Verpas

Verpa bohemica, V. conica

mushroom

Spring mushrooms close to morels, with a conical wrinkled cap, judged excellent.

Origin

Damp, sandy ground in Europe

Season (United States)

March to May

Preparation

Never raw or undercooked: like morels, they are toxic raw; preferably dried then rehydrated before thorough cooking. If you pick it yourself, have the mushroom checked by a pharmacist or a mycological society before eating it.

Molecules

Mushroom beta-glucansIn small amounts, not counted Ergothioneine

Did you know?

Their cap, wrinkled but without pits, is not fused to the stem as a morel's is.