For those of us who search for mushrooms in the Blue Ridge Mountains, April means it morel season, all month long. Of course, in our region, the two most popular and widespread members of the Morchellaceae family are the yellow and black morel. That’s why last April 14 while I was foraging on a Craig County mountain, I was excited to encounter half-free morels growing in the forest duff.
Bruce Ingram
Half-free morels growing on the side of a Craig County, Virginia mountain.
On close inspection, it’s fairly easy to identify Morchella semilibera. Typically smaller in both stem and cap size than the yellow and black species, half-frees feature a stem that connects to the brownish/orange cap at the latter’s half-way point. Another characteristic, which is also true with the yellow and black species, is that half-frees are hollow inside.
Like almost all wild, edible, mushrooms (and that includes yellow and black morels, too), half-frees should never be eaten raw as gastrointestinal issues could occur. My wife Elaine feels that morels excel in all manners of egg dishes; consider trying them in frittatas and omelets. We also relish them as toppings on venison burgers, for example.
This spring when you come across morels in a poplar or oak grove, consider looking a little closer and see if you can find half-free morels growing among them.
Bruce and Elaine Ingram will profile a different wild edible every month. For more information on their book Living the Locavore Lifestyle, contact them at bruceingramoutdoors@gmail.com.