Drying Mushrooms


 
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Dean Torges

R.I.P. 11/4/2016
This was a bumper year for morels, best it's been for maybe 5 years or more. Fried and made soup and consumed them in spaghetti sauce. Surfeited on them, but now that they are gone, wish I had more.

Freezing them in water does not work. They break down. Air drying them I've tried with mediocre success. Strung several hundred up in the house once and because of the humidity, some of them mildewed enroute to drying.

Turkey season coincides with morel season, and my best finds are in Southern Ohio after the morning hunts. Heck with the turkeys from now on. I can't kill them with a bow anyway, and the ones I've killed with a shotgun weren't exactly exquisite table fare.

Vowed to Mary that next year I'm going to S. Ohio specifically to morel hunt, and buying a dehydrator in anticipation of finding bushels full. Anyone ever dry morels? The ones that I dried successfully had an even more intense flavor when rehydrated and used in soups and stews than fresh ones. Feel bad for those of you who do not know morels.

Anyone have some tips about drying mushrooms? Mushroom talk will tide me over 'til next year.
 
Well Dean, I don't have any advice, but would love to know how to hunt for morels without poisoning myself. Any suggestions?
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Randy Parr:
[qb]...would love to know how to hunt for morels without poisoning myself. Any suggestions? [/qb] <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>It's a legitimate concern, Gal. I've heard it said that only fall and not spring mushrooms can poison you. Don't believe it. I don't have any photos of morels, but here's one of sponge fungi known as Death Angels. Their appearance coincides with the early growth of May apples. They require well-drained slopes and dappled sunshine. They prefer the neighborhood of dead elms or apple trees and even old orchards.

Death Angels are highly toxic, and if you should encounter some, the prefered method of disposal follows: Cut them clean from the ground. Handle them gently and place them in a cloth or net bag for carrying from the woods. An onion bag works fine. Get them to a dehydrator as quickly as you can to shrink and deactivate their poisons. Then mail them to me for proper identification.

The smile on this fella's face probably results from the knowledge that he cleared a woodlot of its hazards and made the neighborhood safe. Or it could also be interpreted as one of those smiley gremlins, the full-body version.

Danger
 
Most interesting. I have seen morel-like fungii growing in my yard. Knowing that the wrong wild-mushroom can poison you, I've never done anything with the wild morels in my yard. they sure look like the photo that was posted.

I found this link on "Death Angel's". The ones in this link don't look anything like morels.

With morels as distinctive looking as they are, would anyone know if there are any poisonous look-alikes out there? Death Angels
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Mike Rockwood:
[qb] Most interesting. I have seen morel-like fungii growing in my yard. Knowing that the wrong wild-mushroom can poison you, I've never done anything with the wild morels in my yard. they sure look like the photo that was posted.

I found this link on "Death Angel's". The ones in this link don't look anything like morels.

With morels as distinctive looking as they are, would anyone know if there are any poisonous look-alikes out there? Death Angels [/qb] <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>Methinks Dean has devised a way to get people to unwittingly find, collect, and dry Morels and then ship them to him.... /infopop/emoticons/icon_rolleyes.gif
 
Mike, morels are a spring mushroom; Death Caps or Death Angels are a fall or late summer mushroom. No poisonous spring mushroom resembles a morel. Take a look at the photo on the "zoom" link. That's a morel. (Honest.) Sponge appearance, yellowish-tan to grayish-yellow color. Never white or anything approaching white. Very distinctive and unmistakable in appearance and color and for that reason very safe to hunt in the spring.

Hard for me to believe that you have morels growing in your yard. It's not their nature. They are generally found amongst hardwoods or thick orchards, not open grass. There are edible mushrooms that grow in grass and yards, but they are fall mushrooms.

I've never eaten truffles, but I can't imagine a flavor capturing the essence of sweet Mother Earth more than a morel.
 
