How to Harvest, Clean, and Prepare Morel Mushrooms

Morel mushrooms—delectable vermiculate fungus heralding the spring season. For many forager chefs, these mushrooms serve as the spark that ignites their culinary imagination. For some spring turkey hunters, morels might be a consolation prize—a delicious treat stumbled upon after a long morning’s sit, something to put on the plate that doesn’t flush at the slightest hint of movement.

Suffice to say, a morel hunt after a spring turkey hunt has gone bust for whatever reason, is far more relaxing. Still, it never hurts to go slow, as doing so ensures you’re more likely to spot a morel—and where there is one, there is always more. Plus, a sauntered pace always means that should you catch a glimpse of a strutter out of the corner of your eye, you will have time to get low and still and call him into range. That fungus will gladly wait.

LOCATING MORELS

Petersen’s Hunting already has great guides on how to locate morels, which you can find here, so I won’t go into depth on that subject. I myself have been hunting morels for over 10 years now between Minnesota and Kansas. Here in south-central Kansas, once the first tulip buds, I know the soil temp is perfect to start searching for morels.

Morels are weird, and it’s my knowledge that even mycologists who spend a great deal of time studying this genus of edible sac fungi—even they aren’t certain regarding the why and the how. However, there are fundamental principles you should follow if you wish to harvest and cook these once-a-year delicacies.

HARVESTING

Identification is the most important step—determining whether your find is the real thing or a false morel. True morels are completely hollow inside (though some dirt or bugs may be present), and when cut open, the outline follows the stem to the outside of the cap. There is no separation between stem and cap. False morels may have a cotton-like substance inside, and the stem will go to the top of the cap, with the top folding over like a skirt on top of the stem. I always recommend those new to mushroom hunting to join a Facebook group and ask questions, while also performing your own research—whether a book for foragers or articles online.

Yes, figuring out if your find is a true morel may require cutting it from the soil and slicing it in half. There are those who would argue you have to be careful at what height you cut the stem, but it’s my understanding 90% of the organism is underground. You’re not risking cutting out the root, is my point. Regardless of how you cut and harvest the morel, you will have zero effect on whether they sprout again there next season. Still, I personally leave at least half an inch on the ground, mainly because I want an opening in the bottom of the stem to facilitate cleaning these once home.

You want to carry a bag that allows these mushrooms to breathe once harvested. A mesh bag works best, or a paper bag if, for some reason, you can’t procure a mesh bag. Don’t use a plastic bag that’ll trap air and create condensation.

Take note when cutting the mushroom if bugs are inside the cap or stem. Ants may have made a home inside the cap. If so, you can cut and set aside, allowing ants to abandon the mushroom now that their home has been disturbed. Leave some sort of marker on the ground, if need be, so you know where to return and retrieve.

Once harvested, make sure there is ample airflow and store morels in a cool, dry place. I may store morels in a mesh bag in my fridge but for no more than two days. Morels are best when fresh. If you hope to keep them longer without cooking, plan to look into dehydrating (covered later in this article).

CLEANING

There are a few different methods for cleaning morels. Some folks quickly spray off in the sink, while others dunk and rinse quickly or allow their morels to soak in saltwater overnight. The fact remains: You want to remove any dirt or grit or bugs while also maintaining the texture of the morels.

I personally recommend creating a brine—the same as you would for wild birds, for example. Simmer a 1/4 cup kosher salt in 4 cups of water. Once salt has dissolved, add 12 more cups of cold water for a total of a gallon of brine. If morels are bigger than your thumb, cut them in half to clean. I personally like to leave those the size of my thumb or smaller whole.

Salt is great at extracting undesirable bits from the surface of these mushrooms. How long to soak? That depends on the current moisture state of the morels. If they’re dry, like they so often are here in south-central Kansas, I will soak for an hour. If moist, quickly dunk and gently move around in brine. Regardless of how long you soak, rinse off your morels under cold water and place them on a napkin-covered plate and pat dry. Afterward, if necessary, replace the soggy napkin underneath with a dry one as you get ready to cook. I recommend only cleaning your morels an hour or so ahead of cooking. (You don’t want to clean them upon returning home and then leave in the fridge for two days, as that may ruin both texture and flavor.)

A longer soak in a brine may reduce the earthy, nutty, meaty flavor tones, so keep this in mind when deciding how to clean your morels. However, brittle, dry mushrooms need to rehydrate, but an hour should serve as that happy medium.

COOKING

Same as cleaning, there is more than one method for cooking your morels. Most importantly though, regardless of how you decide to prepare them, is to completely cook them as undercooked morels will make you sick to your stomach or worse. Closer to raw, that may result in a trip to the ER. Always err on the side of overcooking.

Fried morels are a big thing for a lot of folks (a quick dredge in flour, then egg wash then another coat of flour with bit of salt and pepper mixed in followed by a fry at 375 until crisp). I personally recommend someone who is trying morels for the first time to simply sauté in butter with a bit of salt and pepper sprinkled over top. You want a nice, crisp sear on the exterior. You have the option of adding a lemon wedge on the plate, something to sprinkle overtop to brighten the flavor profile.

More so than even a nutty taste, morels have a flavor of meat. I’ve occasionally oversalted my morels and to me, they taste like Italian sausage in that state (albeit salty Italian sausage). For a simple butter sauté, if successful, morels should have the texture of a meatball—a good crust on the outside with a soft, tender interior.

A small percentage of folks are allergic to morels and may get sick even if the morels are properly cooked. If you’re worried about this, cook and try a teaspoon-size bit, then wait 24 hours before cooking and eating the rest.

Another popular method is serving them in pasta. The same rules apply though: Crispy on the exterior, soft on the inside. To accomplish this, you want to cook the morels separately and add to the pasta at the end. Ideally, you want them warm and crisp, not stirring around and soaked in sauce to where they will become soggy.

DEHYDRATING

If you have too many to cook and/or want to save for later, using a food dehydrator is possible here. Clean as mentioned above, then dehydrate at 110 for approximately 10 hours. Tightly seal and store in a cool, dry place. They will keep upwards of 6 months, perhaps longer in a fridge and certainly longer in a freezer. I do recommend when rehydrating to also fully cook them before eating. (Don’t simply eat dehydrated morels, as there is a possibility they can make you sick.) Any questions or comments? Please reach out on Instagram: @WildGameJack

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