Morel Mushrooms: May 2006

Sunday, May 28, 2006

Cultivation of Morchella (Morels), Patent Number 6,907,691

Press Release

Indiana Inventor Announces Morel Cultivation Patent

Mushroom-Growing Trees Now for Sale

LAFAYETTE, Ind., May 26, 2006 -- One day, the agricultural landscapes of the heartlands could feature more than traditional stalks of corn. Fields of the mushrooms known as morels may soon populate farmland across the country. Or better yet, a tree in your own yard could help you grow the tasty mushrooms.

Stewart C. Miller of Lafayette, Indiana, has patented a process to inoculate trees with the morel mushroom fungus. Under the right conditions and with the proper host, Miller says, anyone can become a morel farmer.

For centuries, morel (Morchella) mushrooms have attracted mushroom lovers because they are delicious, fun to hunt for, and provide a great way for families and friends to spend time together. Yet hunting for mushrooms has its drawbacks: Novice morel hunters need to take particular care in differentiating edible morels from poisonous ones. Miller's invention removes this guesswork. "Once you grow your own morels, you won't have to go hunting or enlist an expert to spot poisonous mushrooms," Miller comments.

Miller, who studied biology at Ball State University, became an avid morel mushroom hunter as a child. He began his research on growing morels while teaching biology in 1972. In May 1992, he made his big discovery, writing in his journal, "It's a simple symbiotic pact between the fungus and the tree!"

However, it took ten years to prove his theory. Using a high-tech microscopic camera, he photographed the morel fungus entering the root of an ash tree. He then inoculated elm trees with the fungus and successfully cultivated morels. Miller filed for his patent in 2002. Finally, in June 2005, Miller received "Cultivation of Morchella (Morels), Patent Number 6,907,691."

Morels, which look like sponges, prefer to live in other plants. The host plants grow faster and healthier with the fungus in their roots, and the mushrooms thrive in the moisture and warmth of the host. The magic occurs when the process of "symbiotic disruption" takes place: The tree begins to die and signals the fungus inside to withdraw and form hardened nodules underground.

"The death of the tree sends the morel fungus packing," states Miller. "In spring, the nodules swell with water and pop into big yellow mushrooms above ground. I envision bright fields of mushrooms across the country."

Those interested in raising the mushroom delicacy, the harvest season of which falls between March and June depending on climate and region, can order inoculated trees via http://www.Morel-Farms.com. Miller provides detailed instructions to ensure success.

Contact:

Stewart C. Miller
Morel-Farms.com LLC
Stewart@SCMiller.com
1-800-552-6550, ext. 224
http://www.morel-farms.com

Monday, May 22, 2006

Rooting Out the Wily Morel

May 21, 2006: ST. PAUL, Minn. - Deep down, every morel hunter believes in divine providence.
There’s nothing so providential as baskets overflowing with morels, and the taste is so divine hunters dream about it all winter.

Sunday, May 21, 2006

Just picked morels? How to preserve....

Just picked morels? Saving them for later?
What's for the best way to preserve?

Here's some advice gleaned from the experts:

Frank (michiganmorels.com)states: “Morels have a high moisture content and need to either be kept cool and moist or allowed to begin the drying process right away.”

Jason Edge (morelmasters.com) recommends taking ice-filled coolers in your vehicle, placing a few sheets of cardboard over the ice, then placing your mesh bags filled with morels on top of the cardboard—leaving the lid slightly open to allow air circulation. He says, “Never place morels in a trunk of a car unless you are less than five minutes from home. This is like putting ice cream in the sun!”

The late Larry Lonik suggests simply leaving store-bought ice in its bags to reduce moisture.

Once you arrive home, the morels should be sliced in half lengthwise, thoroughly rinsed in cool water (do not scrub), drained on a paper towel, then cooked or placed in the refrigerator. (Do not wash them if you’re going to preserve them by drying.) A few Roons recommend soaking morels in cold salt water for 30 minutes; however, most recommend simply rinsing. Nancy Smith Weber (author of A Morel Hunter's Companion) notes that there is little advantage to soaking, as it compromises flavor and increases cooking time. Salt may also slightly dehydrate the mushrooms.

