Morel mushrooms are a wonderful treat the Inland Northwest gets to enjoy every spring. Some years, the hunt is more bountiful than others. But even if you come home with a small handful, they’re worth foraging. It’s always advised that if you’re inexperienced in hunting certain species of mushrooms, you have someone with knowledge you can rely on to make sure you’re not collecting poisonous, false varieties. Download a couple photos to your phone to compare while you’re on the hunt as well. Morels are tough to spot since they blend in perfectly with their surroundings, but that’s part of the hunt!
This year, I wasn’t able to make it out for a decent haul but was fortunate enough to have an old family friend and his wife, Rob and Trista, bring in a whopping sixty-pounds of morel mushrooms! I jumped at my chance to purchase a gallon-sized zip lock bag from them. I swear, these morels were beautiful enough to be award winning.
First, clean your morels
The first thing you want to do after harvesting is give your morels a good soak in salt water (mix in about 2 tablespoons of salt for every quart of water) to kill any bugs and loosen dirt or pine needles that might have found their way into the honeycomb-shaped mushrooms. After they’ve soaked a couple minutes, agitate them a little bit to loosen everything and then let soak a couple more minutes. Give them a quick rinse and then drain them in a colander.
When I purchased my morels they had already been soaked, but I wanted to cut them in half and give them a quick soak in cool water as well as a rinse.
e, I wouldn’t take this extra step. We don’t mind a dead bug or some dirt now and then. Since other people would be eating them though, I wanted to make sure they were squeaky.
Storing morel mushrooms
Before we dive into preparing and storing morels, it’s important to note that it is highly recommended you do not eat morels raw. Undercooked, morels (morchella) contain varying amounts of hydrazine that is considered toxic to humans. When cooked thoroughly, this compound is and they are 100% edible. But to avoid any illness, please refrain from eating them raw. It can be tempting!
Option 1: Sauté and Freeze
This is my favorite option. I feel that it best preserves the flavor and texture of morels. Once your mushrooms are clean and dry, heat butter or olive oil in a pan over medium-high heat. Sauté the morels until they’ve released their water. This will only take about 3-5 minutes.
Once they’re cooked, allow them to cool and then freeze in portioned bags.
Every time I cook with morels I seem to add them same ingredients. 2 sprigs of thyme, 1 sprig of rosemary, salt and pepper, and an ounce of dry white wine (for every half pound of mushrooms). I’ve found that it saves me a good amount of time to add these ingredients when sautéing the first time around and then freezing.
When prepared with wine and herbs, they’re ready to be reheated and serve on Warm Morel Toast – one of my favorite morel dishes! They can also be used in Spring Strazzapreti and Wild Rice.
Option 2: Dehydrate
Dehydrating is probably the easiest way to store mushrooms. You clean them, slice them up, and throw them on the dehydrator. Done! Now they’re ready to be rehydrated and added to soups and sauces. Dehydrated morels can be stored in a mason jar or other air-tight container in the cupboard.
If you don’t have a dehydrator, you can easily dehydrate them in the sun over the course of a couple days (bring in at night), or even in the oven on the lowest setting with the oven door cracked. As long as they’re dry enough to snap between your fingers like a cracker, they’re dry enough (think less than 10% water content).
When you’re ready to use them, simply rehydrate them in water, broth or cream. They’ll rehydrate nicely texture-wise, but they won’t retain the same amount of flavor that they do when their fresh or sautéed.
Option 3: Bread and freeze
This method is also very easy! Once you’ve washed your morels, roll them in flour, place them on a baking sheet and freeze overnight. The following morning, once the mushrooms are completely frozen, put them into a bag. If you throw them into a bag instead of on a tray or baking sheet, they’ll stick together. This is a great way to store them if you prefer to have them battered and fried. Then all you have to do is pop them in hot oil, season with salt and pepper and you’re good to go!
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