Morel Time

Winter has faded here in Hickery Holler and the temperatures are slowly climbing each day. The rains of April have set in and we again scramble to get the grass mowed between rains so it does not get too tall. The spring bulbs are blooming and spring wild turkey season again rolls around.  This is the time of year for Morel mushrooms and The Holler has not let us down.

They are first cleaned and soaked in salt water to get rid of the small critters that call them home. Sometimes slugs, doodle bugs or tiny mites that almost always inhabit them. 

I repeatedly rinse them lightly with cool water. You can still see the small bugs floating dead on the water. 

Once I am satisfied that they are bug free and clean.... 

Some are rolled in beaten egg and cracker crumbs to be fried with fish and french fries.

Nothing is better than some fried catfish fillets with fried morels on the side and french fries. We normally eat very few fried foods but atleast once or twice in the weeks to come we will make an exception during mushroom season.  The breaded ones can be frozen but we only keep them for a few months. After that I think their quality goes down hill fast.

Some of the small pieces are frozen in water to later be added to roast or steaks. They are a wonderful addition to gravies.

And some are dehydrated to be reconstituted later for frying or sauteing in butter for toppings on steaks or maybe to go into the crockpot with meats.

During the next week or two O Wise One will try to gather as many as possible as long as the weather cooperates. They love that warm weather after a spring rain. As soon as it gets hot they will become impossible to find.

What do you do with Morels? Does any one else preserve them?   

Blessings from The Holler

The Canned Quilter