If you’ve managed to not engage in gluttony and have some morels left over, they can be stored in the refrigerator. Jason reports that he has kept them in the fridge to two weeks, kept continually moist with a dampened paper towel. Carl and Marge Robinson (Carl is Mushroom King of Mesick) keep their morels in the refrigerator in a two-quart jar, and change the water every day. “They’ll keep for a coon’s age,” reports Carl— about a week, interprets Marge. Nancy reports that she has kept them for up to a week, but doesn’t recommend more than three to four days. If you don’t have time to clean them, store them in a paper bag in the refrigerator— remember, a plastic bag speeds up the rotting process.

Be sure to throw out any mushrooms whose identity you’re not 100 percent sure of and any showing decay; as with any other food, rotting mushrooms can make you ill. And Nancy points out, “Just as with other fruits and vegetables, bacteria on a spoiled specimen can spread in a few hours or overnight and contaminate an entire batch.”

---adapted from the Finding Morels eBook (www.morelmushroom.info/finding_morels.html)

Friday, May 19, 2006

Reports of a bumper morel crop this year

May 19, 2006: Wisconsin: Recent Wet Weather Encourages Growth Of Mushrooms

May 19, 2006: Indiana county lets mushroom hunters loose

May 19, 2006: LaPorte County parks roll out welcome mat. But picking ban still applies in other area counties.

May 18, 2006: IOWA- The fungus is more abundant among us - Morel hunters find bounty across the state

May 15, 2006: Nobody knows why morels do what they do

Tuesday, May 16, 2006

Nobody knows why morels do what they do

River Valley Outdoors: Monday, May 15th:

By JERRY DAVIS / Freelance Outdoors Writer

A morel mushroom’s life cycle is still partially a mystery, even to the country’s best mycologists, those men and women who study morels and other fungi.

Not knowing what activates some steps in the cycle is part of the reason why morels are so interesting.....

Sunday, May 14, 2006

More Morel News

May 11, 2006: On the hunt for mushrooms
May 10, 2006: Mushroom Season Sprouts in Michigan
May 10, 2006:Morel Madness Overcomes Hunters
May 7, 2006: Welcome City Slickers:tracking the elusive morel
May 7, 2006: Head to a forest to root out morels
May 7, 2006: What a Rush: After a Yukon fire,come the pricey prized morels
May 7, 2006: Bertrand Chemel's Morel Fricasse
May 7, 2006: Morel Mania Hits Henry
May 7, 2006: Morel hunting is a near futile venture
May 5, 2006: Early Spring Brings Fungal Delights
May 3, 2006: Man hits shroom jackpot
May 3, 2006: Haute Cuisine's Hunter-Gatherer
May 3, 2006: Mushroom hunter bags pot nursery
May 2, 2006: Morelmania
May 2, 2006: Rain? The morel the merrier
May 1, 2006: Forest Fruit: Elusive morel a northern delicacy
May 1, 2006: AK: Morels likely to be harder to find this year than last
May 1, 2006: It's morel season in Iowa<

Sunday, May 07, 2006

Morel Vacation in Michigan

Morels and More

For lovers of Nature, the Outdoors and Good Eating, a MORELS & MORE or FALL MUSHROOM MANIA Outing is ideal - a casual, informal, interesting good time enjoying Michigan's outdoors and some great food & wine that produce lasting memories.

MORELS & MORE Dates for this Spring: May 5-7, May 12-14 and May 19-21. Beginners and expert 'shroomers alike will enjoy this weekend of fun and good food.

Accommodations are generally in private vacation homes on-site, with back up lodging in the area. The cost is $179.00 per person - which includes two nights lodging, Friday night welcoming get-together, all meals, guided mushroom hunting plus mushroom facts and information, lots of fun - fittingly climaxed with Saturday night's wine tasting, featuring Leelanau Peninsula Wines, and delicious mushroom dishes as part of the a great dinner.

Groups of 6 or more are $169 per person; if no lodging required, $124 complete. For extended stays, extra nights' lodging is available at $25 per person.

OUR GUARANTEE - You'll love the Seasons! The Outings are Interesting & Informative, You'll meet Great People, have Lots of Fun and enjoy Good Food & Wine!