific Northwest back in the early eighties. May be this is why you can find fresh ones so out of season. Someone here must know more.

Nick

[Blue Heron]

I'm certainly not an authority, but isn't this once 'only wild' mushroom now cultivatible (is that a word?)?  There were some experiments trying to do this in the Pacific Northwest back in the early eighties.  May be this is why you can find fresh ones so out of season.  Someone here must know more.

Nick

Unfortunately, no cultivated morels in the Pacific Northwest (99 % sure on this). May/June are the months for Morels in the Pacific NW.

[snowangel]

The following link refers to baskets of assorted cultivated mushrooms, including morels:

http://www.earthy.com/cgi-local/SoftCart.e...E+delight+mainm

[Blue Heron]

The following link refers to baskets of assorted cultivated mushrooms, including morels:

http://www.earthy.com/cgi-local/SoftCart.e...E+delight+mainm

hmmm. Have just spotted a couple of articles that confirms cultivated morels are grown by Terry Farm in Alabama. "A Cook's Book of Mushrooms", mushroom authority Jack Czarnecki as well as dozens of chefs have said that these morels don't have the "woodsy intensity" of wild morels and found them no more flavorful than ordinary button mushrooms and not as satisfying as wild mushrooms.

One can also try growing them in a kit.

[Suvir Saran]

I'm certainly not an authority, but isn't this once 'only wild' mushroom now cultivatible (is that a word?)?  There were some experiments trying to do this in the Pacific Northwest back in the early eighties.  May be this is why you can find fresh ones so out of season.  Someone here must know more.

Nick

Certainly the ones we were served last night were not cultivated anywhere for a long time. They were rehydrated dry ones... they had not seen any fresh cultivation for at least a few seasons. And if they were freshly harvested ones, they are of some variety that is really very advanced... and may be created to mimic what dry mushrooms are like.

[ngatti]

Sorry Suvir, Didn't quite read the last line of your original post.

Now serving dried morels and calling them fresh on your menu?!?!

Some people

Nick

[Suvir Saran]

Sorry Suvir,  Didn't quite read the last line of your original post. 

Now serving dried morels and calling them fresh on your menu?!?!

Some people

Nick

No Biggie!

But is that not awful to try and get away doing something like that?

[bunny]

Sorry Suvir,  Didn't quite read the last line of your original post.  

Now serving dried morels and calling them fresh on your menu?!?!

Some people

Nick

No Biggie!

But is that not awful to try and get away doing something like that?

actually its not awful its illeagle its called a truth in menu law. i have no clue how its inforced but i remember learning about it in school.

[Suvir Saran]

I was glad to see that Eric Asimov mentioned these sad morels in his review.

[Dexter]

Hate to be a grave-digger here, but I've been giving dried morels a lot of thought recently. That said, two questions:

1. Any progress on good cultivated morels, or are they still the insipid bits of foam they were a decade ago?

2. Does anyone have a good online source for dried morels (and other mushrooms)? I've found a couple of places with a very cursory google check, and not been particularly comfortable with placing an order for upwards of $200/lb for these guys without someone or something to recommend them...

[Alex]

Hate to be a grave-digger here, but I've been giving dried morels a lot of thought recently. That said, two questions:

1. Any progress on good cultivated morels, or are they still the insipid bits of foam they were a decade ago?

2. Does anyone have a good online source for dried morels (and other mushrooms)? I've found a couple of places with a very cursory google check, and not been particularly comfortable with placing an order for upwards of $200/lb for these guys without someone or something to recommend them...

Earthy Delights here in Michigan is a reliable, if occasionally expensive, source. They're selling fresh West Coast morels now for $49-54/pound.

I get my dried (and sometimes fresh) morels from a very reliable guy "up north." Send me a PM and I'll reply with his contact info.

[bigkoiguy]

Dexter:

Alaska produces morels around late May to June. If you check the Fairbanks Craigslist, you can find some locals selling dried ones; I'm guessing they'd be willing to ship them. In a few months, you may be able to find fresh ones -- though I doubt they would ship well.

Alaska morels are picked from wild lands for several years after a forest has gone through, beginning the Spring after the fire. Occasionally, I've found them in unburned forest in bare areas where the soil had eroded. Fruiting, it seems, is the "last gasp" of a dying, underground morel colony that has lost its host (spruce trees).

When I moved here in 2000, there had been a huge fire the previous year that killed several thousand acres of spruce forest - and we literally picked bushels of them. There were also commercial pickers up from the lower 48 that were shipping them out by the truckloads. [Which reminds me -- I still have a single bag of frozen morels from that fire - which are probably simply sentimental at this point since they're likely freezerburnt beyond recognition!] Fresh morels are usually available every year, but the cost varies. There are usually fires every summer -- but often these areas are only accessible by plane or boat, increasing the cost significantly. As you can guess, I'm waiting for the next big forest fire within driving distance!

I have attempted to grow morels using some of the commercial kits you can get online. I've had absolutely no luck with them, whereas I've had reasonably good luck with other species. Morels are actually a yeast rather than a fungi. I'm guessing it's going to be a while before we see any signficant numbers of commercially grown morels as the growing practices seem quite finicky.

[Todd in Chicago]

Lady T.....

You can find Morels around Chicago? For some reason (I know not what I talk about), I didn't even think of that as an option. That's really cool. Is there some secret "mushroom" club? ;-)

Cheers....

Todd in Chicago