Call me crazy, but I started a Master of Science degree in Forestry and Mycology because I love wild mushroom hunting. Ok, its not really a 'mycology' degree, departments like that don't exist anymore. It seems like universities are amalgamating disciplines into broad categories like "Organismal Science" like my alma mater (U of G). At UNBC, its "Natural Resource and Environmental Studies". So broad it means almost nothing (or everything). Just because I will convocate (tomorrow!) with a degree in Forestry, doesn't mean I don't know a thing or two about mushrooms. I wanted to get the science background in order to understand mysterious fungi. They do so many things in the environment and in so many ways, it blows my mind.
It's about food.
And it was food that inspired my interest in mushrooms (however misguidedly expressed in my scientific tendancies). One of my first memories as a child is of a street food vendor selling fried mushrooms in a bun (were they wild? I really don't recall) . My mom used to say that mushrooms are hard to digest and I shouldn't eat them. It took me considerable begging and pleading to get one of these delightful sandwiches. It was an incredible nutty salty full flavoured sweetness that is forever seared into my memory. I have been searching for and trying to find that particular taste ever since. It is this memory that has motivated me to look for wild mushrooms and try any new ones I could successfuly identify. I suppose that being Polish helps to stimulate my fungo-philia. I have wonderful memories of mushroom hunting with my grandfather. I am not scared of wild mushrooms and I want to eat them all.
Picking wild mushrooms couldn't be safer than when it comes to morels. They fruit in the spring when most other mushrooms are not fruiting. They are easy to identify if not easy to find. Here in northern BC, I like to look for them in the most prevelant disturbance sites: clearcuts. They love to pop up after a fire. Or wherever they feel like. Some were found in my backyard, some behind the school in the forest. They can be anywhere, so keep your eyes open in the spring. Pine cones and shriveled leaves might fool you. They fool me everytime I go out hunting.
I used to always cut them open to make sure they are hollow (a practice adopted early in my hunting career when I actually feared mistaking them for the false morels), but I chose to not do so for most of the mushrooms in this dish, the clear signal of spring: Morels with Fiddleheads. I suppose that cutting them open also helps you inspect them for trespassing bugs which often find the shape suitable for an edible home. I'm less afraid of that now too. If there are bugs, great. These things are fried to crispness, so forget the bonus protein and enjoy! But of course, if they are fresh and show no bore holes, odds are good you are the first to find and feast upon them.
Finally, a sad note: it seems to be a less-than-great year for morels this year in Prince George. The snow lasted too long, the spring is/was cold. I'm not sure they have been convinved to bear fruit in high numbers this year. I will be hunting again this weekend, so I will add more data to this conclusion. I must continue to believe in the harvest. They will come...
My favourite way to eat morels is Morel Chicken, but I had made a giant batch of that for a potluck not so long ago, so I wanted to do something different with my first harvest of the year. I found fresh fiddleheads, sadly, not in the wild, but in the fish store. My was instantly solved: Morels and Fiddleheads, fried with shallots and garlic.
Morels and Fiddleheads
Fresh Morels (however many you have, shake the dirt off, shoo the bugs)
Fresh fiddleheads
couple of shallots, chopped
a few garlic cloves, minced.
Butter for frying.
Salt and pepper to taste.
Soften the shallots and garlic. Add morels. Fry for a few minutes. Add the fiddleheads. Add 3 tablespoons water to the pan, cover and let them steam for 5 minutes. Remove cover and let them fry and get crispy for 10-15 minutes. You can add a bit more butter at this stage. The water should evaporate off quickly. I like to get the morels a bit crispy. Season with salt and pepper.
Morels have a mild flavour. You don't want to overpower it. Thus simple dishes are key to getting the most out of your forest treasures.
If trying them for the first time, I always recommend frying them with butter and salt, just to get the taste. Then experiment. Cream soups, cream sauces, eggs are all good ideas.
Please, for heaven's sake: USE BUTTER. The flavour is unmatched by synthesized overproduced margarines and boring vegetable oils. They have their place (maybe not the margarines), but it's not in the frying pan with mushrooms. I really like to use full fat in everything that I do. It just tastes so much better. I try to eat less to compensate for the extra calories (I'm not sure that the tactic works all time...but its the thought that counts, right?)
Happy Hunting.
I love this post! Can't wait to find some morels in the spring. last year was definately not a good morel year.
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