The Cottage is now rented to the potential buyer and in the escrow process. I'm hoping for a successful close in July.
After all the sifting and sorting, packing, shipping, etc., I'm on an extended, several-months-long vacation of "R and R" and enjoying some new adventures...such as prospecting for morels with friends!
I've found a morel! Using my pocket knife I'm slicing it off at ground level. Never pull or dig them up because you must leave the roots to produce next Season's crop. Morels are sort of the "fungal flower" of the roots beneath.
Morel season is winding up but there are still some tasty specimens to be found. They taste like really great mushrooms with a lovely meaty texture. They're great in pasta dishes, omelets, quiches, in cream sauces, and alongside grilled meats...tasty too, as a main dish with a salad alongside.
Going for between $80.00 and $100.00 per pound it's simply a Natural Abundance kind of thing to find them for yourself. The fact that it's also fun and frugal - not to mention the freshness factor - makes hunting your own morels a great way to spend the day.
Be prepared to hike a bit in your quest. A hiking stick is nice, but good hiking boots or shoes, and a bottle of water are essential. Don't forget some collecting bags and a sharp knife. Furthermore, you must develop your "morel" eyes to find them. Once you do you'll be able to spot them easily.
Morels tend to occur in groupings so finding one is a clue that more are nearby. They can be hard to spot initially especially if concealed beneath a leaf.
A good afternoon's hunt can yield several pounds.
Where is the morel in this photo? Hint...look at the very tippy-top of the photo just left of center. You'll see a thick, white stem and above that is a dark, crinkly cap - barely visible - nearly concealed by leaves.
Just a few minutes seeking and gathering yielded these nice morels.
Prospecting for morels with friends adds more eyes to the hunt and is a fun social activity. It's also safer to hunt in a group in case of accident or injury. If you choose to hunt alone always tell someone where you're going and when you expect to be back. Take a cellphone and hope for enough bars to make a phone call.
The next post will feature my own recipe for Morels in Shallot-Cream Sauce, then in following posts I'll review more of the lessons learned while living at the Cottage.
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