DOWN TO EARTH: Mushroom Season

Growing up in my house, Morel Mushrooms cause quite a stir.  For as long as I can remember my mom, aunt, step dad, uncle -and anyone else who wants to- head out to the forest for mushroom picking. 

Morels are picked by thousands of people every year simply for their unique and exquisite taste, plus the joy of the hunting them is fun too.  There's nothing that compares to the flavor of these little guys.  I love being in the woods and this is a great way to enjoy a family tradition.  Although the season is short and sweet, I look forward to the frenzy every year and savoring each bite.

On a side note, I wanted to mention one thing to be aware of before heading into the woods.  When gathering morel mushrooms, care must be taken to distinguish them from the poisonous "false morels"

The key differentiating features of false morels in comparison to morels include:[26]

• The false morels can be told apart from the true morels by careful study of the cap, which is often "wrinkled" or "brainy", rather than honeycomb or net-like. It has a cap that is generally darker and larger than the true morels.

• The caps of early morels are attached only at the apex (top) of the cap, unlike true morels which have caps that are attached at or near the bottom. The easiest way to tell the false from the true variety, is to simply look inside the stem.

• False morels contain a cotton-ball looking substance inside their stem while true morels are hollow inside.

• The caps of the false morel can be easily twisted in comparison to the normal morel.

• False morels are often a brown, reddish color.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morchella