I know this is a lot to ask but....

I just found exactly 40 yellow morels and need some info. I am a first timer and would be very appreciative to any "how to's".

1. What's the best way to cook?

2. What's the best way to preserve?

3. Should I beware of any look a likes? These differed in color slightly. Some were yellow and some were a beige brown or maybe yellow brown. They didn't look like the "false morel".

-- Mike in Pa (smfine@yahoo.com), April 20, 2002

Answers

The way we like to cook them is dip them in beaten egg and in flour, back in the egg and back in the flour - then in the pan of hot oil. Salt and pepper to taste, and my kids dip them in ketchup. To preserve them bread them the same as above, then put them on a cookie sheet single file and freeze them. when they are frozen put them in baggies and put them back in the freezer. This is the same way i preserve green tomatoes.

-- Susan (dsowen@tds.net), April 20, 2002.

We soak ours in very salty water (after cutting in half) to make sure all the creepy crawlers our out of them and rinse very well to remove the grit and then fry in butter. Yum!!! Yum!!! I prefer to cook them as mentioned and then freeze..........to be thawed and warmed in the microwave to serve with steak in the winter.

-- diane (gardiacaprines@yahoo.com), April 20, 2002.

That's great Mike! Here is a site you might want to check out, has some pictures. Morel Pictures

I like ot batter and fry them, or cook them like Susan does. You can either freeze or dry them. The frozen ones will be soggy when thawed. The dried rehydrate into a mushroom more like fresh picked. I also clean them like Diane, gotta get the bugs and sand out! Have fun.

-- cowgirlone in ok (cowgirlone47@hotmail.com), April 20, 2002.

Mike /ake for sure the stems are hallow-----or they might now be what you think you are eating!!!

What I have always been told is/if you don't know what you are picking----don't eat them----

I'm sure on line there are pictures etc--if you do a search with a search engine---& you can compare your mushrooms with the pictures to make for sure what you have----

We took a mushroom class--many years ago---that told us all about all types of mushrooms & what to look for & what they should look like & how to prepare them/ etc/etc/etc/etc/etc/if the stems are not hallow-- --they aren't morels!!!!!!---just thought I'd pass that along---for what it is worth---

Also one of my notes was to use a mesh onion bag when collecting---to spread the spores ----as then there will always be more mushrooms--if the spores are spread!!

I agree about saoking them in salt water---as it removes all the wild life liveing in them----

I have had many friends that have dryed theirs ---but we never have enough--we always eat them all when we gather them---

We also use them in stir fry they are wonderful----how ever you fix them---

-- Sonda in Ks. (sgbruce@birch.net), April 20, 2002.

Good points Sonda, I wanted to add also that morels have no gills. I found a look alike one time, looked just like the morel til I turned it over. The top was a cap with gills underneath. I have no idea what it was but I tossed it. Happy hunting!

-- cowgirlone in ok (cowgirlone47@hotmail.com), April 20, 2002.

Ohhh boy, Omelets and Quiche! YUM. We have a lot of Chantrelles here and that is where they go, along with Walla Walla onion. I am hungry! LOL LQ

-- Little Quacker (carouselxing@juno.com), April 20, 2002.

Sauteed in butter and garlic! I agree with LQ, omelets, quiche. Yummmmm!

-- Susan in MN (nanaboo@paulbunyan.net), April 20, 2002.

slice then saute in olive oil with a bit of garlic, rosemary and oregano. serve in a bowl of capellini (angel hair pasta) as a side to a good sauted or grilled meat dish (veal marsala etc.)

-- Pops (pops762@hotmail.com), April 20, 2002.

I hope you were very careful, not to disturb the ground,if you want to find them there again, you can't distrub the ground.

-- lacyj (hillharmony@hotmail.com), April 21, 2002.

I've tried preserving morels two ways: 1) Moderately successfully -- wash them well, blanch quickly, and then freeze. Quality for cooking is okay. 2) Very successful -- dehydrate and then freeze. The morels I prepared this way had a superior texture and taste to those frozen with the water in them. I guess freezing with water in them bursts the cell walls making them mushy. Just make sure to soak the dried ones well (about an hour) when you finally go to prepare them.

I've used morels in any cooked dish where I'd use regular mushrooms including stuffing for ravioli, etc. My favorite though is to get some big ones (we have huge ones here in Alaska) and stuff them with a cheese mixture. My favorite is to fry onions, garlic and smaller mushrooms in butter, add fresh parsley, and mix with grated smoked gouda. Stuff this into large mushrooms and bake until everything is bubbly. Delicious!

Morels will NEVER have a chambered interior -- the inside should be smooth and hollow when you slice the mushroom in two. If you aren't sure -- don't eat it.

-- Mike Nuckols (bigkoiguy@yahoo.com), April 22, 2002.

Thanks a lot.

-- Mike in Pa (smfine@yahoo.com), April 22, 2002.