Morels are popping up in MT

[Rat Fink]

Went out last night before the predicted snowstorm hit to check a spot for black morels. Found about 35 in an hour. Still early as they were all very fresh and medium sized. Got a few large ones but no thimble sized dinks either. Tonight's dinner is fresh morels and onions topping Antelope backstrap.

 

[mdunc8]

Thanks for the heads up. I usually try to stock up every spring.

 

[idnative1948]

Dang! 9:10 and you have already made me hungry! Do you dry themand how? Usually just pick what we can eat for a meal.
Hoping to make it in to our place in OR by next weekend (if no storms). Just checked the Snotel. Snow has dropped from 23" on the 21st to 6" this morning so guessing is a muddy mess.

 

[Jezz]

Do you dry themand how? Usually just pick what we can eat for a meal.

The way I do it is; cut them in half, soak them in salt water, rinse, air dry, then put them on a cookie sheet, lightly dust them with flour, put them in the freezer overnight, then pull them out and vacuum seal. The flour and freezing keeps them from getting all mushy and losing their structural integrity.

 

[idnative1948]

Thanks!! The Mrs will be excited because she freezes and vac seals all sorts of stuff.

The way I do it is; cut them in half, soak them in salt water, rinse, air dry, then put them on a cookie sheet, lightly dust them with flour, put them in the freezer overnight, then pull them out and vacuum seal. The flour and freezing keeps them from getting all mushy and losing their structural integrity.

 

[jryoung]

Headed out tonight to my spot in the Sierras, been a crazy couple of weeks, 3,500 ft snow level the weekend before last (that's low for even Jan/feb), it was then 90 last weekend, normal temps this week with some rain that dried out yesterday.

Hoping it's good, was a crappy year for chanterelles hoping to make it up with morchellas.

 

[Rat Fink]

Dang! 9:10 and you have already made me hungry! Do you dry themand how? Usually just pick what we can eat for a meal.
Hoping to make it in to our place in OR by next weekend (if no storms). Just checked the Snotel. Snow has dropped from 23" on the 21st to 6" this morning so guessing is a muddy mess.

I'm a morel hog. I will pick every last one I come across unless it has gone to seed. I have picked upwards of 600 in a day so I do dry a bunch every year.

I have a couple racks I made out of firring strips and covered with metal screen. I cut the mushrooms in half, give them a quick rinse and set them on the racks to dry with a small fan blowing on them.

I have also rolled them in seasoned flour and cooked them in butter to just before they start to brown. Then freeze them on a cookie sheet and vacuum pack. When you thaw them out, just drop them into a hot skillet and finish cooking them.

 

[Bowhuntrben]

Morels are up in MN too. We picked 45-50 pounds this last weekend in the southeastern part of the state. We should have the big orange ones this weekend. I went out last night a bit farther north and didn't find much, so I think they are lagging a bit closer to the Twin Cities.

 

[breaks hunter]

Never tried them, but it sounds like they must be delicious!

 

[schmalts]

Never tried them, but it sounds like they must be delicious!

They are good, but I would never pay the price for what I have sold them for. Some people are nuts over them and $30 a pound they will not blink an eye. Get into a good flush of them and they are like picking dollar bills off the ground. I actually like the Chantrells better, they are easier to find, taste great and are not nearly as buggy

 

[jryoung]

Morels and wild game, particurlarly elk are like hookers and cocaine.....so I've been told on the latter.

Seriously though, I grew up hunting deer and elk central Washington and still make a trip back every spring for some morels. Pretty fun to eat morels from the same spot of land that you shoot an elk from, they pair well together.

 

[breaks hunter]

They are good, but I would never pay the price for what I have sold them for. Some people are nuts over them and $30 a pound they will not blink an eye. Get into a good flush of them and they are like picking dollar bills off the ground. I actually like the Chantrells better, they are easier to find, taste great and are not nearly as buggy

$30 a pound!? Holy Crap! What is a Chantrell? Never even heard of them

 

[idnative1948]

Chantrells? Melt in your mouth in gravy on a roast. Also like them better than morels. For some reason I like the consistency of them more so. JMHO

 

[schmalts]

$30 a pound!? Holy Crap! What is a Chantrell? Never even heard of them

Yep, $30 and I have people calling and nagging me for them because so far it has been a slow year. $40 a pound is not uncommon for chefs to pay as they are so seasonal and cannot be grown commercially.
Chantrells may not grow in your area, but they look like this but there is a couple others that are similar looking that can make you sick if you eat the wrong ones. But with the orange color they are easy to see. They have a hint of apricot aroma to them, and are one of the most widely used shroom by high end chefs because they grow in most countries. Makes me wonder if they are in your neck of the woods too. They like a shaded mature forest most of the time. The best thing is they don't get the hype of a morel and even though they are just as good IMO (good in a different taste though) most guys have no clue what they are and my best picking spot is right on a well used hiking trail. People just walk right by them. When someone took me and showed me what they were is said "Shit, i see those things all the time near my house!"

Another spring favorite is wild leek or "ramps". Great for where you would use a regular leek or green onion. They are like a super mild green onion with a hint of garlic to them. Find the right place and they grow in big numbers, I could probably get 100 pounds a day in spots I know of.

 

[breaks hunter]

I will have to find out if the chantrells do grow around here and look into finding some morels. I would love to try them both

 

[pa mt man]

You guys and other reading on the web got me fired up on this morel mushroom hunting. After two days of hunting under elms and apple trees I have a grand total of two ticks. I'm done mushroom hunting!

 

[schmalts]

You guys and other reading on the web got me fired up on this morel mushroom hunting. After two days of hunting under elms and apple trees I have a grand total of two ticks. I'm done mushroom hunting!

These apple and elms trees were dead or dying right? The elms are best when just starting to die and not when all the bark is already fallen off.

 

[pa mt man]

These apple and elms trees were dead or dying right? The elms are best when just starting to die and not when all the bark is already fallen off.

Nope. My friends live apple orchards and around the woods on our farm.

 

[schmalts]

Nope. My friends live apple orchards and around the woods on our farm.

That is the problem. Try and locate elms dying from dutch elm disease. That is your best bet for a new hunter.

 

[jryoung]

Hit the Sierras on Saturday, first spot yeilded about 3-4lbs, but they were all pretty advanced. This was our lowest spot though so we continued to our others. They yeilded nothing, nada, zip. It was weird, if they are in, we always find at least something in each of our spots. One may be better than another, but never in four years have we been skunked in our spots except one.

There were no amanitas or other musrooms either just a few gyromitras (false morels)

So we climbed, we got up to around 5000-5500 (new areas) and where we were looked awesome, but they didn't have anything either. I started to wonder if last weekends heat was enough to get them to pop at 4,000 but not for the higher areas that they may go this week. I sure hopeso, I have high hopes for my new territory....we'll se though.