I woke up this morning, and turned on the news, and saw not much promising on the planet except for maybe a few Americans flying around the moon.
Sometimes it’s just best for a few of us to get as far away from the wars, political backbiting, poor economic news, hate, crime and crazy road drivers as you can.
Thinking here maybe even Tiger Woods would be safer driving a golfcart instead of a vehicle on roads these days.
And let’s face it, going to the moon, most likely is not a bad idea. You can watch all this crazy stuff on earth from 238,855 miles away and relax better.
But maybe there was one more thing sitting quietly in the woods surrounded by mayapples that is far more promising here on earth, and I remember them well.
Maybe I’m getting ahead of myself here.
You do know what a mayapple is?
A mayapple is a plant of sorts that grows in the woods. As a youth and about this time of the year it was a good habit to go walking in the woods on the back road of Dargan to look for a few mayapples.
Do you know why?
Well, it is a ‘secret’ little plant that has a tendency to shade that tasty little morel mushroom sitting under some of those wide green leafy umbrella.
The morel is one of the tastiest mushrooms you will ever dine on, IF, you have the opportunity and know how to find a few to be fried in that old cast iron skillet you have hanging on your kitchen wall.
If you ever go looking for the morel in the woods, maybe a tip for you is to look for the mayapple first.
Why?
Because the mayapple often grows in the same area where the morel mushroom likes to hang out. The spreading leafy mayapples are found in the same moist rich soil of the woods, and by moving some of the umbrella-like leaves, a morel might just be smiling up at you.
Both the morel and the mayapple also enjoy the shadows of ash, elm and oak trees.
Many morels can be found under these leaves on a hillside where the morning sun warms these beauties.
As I scanned my morning Facebook page, there was a picture of 42 black morels proudly displayed by Mike Shumaker, a noble hunter of these local woods.
Mike knows for sure that location of mayapples and morels, but don’t be surprised if he has amnesia when you ask him where he found them.
Most likely his only response will be ‘in the woods.’
Mike’s mushrooms were all black in color. If you have never found a morel, you have to be careful looking for them in the woods. Some mushrooms are not edible, and should you try eating a morel raw, most likely you will get sick too.
A morel mushroom is really a fungus growing in the woods in the spring that appear usually black in the early season and changing to a ‘blonde, gray or yellow’ appearance later in the season.
They have a ‘honeycomb-like appearance’ and are ‘generally conical, oblong or globe-shaped’ with pores. When you bring them home, cut and clean them, these prized little delicacies are hollow on the inside.
It is best to soak them overnight in a little salt water to clean them before frying.
The morel usually grows anywhere from an inch to four or five inches in height.
If you find it difficult to navigate the up and down hills in mushroom territory, you may have the good fortune to purchase some of these tasty delights from those hunters of the woods.
But be prepared to pay $80 to $100 dollars for a gallon of them. Their taste is really, really, some kind of good!
After you clean and soak the mushroom, preparing them is relatively easy.
I like to cook mine in a black, cast-iron skillet; nothing fancy.
After soaking the mushrooms overnight; remove them from the water and dry them off. Put yourself some flour in a bowl or plastic bag and cover them gently with flour.
Heat yourself some butter in that nearby skillet and then gently lay the mushroom in the pan and slowly fry them. The smells from your stove will soon let you know that these morels will soon be making you happy.
As the morel gets a nice tan brown on one side, flip them over to complete the cooking.
And ‘wham’ slap them on a warm hot roll and you will have a most welcoming ‘delight’ like no other.
“Bon appétit” from Pete.
