MOREL MUSHROOM HUNTING Tom Claycomb
If you ’ ve never hunted morel mushrooms you ’ re missing out on one of God ’ s best treats that He ever gave us . They are one of the top fungi in the world , second only to the truffle in England .
They seem to be triggered by the spring rains and a few warm days and nights . Then it seems like they almost spring up right in front of your eyes . It seems to me that they have about a two week growing period but you can extend your hunting season by rising in elevation . Here ’ s what I mean by that . If this week you ’ re finding them at 5,500 ft ., next week go up and hunt at 6,000 ft .
Many will tell you to hunt them by old logs and fir trees . I ’ ve been hunting them since 1979 and you ’ d think that I ’ d know more than I do . I ’ ve got one spot where they grow in the grass on the side of a hill every year . That ’ s not the norm but on this one hill they do every year .
If you find one , look up / downhill . The spore washes downhill and more often than not , where I find one I ’ ll find more . But-the absolute best spot is old forest fires from the year before . I think it was in 2005 that I found a million up by Warm Lake when the fires had run through there . Then in 2007 up in the fires at Silver Creek Plunge . Oh my gosh , we found a million . In one spot that you could have covered with an 8x10 tarp I picked 162 . I took another couple with Katy and I and we all picked 2-five gallon buckets each in no time at all and had to walk over others when leaving .
Now for the fun part . Eating them ! To prepare them , gently rinse them off . They are the most fragile food you will ever prepare so be gentle . Rinse the dirt and ashes off and then split lengthwise with a knife . Put in a bowl and gently rinse again . Then sprinkle on salt and fill the bowl with water . The salt will kill the bugs . I was taught to let them soak overnight but if you ’ re chomping at the bits you can cook them muy pronto .
Crack a few eggs in a bowl and beat with a fork . Dip the mushrooms in them and then roll them in flour . I sprinkle a little salt and pepper in the flour beforehand .
Then throw them into a skillet with oil that is heated up . You don ’ t want to sizzle them but you do want to brown them . While frying I sprinkle with Tony Cachere ’ s . Flip when ready and remove when they get golden brown and put on paper towels on a plate .
If you were blindfolded you would swear that they tasted like meat . You just have to try them if you never have done so . They are the best food in the world . If you ’ re lucky enough to find more than you can eat you can dry or freeze them . So this spring while you ’ re out turkey , bear or shed hunting keep an eye peeled and you might just pick up a new first love . ( If you don ’ t know what they look like have an old-timer go with you and teach you the ropes so you don ’ t pick poisonous ones ).
For more on morels Google outdoorsite . com , select Tom Claycomb as the author and click on Morel Mushroom hunting .
Outdoors to the Core !
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