A photograph of a younger boy hoisting an enormous morel mushroom the dimensions of his head has understandably gone viral. The picture was posted by Jeremiah Wixson to the Fb group Morel Mushroom Stories on Could 1 and includes a tailgate stuffed with large morels reportedly discovered alongside a fence line in Central Missouri.
“Good Lord,” one commenter wrote. “I believed that was a stack of firewood!”
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Morel mushrooms range in measurement relying on location and rising situations, starting from thimble-sized to the dimensions of a soda can. Few develop greater than 4 inches, making the morels in Wixson’s photograph true outliers. His haul on April 30 included a number of that seem near a foot lengthy and are larger in diameter than the smiling boy’s arm. The publish has garnered over 12,000 likes, 660 shares, and practically 800 feedback from foragers throughout the nation. Wixson didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark.
Greater isn’t at all times higher, particularly in terms of morels. A number of commenters famous that enormous morels might be buggy or overripe, a priority echoed by foraging specialists. However in keeping with wild recreation chef and skilled forager Rikki Folger, extra-large morels might be simply pretty much as good as smaller ones. They might simply require a bit of additional preparation earlier than cooking.
“You at all times need to soak morels of any measurement in icy salt water for about 10 to fifteen minutes to wash out all the bugs, rocks, and every part little that may get caught within the pores. These issues aren’t enjoyable to eat,” Folger tells Outside Life. “However when the morels are that massive, I additionally recommend slicing them in half to see what’s inside. Bugs and different creepy crawlies could also be holding out in there.”
Folger additionally says that when morels develop to large proportions, they’ll lose a few of their naturally spongy texture. She suggests stuffing or frying bigger morels.
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“You may additionally freeze-dry them and grind them as much as make a morel powder for seasoning dishes,” Folger provides. “Risotto can be one scrumptious possibility for these morels.”
No matter Wixson and his younger helper plan to do with the monster morels they foraged, it’s a very good factor they’ve photographic proof.
