The season for morel mushrooms is frighteningly short. You pick 'em, eat 'em, and they're gone. Here's how to preserve them for great eating all year.
Part of the reason that morel mushrooms are so coveted is they appear for only a brief time each spring, and then they disappear again until next year. But wouldn't it be great to be able to enjoy them at virtually any time of the year? Here's a way to preserve them that keeps that great morel mushroom flavor intact.
Of course many folks dehydrate morels, and that's a great way to preserve them. But Josh Payne shows Shawn Bailey a different method of preserving the "American truffle" that he claims maintains at least 25 percent more of that great morel flavor than dehydrating.
Plus, they maintain their size!
First, cut the morels in half and soak them in saltwater overnight to release the little creepy crawlies that inhabit the mushrooms.
Then take some flour that is seasoned with whatever kind of seasoning you prefer, even just salt and pepper, and place it in a plastic bag. Remove the morels from their salt bath and drop them into the bag of seasoned flour. Shake gently to thoroughly coat the mushrooms with flour.
Place them on a baking sheet and pop in the freezer. Once they're frozen, simply place in a Ziploc baggie and pop them back in the freezer for longterm storage.
The flour helps keep them from sticking to each other or the baggie, and all you need to do to prepare them is fry them in butter or use them however you would fresh morels.
I'm going to take a portion of my morels—they're still blooming in my neck of the woods up north—and give this preservation method a try.
Like what you see here? You can read more great articles by David Smith at his Facebook page, Stumpjack Outdoors.
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