Hey Dean, I think I've found one of those mushrooms, and it's a whopper. It was growing under my kitchen sink of all places-- guess that's a good place for mushrooms being all dark and dank like it is. You'll have to give me an address to send it to after it's dehydrated. I took a picture of it:

Big Mushroom
 
We have them up here just like that, Doug, and find them in the same place, too. There's one rehydrating in the dishwater right now. Dang, I didn't know they were edible. Am heading for the rinse water and the cracker meal pronto.

/infopop/emoticons/icon_wink.gif
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Randy Parr:
[qb] Fool me once...Not this time buddy...I'm gettin wise to your ways... [/qb] <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>Gal, you're a good sport. Wish I learned as quickly as you.

Mike, I can't get the link to work. Are you putting my head under the sink, too? Death Caps will indeed kill you, but that stuff Doug pointed me toward won't. Not so sure I'm gonna feel stronger anytime real soon, though. Phtoooey!
 
Well.. what I think were morels, were growing up through the grass in a shady area which used to have an ash tree growing nearby. The tree was cut down and stump was chipped away, but I suppose it's possible that the left behind roots are finally decaying giving way to the morels?

In any event, I guess I'll have to keep an eye out for them when I see them again and take some pics.
 
Dean,

You piqued my interest so much with your 'shroom talk, I looked into it and believe it or not there is a mushroom club on Long Island! There is a foray on Saturday, and I think I will go hang out with the experts and see what I can learn.
 
Enjoyed this sentence from the corrected link: "According to some people who have eaten death angels (and died), they have a rather good taste." Presumes that among their more pressing concerns?perhaps for their immortal soul, or an antidote?dying men cared to grade their final gustatory experience, probably even remarking how they might have varied the recipe. Tickles the imagination, doesn't it, reconstructing the final words of that conversation.

It's possible there were morels where you describe, Mike, especially if the ash died. They spring up around older, dead trees, such as elm. Nice thing about a patch is that they tend to reoccur in the same area, so maybe you'll get lucky next spring. Look when the first mayapples appear in the woods. You should be advised that 'shroom hunters shaped the ethic of modern news reporters: they exaggerate everything they discover, and they never reveal sources.

Gal, that's terrific. Pink unders, puffballs, shaggy manes, dog peckers (only know the rural, vulgar names for some of these), morels, whiskey jacks?anything you find in the wild reveals button mushrooms for the frauds they are. Good luck hunting them. There isn't a better time of the year for a walk in the woods than when morels come. First warmth, new leaves, first birds returned and singing, first penetrating spring rains. Any morels you find seem like a bonus. Have no idea what's edible now, but you'll be setting pretty for fall 'shrooms.

I derailed my own thread. Ask these folks in the club about drying mushrooms when you have a comfortable opportunity. Ask them the preferred method, please, and for storage information.
 
Dean.....

I better chime in here. I have dried most veggies and fruits at least once. For your 'shrooms I would simply dry them..they will take forever at a temp of 150?. Then store them in vac bags and freeze for later use. Rehydrate with some wine or chicken stock instead of just straight water.

Drying a whole morel will take around 2-3 days(my estimate), so you may want to slice to quicken that time. My garlic bulbs take 2-3 days so that is what I am comparing them to.

Once dried, you can also grind to powder and use in your rubs! How 'bout that?? LOL That would qualify as a "secret" ingredient and just may be the breakthrough to getting rich!! OK, maybe not.

Anyway, good luck and let us know what you do.
 
Kevin, I been fishing for ideas, casting thoughts here and there, reluctant to invest in a large dehydrator, but unaware of an alternative. Beyond the expense, it represents another storage issue, and darn if even po' folk can't accumulate too much of everything living in one place for over 35 years.

When you mentioned the 150 temp, it turned me to thoughts of the freezer/smoker conversion with the bank of 5 large jerky shelves I devised for it. Plenty of room in it, even for the morel mother lode. With the rheostat I can dial in and maintain a substantial range of temps while moving volumes of air through as well. This should work.

