Your home looks so PEACEFUL - even with all the technology. :)
cowboystatedaily.com
Morel season is just starting to take off in Southern states, and the season is opening against a backdrop he describes as a “shroom boom.” Americans are clamoring for all things mushroom, with scientific studies recently highlighting their many health benefits.
The highest prices for morels often come at the beginning of the season when people are just like “grizzly bears coming out of hibernation” and want their morel mushrooms right now, Stewart said.
“They just taste so good,” Stewart said when asked why people are willing to pay such high prices for something that essentially grows from decaying matter. “And the season is so short and unpredictable year to year.”
Morels also have a pleasing texture, Lander mushroom expert Jack States told Cowboy State Daily.
“Morels are one of the few fungi that have a firm texture when cooked (not mushy),” he told Cowboy State Daily in an email. “And they contain a chemical compound that tickles the taste buds, similar to monosodium glutamate, MSG, a flavor enhancer.”
These are factors that have high-end restaurants seeking out morels during their short season — and willing to pay extra high prices for them.
States added that the season right now is young, and that he was told by North American authority on mushroom markets, Daniel Winkler, that they’ll likely go down as the season progresses and supply rises.
Things To Know About Morels
Morels are one of the easiest of the wild mushrooms to hunt, Stewart told Cowboy State Daily.
“Especially under cottonwoods, there’s really nothing else you’re going to find that looks like them,” he said. “But people should still make sure they know what they’re identifying and should definitely not trust the apps that are out there. I’ve seen apps that are right now identifying strands of hair as mushrooms. They’re so bad.”
Morels have a characteristic honeycomb pattern on their caps and are typically a golden color, but they can sometimes be tan or gray.
False morels, which appear similar but have toxins that cannot be cooked away, tend to be more red, purple or brown.
The best diagnostic, though, is to cut the mushroom in half. True morels will be hollow, while false morels have cotton-like fibers and tissues throughout.
That’s led to a little folklore adage — if it’s not hollow, do not swallow.
“The lookalikes will make you sick even if you cook them well, but probably won’t kill you,” Stewart said. “You’re gonna have a stomachache and, you know, gastro problems with diarrhea and stuff like that.”
But all mushrooms, even morels, should be well-cooked, Stewart added.
Even morels have some toxins that can be unpleasant if not thoroughly cooked. In fact, morels were linked to an outbreak of illness last year in Montana that led to three hospitalizations and two deaths, as well as about 50 others who reported nausea and upset stomachs.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has determined the outbreak was linked to consuming raw morel mushrooms at a sushi restaurant in Bozeman.