The morel mushroom (Morchella esculenta) is one of the tastiest mushrooms around and next to the elusive truffle is the second most expensive in weight.

Morels are considered to be among the most prized edible wild mushrooms in the world, and I can see why. These distinctive mushrooms appear in early spring in the UK. Although not in abundance, and not for very long hence their rarity and price.

The morel has a meaty-like taste and is extremely rich and creamy in flavour. It is prized by gourmet cooks throughout the world and can be found on many a Michelin starred restaurants’ menu.

The morel is one of the easiest of the wild mushrooms to identify although there is one other mushroom that it can be mistaken for, the false morel (Gyromitra esculenta). From the outside, they appear to be almost identical but once you take a closer look and cut them in half, you soon know what’s what. The edible morel has a hollow cavern inside and is usually home to a few small insects, whereas the false morel is usually full of cotton like fibres and the cap is wrinkled rather than pitted as the true morels are.

Like most wild mushrooms, morels grow best where soil is warm and moist but not over-saturated, so a spot with good drainage is essential. In my experience, woodland close to a beach with slightly sandy soil is a good place to start searching. When picking, make sure to cut the mushroom at the base rather than pulling as this will uplift the root and prevent it from sprouting again next year. If you find yourself in the lucky predicament of just stumbling across these delicious mushrooms and you don’t have a knife, they can also be pinched at the base to avoid pulling at the root.

Once you’ve managed to find these elusive little buggers there are a few things you can do with them. Normally, they get eaten that day as the taste of a fresh morel really can’t be beaten, but if you find yourself with more than you can eat there is a few options.

As I mentioned earlier, morels are the second most expensive of all the wild mushrooms, so get yourself down to your nearest top quality restaurant and have a word with the chef, I’m confident that you will receive a handsome price for your efforts.

Although best used fresh, morels can also be preserved in many ways. Drying them is probably the best way of preserving the mushrooms, and this can be done in a few different ways; using a food dehydrator, in the air using a fan, in the oven and even in the sun. Although the oven method is used by many, I don’t think its the best way to go as it is quite easy to cook them rather than dry them and they tend to become rubbery and they don’t rehydrate properly when you come to use them.

Once dried, you will need to store your morels. In my opinion they are best stored in air-tight jars but can also be kept in paper bags.

As with most wild mushrooms, morels must be cooked before eating. As a general guideline, they need to be cooked for around 10-12mins if kept whole or 4mins on each side if you halve them. When found in sandy areas, they must be soaked and washed thoroughly. The more you wash them, the less chance there is of ending up with a mouth full of grit.

As well as being extremely tasty, the morel has been used in traditional Chinese medicine for centuries to treat indigestion and many other respiratory conditions.

Here’s a few shots from the latest mushroom adventures…

`Fresh Morel Mushroom & Mozzarella Pizza by Tatiana at the Marmalade Cookery School…

Any ideas, comments or general feedback would be much appreciated.

With the Marmalade Cookery School

Mushrooms aside, wild garlic or ramsons as they are otherwise known, have got to be one of my favourite foraged foods. It is available on my doorstep year after year and in great abundance too. There are a few impostors such as Convallaria majalis, or the Lily of the Valley, which is a poisonous woodland flowering plant native throughout the cool temperate climate of the UK, but If you’re unsure of what you’ve found, the real test is its smell. To make sure, I tend to crush the leaves and then you can really smell its garlicy scent.

Wild garlic grows in many different places and climates but here on Gower it tends to grow in early Spring in deciduous woodlands where the soil is moist, preferring slightly shady spots with slightly acidic soil conditions.

It can be chopped up and eaten raw, in fresh salads, or cooked in a variety of different dishes, including Tatiana’s Creamy Wild Garlic Soup. (See below)

Wild garlic has a very distinctive and unique flavour. It is best picked early in the season before the flowers begin to bloom, as by this time the leaves become tougher and slightly bitter in taste. It is better to pick loads when they are still young and freeze them for use throughout the rest of the year.

Aside from its culinary uses, wild garlic has many medicinal benefits including helping to control, or in some cases, eliminate problems faced by people with high blood pressure.

Here’s a few shots from our recent adventures plus Tatiana’s recipe for Creamy Wild Garlic Soup…enjoy!

If you fancy giving it a go, then here’s how…

Ingredients:

400g wild garlic, washed and chopped

2 onions, roughly chopped

2 sticks of celery, roughly chopped

1.4 L of good chicken stock

300ml of double cream

2 Tbsp olive oil

Sea salt

Freshly ground black pepper

4 slices of bread

2 handfuls of grated cheddar cheese

To make:

Get a heavy bottom saucepan, big enough to hold all the liquid, place it on a medium heat and add the olive oil.

Add your chopped onions and celery to the pan and gently fry until the onions start to become transparent.

Add your wild garlic and cook for a couple of minutes.

Once the wild garlic starts to reduce add the chicken stock and bring it to the boil.

Place the lid and cook for 10 minutes.

In the meantime turn your grill on. Divide the cheese into four and place it on the bread. Place i under the grill just until it melts.

Now take the pan off the heat and blend everything with your hand blender. Add the cream and season well with salt and pepper.

Serve immediately with your slice of bread tipped into it.

Simply Delicious!!!

If you fancy giving it a go, why not contact the Marmalade Cookery School and get baking…

These are some of the results…

Food Styling & Photography by Jon Lewin

Having been somewhat sceptical at first as to whether this would work, after about 2 days, I began to see the green shoots sprouting out of the discarded ends. Two weeks in and they are continuing to grow to my surprise. They certainly look the part, but the taste test will tell…

I would recommend that if you are going to give this little experiment a go, its advisable to change the water on a daily basis as the bulbs will start to rot if left in stagnant water.

The experiment continues…

Fresh local produce 7 days a week.

Photography by Jon Lewin

Food Styling & Photography by Jon Lewin

Food Styling & Photography by Jon Lewin

Food Styling & Photography by Jon Lewin.