Yummy Morel Mushrooms – The Elusive Shroom!

Many apologies for the delayed post and missing last Monday’s posting. I really have no excuse except Spring Fever and the Wild Weekend I had this past weekend.

I am eager to share a great discovery with you.

Friday, after helping a friend on his ranch, hubby brought home some strange looking mushrooms. At least he said they were mushrooms. Specifically Morel Mushrooms.

After I confirmed they are indeed edible, I discovered they are a highly sought after delicacy and one of the few mushrooms no one has successfully cultivated for mass production. There appears to be a whole culture devoted to the great Morel Mushroom hunt! I was quite shocked.

I pondered how to prepare them. After all, I wanted to enjoy the full flavor of the mushroom but had NO IDEA how to clean or cook them. After telling my Frugal Front Porch readers, tweeting and Facebooking our discovery, I learned a few things.

1. NEVER eat them raw. I don’t know why but it’s the one theme repeated over and over on all the various sites and comments I read.
2. They grow in a variety of places but it’s very difficult to predict where they’ll literally pop up.
3. Morels are usually found in the early spring, especially after a wet spring.
4. Soak them in cold salty water at least 24 hours to kill the “critters” that may be lurking inside the porous shell then rinse them with cold water before cooking.

I sautéed a batch in butter mixed with a bit of EVOO and I also battered a batch to see which method we preferred.

Sautéed was delicious on top of our steak but a little too slimy to enjoy on their own.

Battered is the way to go for an appetizer or side dish. I simply cut the Morels into quarters, dried them with a paper towel, dipped in a beaten egg with a few splashes of soy sauce and coated with a flour/cornstarch mixture. They went into a hot skillet with butter and EVOO till crispy brown.

These were delish but I can’t believe they run $25 for 4 ounces of dehydrated shrooms! As long as we can find them for free, I’ll eat them but I won’t pay THAT kind of price…no matter how good they taste!!!

Jenn is a SAHM who writes about living in Northwestern Minnesota raising a family on a budget. She loves to cook, craft, and is learning to garden and sew. You can read more about her life plus giveaways and product reviews at Frugal Front Porch. Be sure to enter the $200 Trace Your Family Tree giveaway sponsored by Archives.com before it ends May 22nd.