Wild Black Morel Pasta

Next to truffles, Morels are at the heart of every English foragers dreams.  Black Morels (like the ones pictured) are very rare, and very tasty!

This tasty recipe is easy and tasty - though could be very expensive as some morels fetch almost £1 a gram.

I wouldn't recommend going out to pick these yourself with no knowledge.  There is a saying - "There are old mushroom pickers and bold mushroom pickers, but there are no old bold mushroom pickers".  Saying that, I'm not an expert and I'm not yet dead.  Morels are the first wild mushroom I have picked and cooked myself and they are much easier to identify than most!

These particular Morels were picked from my parents front garden.  Due to the amount of woodchip now being used on gardens taken from Morel rich woods, Morels are increasingly being found in urban locations.  Morels are found around spring time (most mushrooms are found in the Autumn/Fall)

Step 1 Identifying Morels

Morels look very different to most mushrooms and are therefore much easier to identify.  They have a brain like outer skin and an entirely hollow stem.

Chop the Morel lengthways and check it is hollow.  If it is fleshy at all inside, it is probably not a Morel and I wouldn't be eating it.

Also, have a look here! http://www.instructables.com/id/what-is-dry-land-fishmorels/

Comments

[thepelton]

The note of caution sounded by the author is well founded. I have heard that there are supposed to be rules of thumb that can tell you in an instant if a mushroom is toxic, such as blackening silver. That doesn't always work, because in toxic mushrooms, there are more than one variety of toxin, sometimes several in one mushroom at a time, and each with a different chemical structure and properties. I would advise joining a mushroom club, and going on at least one foray with a real expert in the field. In Colorado Springs, Colorado (USA) the local mushroom club is called the Pikes Peak Mycological Society, or PPMS, and meets the fourth Monday of the month each month during the growing season (April to September). The only rule of thumb is that there are NO rules of thumb on identifying or detoxifying mushrooms.

[tim_n]

Quite true - though Morels are one of the easiest to identify, but as per my last Mushroom instructable (http://www.instructables.com/id/Making-plasters-in-the-woods/) this was done in the UK and I can only relate to our native flora, USA may have a splitting image which is completely deadly.

[toasta]

Mushrooms are nasty.

[thepelton]

Not necessarily, if you know what you are doing.

[thepelton]

The Gyromitras look somewhat similar to the morels, but are not regularly pitted, and instead of the single void in the center, they have multiple voids throughout. They contain large amounts of hydrazine, which is found in rocket fuel.

[tim_n]

Not-very-tasty-starship-shroom.