Spring Feverish for Morels!

In the Spring of 2010 Jessie and I were volunteering with local gardners when we began discussing Morel mushrooms. To our surprise we were smack in the middle of the season for them. As fans of edible fungi we took a walk through the local woods (name of this area deliberately withheld) -and happened upon numerous areas of these conical fungal delights pushing through the leafmold and greenery.

I was out today walking our local woods and parkland enjoying the sun and suddenly I found myself in the areas where we have wild foraged morel mushrooms! Even though I knew it to be too early yet to find them I immediately was in observation mode looking between the trees and seeking their cone structures peeking through the leaves.

We have been learning alot about wild foraging, and look forward to garlic mustard, onion grass &; the dozens of varieties of herbs and berries to harvest later in the season. We have been able to make whole meals just by walking through the woods nearby.

Now every wild forager we suspect, if wild foraging, has basic knowledge of what they are looking for & know the difference between what is edible and what is not. When it comes to wild foraging mushrooms one needs to be doubly, if not triply, aware of what you are picking.  Obtaining a proper mushroom guide from your local bookstore or online market is highly advised, if you are not knowledgable of mushroom identification, then you are putting your life at risk!

Click here for a good online source to begin with mushroom identification guides

If you are in an area where Morels are in season and have been vigilant about observation of the wild growth when these little yummies are in season then that is your best guide. We are in the Northeast and have found April through May, early June, is the best time for Morels. At the end of this article you will find some online resources for Morels plus our recipe for Morel Preparation and cooking!

Now in morel hunting we found them growing in abundance in between trees, at the base of trees and amongst the fallen leaves of the previous Autumn. A morel has a very wrinkly conical top that recedes to a cylindar shaped bottom stem as the depicted in the above image.

The tools we had with us are are gardening gloves, a good knife or pair of gardening scissors and a small basket or cloth bag to store your fungal finds. We want to be kind to the wild life as well and leave some for the animals, especially deer, to feast upon as well and have learned that you DON'T harevest every mushroom! With every patch you come across take only about a 1/3 of the growth.

Now once you have harvested we hope you dont suffer from BugPhobia as the internal structure of a morel is hollow and can be home to numerous bug species! So the best way to combat this is once you cut the morel close to the ground (leave a bit of a protruding stub for future growth) shake out the morel, if you do not you may find unwanted hitchhikers in your basket or bag.

MOREL MUSHROOM INFORMATION

The Great Morel

Morels.com NY Hunting Message board

Morel Mania

Commercially-Harvested Edible Forest Mushrooms

Morel Mushroom Hunting Club

MOREL MUSHROOM PREPARATION:
Mushroom Preparation - Wash and cut fresh mushrooms into quarters, slicing long way. Soak in large bowl of salt water to remove and kill all those little pesty critters. Leave soak in refrigerator for a couple hours.
Note: if you are not going to cook your shrooms within the next day two after picking them, make sure to drain the excess water and keep covered with damp paper towel and refrigerate. This prevents your mushrooms from getting soggy and mushy. Drain excess water and lay on cookie sheet.

King of the Plate (Morels with Flour)
I can't for the life of me figure why anyone would ruin a perfectly good morel mushroom with saltine crackers!!

You need:
Morels (bunches of 'em)
Butter/Margarine (3-4 tbsp's)
Frying Pan (non-stick is good...iron skillet is better)
Flour (1/2 cup or so)
Salt/Pepper to taste.
Directions:
Melt butter/margarine in frying pan (don't overheat it!!!!!)
Coat Morels in flour (either in gallon ziplock bag that has flour in
it or using a plate covered in flour)--coat the cleaned morels well with
flour.
Sautee mushrooms (gently) in butter/margarine.
Salt and pepper to taste.
Eat.
I have introduced a dozen people to the mighty morel with this tried and true recipe -- which lets the mushroom be king of the plate. All of them have become converts and a few reported a nearly religious experience! Serve the mushrooms with homemade bread (warm) with butter and you have a meal better than any that has ever been served to royalty.
There is no better use of a morel then when it is covered in flour and sauteed in butter and eaten. I wouldn't have them any other way!!!!

