Morels

Morchella spp.

mushroom

Spring mushrooms with an egg-shaped cap 4 to 10 cm tall, pitted with deep sponge-like hollows, on a hollow stem; very fragrant, fresh or dried, always well cooked. They provide beta-glucans and vitamin D.

Origin

Forests and orchards of Europe

Season (United States)

March to May · grows in your region

Preparation

Halved lengthwise, they are rinsed quickly: that is where the sand hides. Toxic raw, and even when undercooked: they need proper cooking for several minutes, not a quick toss in the pan. Dried then rehydrated, they must be cooked too. The false morel, with its brain-shaped cap, is toxic and can kill; yet some regions still call it “morel”. If you pick it yourself, have the mushroom checked by a pharmacist or a mycological society before eating it.

Molecules

Mushroom beta-glucans · Vitamin DIn small amounts, not counted Ergothioneine

Did you know?

They sometimes turn up on recently burned ground; to grow them, people have even imitated the soil after a forest fire.