#morchella

[rebeccathenaturalist]

I am all for creative sushi, but not when the creator doesn't fully understand the ingredients. A sushi restaurant in Montana served people sushi with raw and very undercooked morel (Morchella spp.) mushrooms on it. Over fifty people ended up sick with gastrointestinal upset, and two people actually died. Other restaurants that served the same batch of morels, fully cooked, had no such issues, and there was no evidence that there was any mishandling of the morels that could have caused a bacterial or other contamination. So it's pretty clear that the raw morels themselves were to blame.

Yes, there are a few wild mushroom species you can eat raw, and only in small amounts). No, Morchella are not among them. Morels have a toxin in them that's neutralized by cooking; Paul Stamets theorized that it's hydrazine, but no one has been able to isolate hydrazine in a morel yet so that's not a done deal. Whatever it is, there's enough of it that it tends to give people nasty gastrointestinal upset when they eat raw morels, even in small quantities. This is the first I've heard of people dying from it.

It's not the only time I've heard of people dying from consuming a commonly-considered-edible mushroom, though. There were two separate incidents--2004 and 2009--in which several people who ate angel wing mushrooms (Pleurocybella porrigens) died of encephalopathy. Now, it did turn out that most of the people sickened had pre-existing liver and/or kidney issues. And a 2011 study identified an unstable amino acid, now named Pleurocybellaziridine, as the possible fatal factor that was found in large quantities in angel wings. It could be that the culprits were flushes of these mushrooms with abnormally high amounts of Pleurocybellaziridine. But you can't tell how much of a given metabolite a given mushroom has just by looking at it, and so that raises enough of an alarm for me personally that as a forager I just put angel wings on the "do not eat" list.

Will I continue to eat morels? Yes. The toxicity associated with raw morels has been known for a long time, and there have been no recorded issues with thoroughly cooked morels (the angel wings were also cooked, meaning the toxin is not thermolabile.) And as mentioned before, almost any edible wild mushroom is going to give you gastrointestinal issues if you eat it raw. The mushrooms you get at the store are a weird outlier that can be safely eaten raw. And by the way, button mushrooms, criminis, and portobellos are all the same species--Agaricus bisporus--at different stages of development.

This is why I emphasize in my foraging classes that you should always cook your wild mushrooms thoroughly, and if you're trying a new species for the first time only eat a small amount and then wait a few days to make sure you don't have any reactions. As the saying goes, there are old mushroom hunters and there are bold mushroom hunters, but there are no old, bold mushroom hunters.

[mbhfphotos]

Morel Mushroom Morchella sp.

Western Washington, April 26 2023 Photo Mary Howerton

[starry-tiger]

Funguary 2025: Chicken of the Woods, Morel, and Enoki.

[mushrooms-switzerland]

Spitzmorchel, Morchella elata 23.03.24

[aphermion]

One of my favorite parts of spring is finally here!

[drfirsnogayny]

Funguary 2025 Day 4

🌿 Week 1 🛋️ Morchella aka Morel

He/him

Usually a quiet and calm man, he and his brothers are engaged in the care of destroyed forests. He also works as a doctor for tree people

Previous day 🍄 Next day 🍄 All days

[borealis-fr]

Darling and her "friend" Morchella.

[smudgingpumpkins]

11.11.2023

Morchella

-Commonly known as the Morel mushroom-

Where: Worldwide, predominately in the Northern Hemisphere

Grows on the ground near dead or dying ash, elm, oak, aspen, and pine trees. Morels are more likely to grow in recently burned or disturbed areas.

When: March-May

This picture was taken by my friend Matt during his work trip around Patagonia, freshly picked a bit early for its season.

Morels are quite the culinary delicacy. I have never prepared wild ones on my own, so I am quite jealous that Matt and his coworkers got to enjoy them! (They prepared it on the pizza, which sounds nice but Matt reports that it may have muddled the morels' true flavor).

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Appearance:

Morels' caps are rounded and pointed, looking like a smushed honeycomb (ridges and deep pits). They can grow up to anywhere between 5-10 cm in height (or even bigger or smaller depending upon the exact species), and 1-3 cm in thickness.

Morel caps can be greyish, tan, or various shades of brown and the stems are an off-white or creamy color.

Taste:

Morels have an earthy, nutty, delicious umami flavor.

They are great to consume alone, either dried or freshly cooked, but of course, morels pair well with many dishes (especially, hearty grain meals): creamy grits, pastas, and rice! Spring vegetables such as asparagus, peas, and carrots complement the morel mushroom very well.

You should ALWAYS cook wild mushrooms for the safest outcome, even if you are sure the mushrooms you foraged are safe to eat.

This mushroom contains high amounts of vitamins D and B, and is rich in iron and manganese!

Medicinal Use:

Morel mushrooms have been utilized for centuries for all sorts of purposes across the globe. It has been spiritually interpreted as representing prosperity, abundance, and fertility . . . perhaps alluding to how morels grow in bountiful clusters within damaged or disturbed areas, which may appear to be miraculous.

Morchella contains some of the highest amounts of vitamin D out of any mushroom, which is great for healthy bone growth and a sturdy immune system. Research also shows there to be antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties--attributed to polysaccharides, phenolic compounds, tocopherols, and ascorbic acid--which are linked to reducing the risks of developing cancer cells, and heart and liver diseases.

Of course, these mushrooms do not substitute medical attention and prescriptions. Further research is needed, and these studies show that Morchella helps with acting as a possible preventative measure for health risks--it is not a cure.

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**False morels may be mistaken as true morels. The former may contain a toxin called monomethyl hydrazine, which causes vomiting, vertigo, and potentially death.

**False morels include: Verpa bohemica (Wrinkled Thimblecap), Gryomitra esculenta (Conifer False Morel), Helvella vespertina (Elfin Saddle), among others in these genera.

Figuring out the difference between true and false morels can be difficult. True morals are hollow on the inside, and uniformly have ridges and pits all over its cap. Typically, true morel caps are longer than the stem. False morel caps tend to look more "squished," be shorter, and have more lobed/wavy ridges. They are not hollow, being filled with tissues or fibers.

Here is a handy chart created by the Mushroom Appreciation website:

[secondhandbagofholding]

Morel Season 2023

[mbhfphotos]

My Backyard Morels Morchella importuna Western Washington, April 26 2023 Photos Mary Howerton

[starry-tiger]

Funguary 2025 - 4: Morel, feat Tuva!

[mushrooms-switzerland]

Neues aus der Morchel Saison, Update from the morel season

[funghimagazine]

Tornano i funghi primaverili – Aggiornamento funghi 14-03-2024

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] Tornano i funghi primaverili – Aggiornamento funghi 14-03-2024 Dopo le recenti abbondanti piogge, con l’aumento delle temperature, tornano i funghi primaverili. Già ottimi i ritrovamenti di Marzuoli/Dormienti, Morchelle, Prataioli e altre specie fungine tipiche dell’avvio della nuova stagione fungina. Aggiornamento funghi 14-03-2024 – Meteofunghi Finalmente ci…

[aphermion]

[karasartravelsfreequeboutique]

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[lindagoesmushrooming]

Morchella conica