Fresh Morels Hit the East Coast

Fresh morels have landed from the Pacific Northwest! As the "Burns" make their way to the plates of restaurant chefs and gourmands, let's take a minute to talk about them.

There are several varieties of morels, which begin in late March and take us through to the end of the season, perhaps late June or July. Since morels are a wild mushroom, their season is flexible, according to weather both before the Spring and during it.

The first morels are Rounds, and they come from Turkey and its neighbors. These grow in sandy soil, are always firm and dry. After this first taste of earthbound delights the season takes off on a gallop. The round morels are quickly followed by Conica, which grow in the pacific northwest, Kentucky, Louisiana, and patches of forest throughout the US. Saute 'em, roast 'em, grill 'em, smoke 'em :).

Burns take over when the weather warms up. Hot dirt means increased worm activity, and guess what worms like to feast on....morels. Pickers move up the mountains to where forest fires have wiped out anything but new growth. In fact, certain states auction off picking rights to commercial harvesters. Burns, then, are nearly guaranteed to be free of insects and their larvae offspring. These morels are firm, medium-sized, and can be a bit sandy depending upon what kind of soil they grew up in. Saute these with some foraged ramps or fiddleheads, or asparagus, for a great combo of grassy and earthy.

When the weather gets hot hot hot we turn to the drive-through morels. These Blondes, or Naturals, come from Michigan and other spots. They are big and juicy. Stuff them, grill them on a skewer, and get ready for more morel for your buck.