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    The Curious Morel
    The Curious Morel
    The Curious Morel
    Ebook168 pages1 hour

    The Curious Morel

    By Larry Lonik

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    About this ebook

    This new edition of The Curious Morel combines the best of Lonik's three books into one.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherStackpole Books
    Release dateSep 1, 2012
    ISBN9780811748971
    The Curious Morel

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      Book preview

      The Curious Morel - Larry Lonik

      Copyright © 2012 by Barry Lonik and Shelly Mazur

      Published by

      STACKPOLE BOOKS

      5067 Ritter Road

      Mechanicsburg, PA 17055

      www.stackpolebooks.com

      All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. All inquiries should be addressed to Stackpole Books, 5067 Ritter Road, Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania 17055.

      Cover design by Tessa J. Sweigert

      Cover photo by Tom Nauman

      Interior photos by Theresa Maybrier

      Printed in the United States

      10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

      Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

      Lonik, Larry James.

      The curious morel / Larry Lonik. — 4th ed.

      p. cm.

      Includes index.

      ISBN-13: 978-0-8117-1145-6 (pbk.)

      ISBN-10: 0-8117-1145-5 (pbk.)

      1. Cooking (Morels) 2. Morels. 3. Edible mushrooms. I. Title.

      TX804.L66 2012

      641.3'58—dc23

      2012008804

      eBook ISBN 978-0-8117-4897-1

      For my father

      If you can’t go first class … don’t go.

      Note on the 4th Edition

      Introduction

      Part One: The Morel: Fungus Amungus

      1 Why: Motives, Festivals, and Organizations

      2 What: Fungi, Mushrooms, and Morels

      3 Where: Topography

      4 When: Time and Weather

      5 How: Hunting, Hints and Precautions, Publications

      Part Two: So You Found Some Morels

      6 Drying, Freezing, and Canning

      7 Basic Recipes

      8 Main Dishes

      9 Appetizers and Side Dishes

      10 Sauces and Soups

      Index

      My brother Larry had a passion for morels. The joy and magic of being out in the woods as spring was finally breaking through and finding a bounty of nature’s best treats snared him in childhood and never left. He skillfully developed that passion into a series of books, videos, and personal appearances in which he imparted his lifelong knowledge of, and enthusiasm for, those delectable but evasive fungi. While he died much too young, it was after a successful day of morel hunting with good friends followed by a hearty meal of the day’s take and a libation or two. We should all be so fortunate.

      I’m thankful and honored that Stackpole Books approached me about revising and reprinting Larry’s classic, The Curious Morel. I hope it will help you gain (or renew!) your enthusiasm for tromping your favorite spot and bringing home the goods for all to share. Stay curious!

      Every May, the state of Michigan is invaded by an army of 600,000 fanatics who arrange their only vacation time from their regular employment so they can dress in old clothes, carry sticks and bags, wander deliberately but haphazardly away from cities and road, kick through brambles and swamps, brave cold and rain, battle mosquitoes and spider webs, keep to themselves, invariably prevaricate when confronted by other human beings, and hold festivals to celebrate their bizarre rituals. These people are drawn, zombielike, into orchards, fields, and forests, over rivers and hills, in search of tiny spongelike growths that are as unpredictable in habit as they are difficult to spot. License plates from as many as a dozen other states and Canadian provinces can be found on cars parked along two-rutted paths that are little more than bear trails in the middle of virtually nowhere.

      The reason? The air is cool and clean. The woods and meadows are alive with the sights and smells of beautiful wildflowers. The soil is fresh and rich.

      All of nature is shaking off the cobwebs of another long, continuing winter. Newborn animals and birds frolic innocently. The activity is healthy and invigorating. The search itself … the guessing … the perseverance … the luck … is thrilling. These things all add to the pleasure of this special, limited season, but the overriding draw is the delicious meaty flavor of the object of all this attention: the morel mushroom.

      Michigan has long been a target of morel fanciers, but in fact, morels can be found in most areas of the United States and Canada. Morels are an ideal first mushroom. Armed with basic knowledge of when to look, where to look, and what you’re looking for, you can be successful. The more you learn, the better the chances you will be more effective. Preplanning before the season is an excellent way to improve your odds. There is exercise involved. It can be strenuous or leisurely, but the activity is adaptable to many lifestyles and capabilities. Be forewarned and be ready.

      The Curious Morel details how to find morels wherever you live: where to look, when to look, festivals, clubs, and organizations that offer additional assistance and enjoyment. It explains what morels really are and how to differentiate them from other kinds of mushrooms. The state of Michigan is often used throughout the book as an example area. Most areas have organized hunting activities, literature, and, at least, morels themselves. With a little investigation and application, you’ll find all the information herein is accurate and practical for any area.

      The Curious Morel is also legends, lore, opinions, suggestions, advice, and pictures of morels and of other mushrooms that resemble morels. However, the most enjoyable section of this book, as the most enjoyable part of morel hunting, has to do with eating. Enjoyment of a hard-earned find is a pleasure to the palate. Dozens of recipes, many from fine restaurants and festival contests, are included to ensure ultimate exultation in your culinary endeavors, be they simple or sophisticated.

      You might wonder what stimulated me to invest nearly twenty years in research in order to present the proverbial everything you ever wanted to know about morel mushrooms. Well … not so very long ago I found myself talking to a fellow, a stranger, who seemed quite rational and mature until we got on the subject of morels. His eyes seemed to light up, his speech energetically intensified and his mannerisms became excitedly exaggerated. I found it quite fascinating. He had not missed a season since his father introduced him to morel hunting when he was only six years old. For richer and for poorer, in sickness and in health, for 30 consecutive years he was drawn, at times almost in a trance, to the fields and forests of Michigan. He lived and worked in the Florida Keys for two years but found excuses (admitting the real reason to no one but himself) to make the 30-hour drive to the Great Lakes state at the end of April. Even at the southernmost part of the United States—1,500 miles from melting snows and the end of winter hibernation—his inner calendar told him of the excitement that nature would soon present in his native state.

      He talked tirelessly of The Hunt with such enthusiasm that I was ready to slip into my hiking boots and ask a grocery store clerk for a dozen large bags. He showed me the long-strided low walk he claimed was the most efficient way to productively cruise a wood. It reminded me of Groucho Marx. If you keep a low profile, the morel caps will be outlined against the background. Eyes should focus ten to fifteen feet ahead while walking. He told me how the morels hid and sometimes even ran away, so when you found one you should keep perfectly still and quiet as you crouched next to it, carefully pinching it off just above the ground as you scanned the area. They almost always traveled in groups, he said, and one of the biggest thrills was trying to find where the captured morel’s buddies were. If you made noises, he warned me, they would scurry away in the camouflage. With systematic stealth, you had to comb the area, knowing they were nearby but not gonna go easily. Sometimes, he said, if you were really, really, really lucky you

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