If you’re a long time blog reader you might remember that at Christmas time Kelli and Jason bought a farm and moved. At the time Kelli didn’t know a lot about the place or even what the house looked like. She has since found that she loves the house, loves the heated shop and even loves the wooded land because they have morel mushrooms growing there.
Growing up in southern Minnesota on farm land, I didn’t know a thing about morel mushrooms and honestly up until a few years ago I had never tasted them. Around here…lots of people hunt them.
I’ve always been afraid to even hunt for them as I didn’t know what they looked like.
Well the land that Kelli and Jason bought has them….
Kelli’s mother in law took her out hunting and they were so sweet to share their bounty with us.
I didn’t know a thing about cooking them so we just trusted Kelli….
They were good and I hope to have them again sometime. Honestly, I might even go with her and hunt one day. Tramping around in the woods sounds fun.
Kelli said that most people put a breading on the mushrooms but she hasn’t found a gluten free option that she likes so we had them without.
Any morel mushrooms hunters please share your advice to us newbies! We need cooking and hunting advice.
I grew up in SE Iowa…..After slicing the morels in half and soaking them in salt water, mom always dipped them in a beaten egg and rolled them in finely crushed crackers, and fried them up. I never knew of eating them any other way, until I ended up in SE Minnesota. Seems nearly everyone here just fries them in butter, no eggs and cracker crumbs. I remember that dad always had lots of mushrooms and they would take the one they didn’t eat right away and string them up, running a threaded needle through the mushrooms and hanging them to dry.
I’m with Connie. The only way I have made them is in a little butter, salt and pepper. It is that time of year and of course, no one will tell you where they found them, it is always a secret so no one else can go find them! lol
Had to laugh — I first read your title as Motel Mushrooms!
Big fan here! The other yummy way we make those big ones is to slice them in half and fill them with a flavored cream cheese and bacon bits and even a bit of shredded cheese and bake. Last year, my husband made some with hamburger in the mix and we LOVED them. We have also found that breading them & freezing them on a waxed paper coated cookie sheet, then putting in sealed container to keep in the freezer is a good way to store them. Also not telling where we hunt them! It’s like telling where your favorite fishing hole is or where you put your tree stand for deer hunting. Glad you enjoy them!
I have eaten morel mushrooms for all of my 70+ years. We always soaked them in salt water to be sure they were bug free. Then they were rolled in flour and fried in oil (even bacon grease back in the day). Some people use an egg wash before the flour. We usually had steak with them and even with a few they are good served over steak. One of our favorite ways to serve them is to chop them in pieces and scramble them with eggs. No flour no butter needed. Where one hunts them is a huge secret and people sold them here in west central IL for $30 a lb this year and for up to $60 a lb two hours south of us in St. Louis.
Too cold this year for huge amounts as they pop up after rain followed by bursts of hot weather. Never any left over here for storage as most people just share with their friends.
We are no longer able to hunt them and my awesome friend across the street even brought us some already fried and then she makes gravy from the drippings. Yum! She is not a quilter and I have given her a quilt in the past. Great trade as she is always doing something nice for us.
Those are really nice morels! Here in southern Kentucky we call them “dry-land fish” and like Nell we don’t share where we find them. Sliced in half lengthwise, breaded, and fried is the way we like them.
I have never heard of those mushrooms and I love mushrooms. I was always told that any mushroom growing wild was poison, so I stayed away from them. Boy you never get to old to learn about something new, well new to me and I am in Georgia.
I lived in Guthrie center, Iowa with my aunt and uncle after graduation. My uncle prized his secret morel growing areas. We head them sauteed in butter, salt and pepper. For gluten free try egg drenching and roll in coconut flour.
Another way that I fix them is to chop up in smaller pieces, saute them in butter then to scramble them with eggs. This works great when you only find a few and everyone wants a taste. Otherwise saute in butter to put on a steak or hamburger is so yummy. Both are good gluten free ways.
Oh didn’t want the breading, just sauté in butter, salt and pepper and sprinkle with
smoked paprika. Wonderful!!!!
I have never tasted morel mushrooms, but cook others for my family. I slice them, sauté them in butter, then our in a little white wine. Delicious! It helps now that you can get single serve bottles of wine. We don’t drink white, just cook with it! Or you can use Sauterne, but I don’t keep that at my house usually.
You’ve made my mouth water….thats one of the top of my missing Iowa lists!
Jeri
PS I’ll take mine the old fashion way, eggs & crackers please!
Recently read this post about cooking Morel Mushrooms on this blog post dated May 7 (she bakes hers).
http://heirloomsbyashtonhouse.blogspot.com/2015/05/morel-time.html