Continuing with our articles on fresh seasonal mushrooms, today it's the morel's turn.
The morel is an ascomycete mushroom characterized by its alveolated cap, with a structure reminiscent of a honeycomb, hence its common name.
Its stem is hollow and cylindrical, and its color varies between shades of brown and ochre. There are several species, such as Morchella esculenta, Morchella elata, and Morchella semilibera, each with distinctive characteristics in its shape and habitat.
It is important to note that, although edible, the morel is toxic when raw due to the presence of hemolysins, which can cause stomach upset.
Therefore, it must be cooked properly before consumption to avoid poisoning. Furthermore, it is essential not to confuse it with false morels (Gyromitra spp.), which are highly poisonous and can be fatal even if cooked improperly.
With this brief introduction out of the way, let's tell you more about this type of mushroom and how you can find it yourself in nature.
Before harvesting morels, it's crucial to know that they must be properly identified, as there are similar toxic species, such as false morels.
These mushrooms grow in moist, slightly acidic soils, in riparian forests, burned areas, or disturbed areas.
The best time to find them is in spring, especially after rains followed by sunny days.
It's important to harvest them with a knife, cutting close to the ground to avoid damaging the mycelium (like all fresh mushrooms), and never consume them raw, as they are toxic in this state.
Be sure to respect local regulations and harvest sustainably, leaving some specimens for natural regeneration and ALWAYS using a wicker basket.
Let's imagine you've already collected a good amount of morels, you've made sure they're indeed from this mushroom, and now you're wondering how to prepare them, as it's known that they can be a toxic mushroom.
What you should know is that they need to be cooked, as this mushroom is toxic when eaten raw.
To prepare morels safely and avoid toxicity, just follow these steps:
By following these steps, you'll enjoy them safely. They're a mushroom that can be consumed in a variety of ways: in creams or sauces, as a garnish, or on their own.
Morels aren't the only fresh mushrooms you can harvest during spring. Here are some others:
In Teruel, you can harvest several mushrooms, such as the pine mushroom, with a sticky, yellow-to-brown cap found in acidic soils of pine forests, and the Caesar's mushroom, prized for its tender flesh and bright orange cap, which grows in oak and holm oak forests.
You can also find the blue foot, with its characteristic blue foot and lilac cap, which grows in coniferous forests; the wild mushroom, similar to the cultivated mushroom but more intense in flavor, found in grassy fields and meadows; and the chanterelle, with its trumpet-like shape and fruity aroma, which appears in coniferous forests.
Or the white mushroom, with a mild flavor, which grows in meadows and is perfect for this season.
If you'd like to learn more about fresh seasonal mushrooms, we recommend checking out our previous articles.
