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Yesterday, I hung out with my friends and master foragers--AB and Max. This time we searched for wild Morel mushrooms. Morels are members of the Morchella genus of edible wild mushrooms. In Vermont, it includes at least three species: the black morel, the yellow or white morel and the giant or bigfoot morel, which pop up each spring in that order. All three feature an elongated cap that has a distinct, honeycomb-like pattern of pits and ridge, which is supported by a whitish stem that is attached directly to the bottom of the cap and is almost as wide. The caps range in color from burnt-brown to light tan, depending on the species. The easiest way to identify morels is to slice them in half lengthwise. True morels have a hollow, tubular stem and cap, whereas false morels are filled with a pithy, cotton-like material. False morels also have a more rounded and wrinkled cap, without the honeycomb pattern, and the stem extends up inside the cap, which surrounds it like a skirt.
It was a little late in the season but, after a very buggy hike we had some success. We found one small mushroom pretty early on. A few minutes later we spotted five or six very large mushrooms right in front of us. JACKPOT! Once I knew what the mushrooms looked like, I had more success. We scanned the forest floor for about an hour or so before heading back to the car for a beer. Ahh...Vermont. You never cease to amaze me. We finished off the day with a grilled burger made with pickled ramps and brie. Yum.
One of Allison Bannister's hobbies is foraging for food. She and her fiance Max are really good at it! They seem to find all of the right spots at just the right time of year that yield the most food. Allison and I had a quick visit on my way home from work yesterday. She was in the midst of cutting up a bunch of ramps, (which I learned are a type of wild leek) that she planned to pickle. She had a giant paper bag filled with fiddleheads as well. She will pickle some and share/eat the rest immediately. I left with my own paper bag filled with fiddleheads. When I got home, I rinsed them twice and prepped them to be cooked. After 6 or 7 minutes on the stove they were ready to be eaten. I added a bit of butter, salt and pepper and served them with some fish. It was such a yummy spring meal! Who doesn't love free food straight from the ground. Cool. Thanks AB. 
In other news, my potted green beans are well on their way! I can see the tippy top of the basil and the slightest hint of growth from my cherry tomato seeds. The rest of the pots are still sleeping. I'm patient though. It will be warmer soon. I trust I'll have lots of food to share this summer.
