morel mushrooms

[mow_delon]

Found 12 pounds of morells this weekend and didn't think that 12 lbs of fried morells would be very good on my system.  I was wondering if anyone has smoked them and how they did it so they will keep in the freezer.  I don't really like to dehydrate them, but if that's the only way, then it is what it is.

[Caneyscud]

Uh.....mushroom hunting.......that's dangerous doings.  You gotta be careful, taking extra care for proper identification.  The books recommend you go out for a few times with a very experienced hunter, so that you know the bad fungus from the good fungus.  To be safe you must know the different varieties like the back of your hand.  If you are not sure - don't pick.  But seeing that you have already harvested, before you eat them, check them over carefully once again.  Better yet, since I know morels, send them to me, I'll check them for you.  I'm real thorough - and my testing methods are without peer - however it is a destructive testing method.  Unfortunately, nothing can be sent back.  For my address, call me, my number is BR549.

By the way, at the current price at my local Whole Paycheck - 12# or morels are worth almost $400.  Good haul!

Just about any way of preserving mushrooms should work with morels.  However, if you like fried morels - and who doesn't?? - you can do like one of my friends used to do.  He'd go ahead clean and soak or rinse them.  Dry and dip in beaten eggs then flour and fry for about half of the normal time, take out and cool down.  Then he'd just place in plastic bag and freeze.  When he wanted some morels, he take them out and finish frying (don't remember if he thawed them first or fried them without thawing).  They tasted just about as good as fresh.

[canadiansmoker]

Morels, probably the best mushrooms I have ever eaten. I have never smoked them. When we do find them we typically will dry them and store them vac sealed, they seem to keep forever that way, no need to freeze them. When I do cook them up, I let the dried mushrooms soak in water for about 20 minutes. I then dump that water out and replace with fresh water, but just enough to barely cover the mushrooms, no more. Add a little minced garlic, salt and pepper, and bring to a simmer for about 15 minutes, then add a bit of cream, simmer for another 5-10 minutes, then serve. Fantastic flavour and texture.

Finding 12 pounds of morels around here is almost unheard of. About the only place we can find them is to find a place that has had a forest fire about 2 years previous, then start looking. Purchasing them in the store around is rediculously expensive.

Stephen

[Caribou]

Yeah! A morel picker...I'm one too.
We live in North Idaho and are having the best morel season I have ever seen in the 13 years I've lived her.
If I'm using them fresh, I soak them in salted water for and hour or so to scare any bugs out of them.
For long term storage I think there is no other alternative than dehydrating.
I think they store indefinately if dried and vacuum sealed like Canadiansmoker says.
Never have smoked them in the BS but I do use my Bradley to dehydrate them.
Open the vent all the way and place on a rack at the highest level.
Using no smoke, heat it up to 100-110F until they are dry.
Even if you do not run smoke they do pick up a little smokiness if your smoker is well-seasoned...it's kind of nice!
I made an entry on my blog earlier this month about picking morels.
It's not educational but just shares our love for morel season.
Carolyn