Morel Morals

What do you do when a friend announces, "I have a mushroom growing in my garden.  Can you tell me what kind it is?...and she shows you these beauties.  Before me stood over 20 large Morels; the ultimate "Found Fruit." I explained to her that she has rare choice edible mushrooms growing right in her backyard.  Although she offered them to me, I initially declined and encouraged her to try them herself first.  This is what I call "Morel Morals."  Her and her husband did trust me enough to eat them and when they kept coming up she offered me some again.

Morels are rare and are more often found in the wild.  So where did they come from?  She recently hired StarAppleEdibles to do some edible landscaping at her house.  A lot of new dirt and mulch was brought in which must have contained the mushroom mycelium.  Mycelium are the living body of the fungus and the mushroom is the fruit.  Hopefully they will get more than one season of these beautiful mushrooms to appear in their garden.

My favorite way of enjoying wild mushrooms is to saute in butter. Wild mushrooms contain a lot of water. The water will release, so keep cooking until the water evaporates and the oil returns to the pan, then salt and enjoy like you would any other mushroom.  One caution is to always cook Morels in a well vented kitchen to evaporate toxins they contain called Hydrazines.

Now that the rains have returned to the Bay Area, it's the perfect time to get out and forage for wild mushrooms.  To learn more about mushrooms and foraging check out these local mycological organizations: Mycological Society of San Francisco, Bay Area Mycological Society.  Sonoma County Mycological Association.  Once a month the Sonoma County Mycological Society holds a mushroom foraging event with guides in Salt Point State Park that should not be missed.  Check their site and calendar for more information.

Chanterelles

A friend of mine likened chanterelles to flowers and from this photo, you can see why. Chanterelles fruited heavily this year and it was a great year for beginners to search for them. I was thrilled to find them for the first time on a foray sponsored by the Sonoma County Mycological Association in Salt Point State Park on the California coast. If you are a beginner mushroom hunter, be sure to go on as many local forays as you can. Although Salt Point State Park is amazingly beautiful and that is reason enough to go, Chanterelles and other edibles can be found right here in the East Bay. A foray is a way to make sure you understand how to identify mushrooms. It can take a few trips with a mycologist to feel secure about foraging and eating wild mushrooms. Forays give you time to get to know each edible and all its look alikes. I grew up collecting and eating wild mushrooms with my family on the East Coast but once I moved out here, I needed to learn the differences in edibles here.

Michele and I spent the past month foraging the East Bay for Chanterelles and found many pounds of mushrooms. We are busy now preparing them to last a few months by freezing and drying them. With all this rain, you may still find them out there. Chanterelles hold a lot of water, therefore; I've found they come out mushy unless I pan fry them in a little butter or olive oil until they release their water. Then I tip the pan towards the flame so the mushrooms are not sitting in the water. Reduce this water until it looks syrupy. Then add it back to the mushrooms, salt and simmer until they brown a little. They are ready to eat or add to pasta, etc. Good luck in your hunt.

Daluca

Black Trumpets in Oakland

Chanterelle hunting this year was really great! Michele and I found more than we could pick under Oaks in nearby parks around Oakland. But the greatest find was these black trumpet mushrooms.  Many mushroom hunters keep their spots secret from others and now I understand why.  These are a rare find in Oakland and my new favorite wild mushroom to discover.  There were some sneaky mushroom look alikes and poison oak that a newby might overlook growing nearby so be careful on your hunt. 

 Chanterelles and Black Trumpets (Black Chanterelles)

If you are new to mushrooming, do not miss the monthly rainy season forays to Salt Point State Park (North of Jenner, CA) with the Mycological Association of San Francisco or the Sonoma County Mycological Association where guides are on hand to help with identification.  Black trumpets fruit heavily in Salt Point State Park around February.  Salt Point State Park is beautiful any time of the year, even in the rain.  It is also a place where people dive the kelp beds for abalone.  Following the foray is a potluck of epic proportions.  Bring a dish or wine to share and if you are lucky, they may cook up the mushrooms there and if you are even luckier, someone there might share some fresh picked abalone.  P.S., watch for delicious smoked salmon, random cows and fog on the way on scenic CA route 1.