Your News & Action Today!

As we return to Green and Growing after a long hiatus, due to unemployment and severe health related issues. We thought we would begin our first post about taking action. By this we mean there are hundreds, if not thousands of issues out there every single individual cares about.
For our purposes we aim to post weekly stories, petitions, causes & growing movements that centers around being socially responsible toward the environment, organic food, concerns of farmers and how government & corporate entities have sought to hinder our rights in the natural world. In these efforts to post this information it is our hope to broaden awareness and encourage like-minded folks to TAKE ACTION. Whether its to spread the news of an issue, sign a petition or attend a rally/march we hope these efforts will broaden knowledge and understanding for the issues we all care about.

NEWS:
HOW TO HELP VICTIMS OF THE EARTHQUAKE AND TSUNAMI IN JAPAN

An 8.9 magnitude earthquake rocked Japan on Friday. Adding insult to injury, aftershocks set off tsunamis, claiming the lives of many. Waves reached six miles inland following 7.7 magnitude aftershocks. Around 200 to 300 bodies were found along the shore of Sendai, the closest major city to the epicenter. The death toll is expected to exceed 1,000.


ARTICLE ON TECHNORATI


CLICK HERE TO HELP NOW AND DONATE

NOT MONSANTO'S FAULT! EVER

Monsanto has an interesting clause in its seed contract. The Monsanto Technology Stewardship Agreement has a waiver that shifts all liability from any incidental, direct, indirect consequences from its seeds from the company to the farmer.

CLICK HERE TO READ THE FULL ARTICLE

WHOLE FOODS MAJOR BETRAYAL OF ORGANIC MOVEMENT:
If You Eat Organic Food, Have You Just Been Betrayed?
Organic consumers and producers in the U.S. are facing betrayal. A self-appointed group of "Organic Elites", including Whole Foods Market, Organic Valley, and Stonyfield Farm, are surrendering to Monsanto.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE

House Subcommittee Votes In Favor of Big Polluters, Against Well-Being and Future of American People
March 10, 2011

Washington, D.C. — Today, the House Energy and Power Subcommittee passed a Dirty Air Act to block the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency from limiting the carbon dioxide pollution of the nation’s biggest polluters. The bill, sponsored by Rep. Fred Upton (R-MI) and Rep. Ed Whitfield (R-KY), now moves to the House Energy and Commerce Committee, chaired by Rep. Upton, for a full committee vote.

The following is a statement by Earthjustice Senior Legislative Representative Sarah Saylor:


“Today‘s subcommittee vote aims to turn back the clock on carbon dioxide pollution limits that protect all Americans, to block the Environmental Protection Agency from being able to protect the American people in carrying out these pollution controls, which are backed by strong science and were adopted to safeguard our lives and our future.

CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL ARTICLE

Food Not Bombs Clashes With Fort Lauderdale Police
The local collective of Food Not Bombs, an international group dedicated to ending hunger and war, says that members of the group have been harassed recently by Fort Lauderdale police. The group claims that police recently raided a house illegally and that officers are making a concerted effort to stop them from feeding homeless people in Stranahan Park.
CLICK HERE TO READ FULL ARTICLE


READ MORE ON FOOD NOT BOMBS

ORGANIC ACTIVISM:
Help Organize 1,000,000 Against Monsanto for World Food Day 10.16.2011
435 Chapters with 2300 Supporters =1,000,000 Against Monsanto!

The Millions Against Monsanto campaign is forming 435 local chapters, one for each U.S. Congressional District. Our goal is for each chapter to reach 2300 supporters by World Food Day. October 16, 2011, will be a nationwide day of action, turning out 1,000,000 people against Monsanto and in support of our right to know - and choose - what's in our food.