And why not infuse a batch with smoke? What would that be like laid into a winter's stew pot? Morels are powerful stuff. You put three in with a pkg of button mushrooms and you've elevated everyone's game. It's like having a league for midgets and then having Wilt Chamberlain come play for your team. Imagine that option available year round.

Incidentally, I slice morels in half lengthwise and soak in salt water anyway, just to clean and flush out bugs, so the prep process lends itself to drying. And why not experiment with a rub, grinding dried for that purpose? Seriously. Most of my rubs are much simpler than when I began mixing them. Morel would not get overpowered in what I do, so the flavor could add a substantially important taste.

Exciting, Kevin. Interesting convergences leading off in interesting directions.
 
Dean,

Went on the foray this morning and had a blast! Supposedly this is a lousy time for shrooms, but we found about 9 different species (don't ask me to name them). I found some oysters and something that they call fried chicken mushrooms that I will be making for dinner.
I became a member and will start attending the Saturday forays in preparation of fall.
I asked about drying...they all agreed, dehydrators were the way to go, oven was also mentioned but it takes forever. They were all green with envy when I told them about your morels...
What reference guide do you use?
I had fun...thanks for getting me started on this!
 
Nine kinds and some for supper! So, how were they?

I don't have a reference book, Gal. Thought to myself more than once to get one because I find fungi I'm not sure about, but I stay with what I know and what I learned early on. Fried chicken mushrooms? Never heard of them. Wonder what they taste like. Ask some club members if there's a consensus field guide. Wouldn't hurt me to buy one. I learned through lore rather than books or mentoring.

A mushroom club is an interesting concept, though. Just as soon thought I'd see a gold or a saphire club. Similar chances for trouble. Mushroom hunters are usually a solitary lot, like prospectors. Sometimes you have a mushroom hunting buddy, but unless it's a family member who dines at the same table, it never works out for long. How do you split up the treasure? You're both walking along, eyes sifting the scenery. You spot a patch. 20-30 of them growing in a small area. You let out a whoop and start picking. So ? you get them all 'cause you saw them first? You get half? Whoever picks the most the fastest gets what's in his bag? See what I mean? It invariably leads to trouble. Bleached bones in the mushroom woods.

And then there are the inevitable claim jumpers, too. That's why you never tell someone where you found yours. It's not like good barbecue where sharing validates a spiritual experience. Next Saturday, count how many members leave in the morning and how many come back in the afternoon, and be careful out there.
 
Dean,

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Nine kinds and some for supper! So, how were they? <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>I sauteed them up with butter and onions, very mild flavor, taking on more of the onion flavor than anything else, cream white meat, very tender although I would leave the stem off next time. Also, I had sliced them, next time I will just cut off the stem and fry the caps whole, like a pancake. So far this is the only species I would feel comfortable foraging on my own. Not likely to be confused with anything else.
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Ask some club members if there's a consensus field guide. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>Most of them carry the Petersons field guide (boy that Roger Tory is into everything), not because it is the best, but because it is the easiest to carry in the field.
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>A mushroom club is an interesting concept, though. Just as soon thought I'd see a gold or a saphire club. Similar chances for trouble <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>Actually, they were a gracious lot...they are very into teaching, the competition wasn't about who got more to take home but rather who could find the most.
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>How do you split up the treasure? You're both walking along, eyes sifting the scenery. You spot a patch. 20-30 of them growing in a small area. You let out a whoop and start picking. So ? you get them all 'cause you saw them first? You get half? Whoever picks the most the fastest gets what's in his bag? See what I mean? It invariably leads to trouble. Bleached bones in the mushroom woods. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>Well...I was told to bring a knife for cutting, when we found the lot of mushrooms, everyone whipped out thier little Swiss Army knives...I brought the only knife I had, my Buck deer knife with the gut hook...had visions of Crocodile Dundee..."That's not a knife...Now THIS is a knife!" I took enough for dinner, but was encouraged to take more...so maybe the answer is: The one with the biggest knife wins... /infopop/emoticons/icon_wink.gif
 
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