Hunt is on for morel mushrooms

The hunt is on for Jackson County residents seeking morel mushrooms – the tasty treasures that are only spied a short season each year.

Area residents have already found some success tracking down morels in wooded areas, creek banks, near trees and other secret spots in order to savor the mushrooms’ nutty and earthy flavors.   

Luke Dieckmann of Holton tracked down a morel last week just outside of Holton that was more than eight inches long and three inches in diameter.

“I’ve found mushrooms that tall before but never that wide,” Dieckmann said.

Morels have a stem with a cap composed of a network of ridges with pits. Cut lengthwise, the morel will be hollow from the bottom of the stem to the top of the cap.

 “Some of them are out already,” Dieckmann said on Wednesday. “We’ve had the moisture, now we need another warm day or two to create that mugginess and there will be a lot more.”

Dieckmann advises mushroom hunters to scan the ground slow.

“Where there is one, there’s usually more,” he said. “My advice is when you find some, scan the area and see if there’s a common theme between locations. I found this large one on a north/south bank that was facing the sun.”

Dieckmann said he has certain spots he checks every year for mushrooms, but there are many places where they pop up where people don’t look. Before hunting, make sure you also have permission to be on the land.

“Avoid poison ivy and poison oak by wearing long-sleeved clothes,” he said. “Spray for bugs. There are lots of ticks out.”

Last year, Dieckmann said he and a friend found more than 700 morels.

“I love to eat them, but I also give them away to older people who love them but can’t get out,” he said. “When you see the mayflowers, it’s time to start mushroom hunting. That’s my gauge.”

Chef Alli (Winter) of Mayetta said that when she cooks with morel mushrooms, she keeps it simple.

“Morels have such a unique flavor....earthy, meaty, nutty and rich,” she said. “There’s really nothing else quite like them, and, for most of us here locally, they are coveted.”  

Each spring, Chef Alli said her sons are always on the lookout for morels.

“Rainy weather with a good dose of sunshine on the backside brings out morels like crazy, and we always seem to find them in areas where there are lots of trees, along fence lines,” she said. “The boys know that, as a chef, I adore experimenting with ingredients, but they won’t have any of that when it comes to their mushrooms. If morels aren’t cooked in butter, it’s considered sacrilegious in our household, so I abide by the rules.”

Here are Chef Alli’s steps for preparing and cooking morels: 

1.  Check for critters; these are typically bugs and dirt. A quick little soak in a bowl of warm saltwater brine typically rids the morels of any bugs and dirt. After a few minutes, remove the morels and place onto paper towels; gently pat dry.

2.  Trim the fibrous ends of the stems and slice the morels in half lengthwise. Pat dry again in case there’s any water that’s nestled down into the hollow of the inside of the morel halves.

3.  Prepare a skillet. Chef Alli uses a 12-inch cast iron skillet. Over medium high heat, melt butter. She prefers to use unsalted butter so that her family members can each individually salt their our morels to their liking.

4.  Line up a breading station: a plate of prepared morels, a bowl of flour or other breading (such as crushed crackers) and a bowl of beaten eggs with a bit of milk. 

5.  When the butter is sizzling in the skillet, bread the morels by dipping each one in flour, then the egg mixture and then flour again. 

6.  Gently drop the breaded morels into the hot butter and cook until deeply golden brown on both sides. Remove from skillet to a paper-towel-lined plate and keep warm. Serve immediately.

For something extra special, Chef Alli said she and her family like to make a morel sandwich by placing fried morels between two slices of warm, buttered bread.

“Morels can be stored for a couple of days in the fridge before cooking, and I’ve found that using a brown paper bag in the fridge works like a charm,” she said. “Plastic creates too much moisture and ruins morels really quickly, which is a cardinal sin.”   

Chef Alli said that morels can also be frozen to be enjoyed later. Prepare and bread the morels like usual and then place each morel onto a greased baking sheet, making sure they aren’t touching.  Freeze until solid and then remove the morels to a freezer bag or airtight container.

“When you are ready to use them, cook them from their frozen state. Do not thaw,” she said. “Breading and storing your morels this way, allows you to pull out a few at a time and enjoy them whenever your soul needs some sunshine.”