the mighty morel!

[grumpymoe]

well everyone....who hunts the morel??? pre-scouting some hotspots for this picking season (about 3-4 weeks away), and can hardly wait to get a fresh taste of early morels....the best tasting mushroom in the world..who gets out picking, and what was your best day? recipes??? pics? grump

[Barleydog]

Moe,  I love morels!  Try to pick them before the mad rush of shroom pickers get to em'.  Mainly the burned out areas from the year before.  Usually find them around burned out cottonwoods, birch, and even spruce.  Good eats!  I like them lightly floured and seasoned fried in clarified butter.  MMMMMM morels!

[Somers]

I love them too, but I can never find more than a couple a season.  Usually while turkey hunting and have had them pop up in the backyard.

Any tips on where to look in southern NY?  I've read about burned areas before, but it seems like a more western US thing.

[grumpymoe]

the one thing a morel hunter wont do, is pass on picking spots...i concentrate on areas that have cottonwood and light underbrush AND plenty of moisture...small marshy ponds, depressions where spring runoff occurs, and plenty of rabbit droppings....seems the rabbits have alot to do with?? you can be standing right on top of them, and unless you look plenty hard, you wont see them....its amazing how these shrooms blend in with last years leaves..grump 

[Trophy Hunter639]

  what are morels 

[grumpymoe]

its something some people dont have....lets not confuse morals....with....morels...the best eating mushroom to be found...grump 

[Cider]

I love to eat mushrooms, but I don't pick mushrooms.  Never really got interested in it beyond basic field identification when on hikes.  But spring fiddleheads are just about the best thing with a plate of fresh trout!

[grumpymoe]

darn you cider...now you go and find something else i love....fiddleheads....no way to find last year...even mccains who packages frozen fiddleheads dropped them from the supermarket shelves last year... used to buy them in good quantity when i lived on the westcoast....what happened to the market??   grrrrrrump without fiddleheads.

[dachmation]

Heres a pic of some Morels that John-Boy sent me(just the pic darn it).





Mike

[grumpymoe]

now here we go....fresh morels in cream sauce, fiddleheads, and fresh trout......cider...you pick the wine...grump

[Trophy Hunter639]

they probably taste better than they look  how do you cook them?

[fozsey]

Lightly breaded, fried in real butter...mmmmmmmmmmm  mmmmmmmmmmmm good. They're on the way...

[Cider]

now here we go....fresh morels in cream sauce, fiddleheads, and fresh trout......cider...you pick the wine...grump

Okay, here it is...  Assuming that the trout will be poached and the fiddleheads served steamed in balsamic vinegar...

Let's go with something that will both compliment and contrast the meal at the same time.  I prefer white wine with fish and cream sauces, so that would be a good color compliment.  To contrast the cream sauce let's go with a dry acidic wine with a slight fruit flavor for a finish which will also pair nicely with the poached trout and compliment the balsamic vinegar.  The acidity from the wine and the oily trout and cream sauce should cancel each other out beautifully!

How about a Pinot Gris or a Pinot Gris/Pinot Blanc blend?  Preferably from Oregon.  Adelsheim Pinot Gris 2002 for $15 US.  If it was a trophy trout and a banner harvest of morels and you want to really celebrate then let's try Au Bon Climat 2000 Hildegard Estate (Pinot Blanc/Pinot Gris) from California's central coast at $36 US!

Grump, you pick the morels.  I'll pick the fiddleheads.  Now who here is the best trout fishermen that can catch the biggest fish.... 

[grumpymoe]

geeeeeez cider....salivating all over my keyboard!!!! might have to take my shovel tonight and see if there's any morels under the snow...   grump

[Somers]

Yeah, I'm starving now.

I'll keep a better look out for the Morels.

Unfortunately, around here all the fiddle heads are the cancerous kind.  You have to go upstate to get the good ones.  I used to pick them in school in the pine bogs.

I read somewhere about the morels liking decaying elms around here.  Not sure about the rabbit pellets though.