I *heart* Morels

I'm in agony right now.  I live down south.   In the middle of Florida. And its Morel season.  I can taste them.  Buttery. Kind of crunchy.  But I'm in Florida.  Central Florida.  There are no fried morel mushrooms for me here.  Button mushrooms, shiitakes even, but no morels *sad face*

The funny thing is that I used to hate them.  Loved to look for them but you couldn't get me to eat a single one.  They always smelled delicious to me as my Dad or Grandma fried them up.  I just couldn't bring myself to eat a sandwich full.  I finally grew to love the taste.  They remind me of fried eggplant almost.  But better because eggplants creep me out.

See the Morel?

I still think the best part about eating a Morel is finding it first.  Its challenging and fun to get outdoors after being cooped up all winter long.  It's finally warm but with a little bit of chill (especially in the woods).  You can expect to get rained on because that is just what the weather is like this time of year.  Wet and rainy.  Some mushroom years are better than others.  Its unpredictable.

Find one yet?

I usually always go with my Dad.  He knows the woods like the back of his hands.  I don't think I'd get lost because I have been to these same places many times but I also think its always a good idea to at least let someone know where you'll be and when to expect you back if your going to go alone.  I don't think I'd have as much fun if I didn't get to go with my Dad though.  So I never go alone.  Its kind of creepy in the woods.  Alone.  In the woods.  *too many scary movie references flash through my head*

Moving on...

See this...I have no clue what it is.

If you never been mushroom hunting don't just go about picking mushrooms willy-nilly and expect them to be edible.  The only ones I know reliably are Morels but I know some people go out and get hen of the woods or oyster mushrooms.  And they are delicious too but I wouldn't be able to point them out.  I know they grow on trees. 

The Professional

After picking a bunch they have to be cleaned.  They're weird and hollow inside and ugly creepy crawly bugs like to live there.  *Yuck*  Then you let them soak.  Go out and enjoy some flowers.  Come back prepare them for frying.  I've never had them any other way.

That's a lot of shrooms!

*drools*

Except I have none.

*cries*

If you have some you could follow this recipe.   I found it on Allrecipes.com and it looks just like the one I use.  Send me some?  Please?

Fried Morel Mushrooms

Ingredients

• 1 pound morel mushrooms
• 1/2 cup oil for frying
• 2 eggs
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1 (4 ounce) packet saltine crackers, finely crushed
• salt and black pepper to taste  

Directions

1. Clean the mushrooms carefully with a damp paper towel or a soft mushroom brush. Cut large mushrooms in half.
2. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. While the oil is heating, beat the eggs and milk in a shallow bowl. Coat the mushrooms in the egg and milk mixture, then toss them in the cracker crumbs. Carefully place the coated mushrooms in the heated oil. The mushrooms will cook quickly. Cook the mushrooms until they are golden brown on the bottom, then flip them over to brown the other side.
3. When the mushrooms are evenly browned, remove them from the pan to drain on a paper towel. Season with salt and pepper to taste.