Mae Chow
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Morels belong to the genus Morchella―a group of edible mushrooms―and are also closely related to fungi. These mushrooms look very different, somewhat like honeycomb that has many pits and ridges, with the inner part being hollow. They are known by different names in different parts of the world. Names like dryland fish (the shape after sliced and cooked), molly moochers (in West Virginia), merkels or miracles (story that a family survived on them), and sponge mushroom (similar to Poriferasponges) are very common 🔥 There have been many recognized species, but the appearance of the morels makes it difficult to actually figure out which species it is 🙈 [1]
Storing morel mushrooms in the refrigerator. There are a number of procedures that one may take in preparing morel mushrooms for storage. The first of those is to clean the mushrooms then wrap them in a damp towel or cloth and store them in the fridge. The second way is most common in Missouri. After the morel mushrooms have been cleaned, they are placed in half-filled plastic containers with water. The containers are closed with a lid and refrigerated. Depending on the person, the end result of the morel mushrooms could be mushy but again for others, it serves right. The third way consists of storing the morel mushrooms as though one was going to cook them. You take the cleaned morel mushrooms and soak them in salty water overnight and placed them in the fridge. Rinse them to remove the saltwater and any dirt. Cut them into appropriate sizes and let them drip. Mix some eggs with some milk then dip the pieces of morel mushrooms into the mixture so that they are well coated. Drain the excess liquid and roll them in a bag on the floor so that they are evenly coated. At this point, you put them on a refrigerator shelf ensuring that they do not touch each other. You can now put them away into the refrigerator. Some people prefer to have them in a deep freezer, and when they are frozen solid they are then transferred to the refrigerator or the freezer box. (many thanks to Evamarie Stewart from Lucknow, India after pointing this out to us). [2]
Here is a little known fact – the morel – if handled correctly after harvesting is a durable fungi just waiting to be stashed away for later consumption. When done properly, the texture and flavoursrr can be maintained as if they were freshly picked. To quote the lyrics from a Phish song called The Lizards, you are like “Rutherford the Brave and he was on a quest to save his people from the fate that lay before them”. Think of it as if you are on a quest to save the great morel from the fate that lay before them…until a later date that is. (we appreciate Alnisa Vu for their revisions). [3]