My first recommendation is to eat them fresh. If you find you have too many and they may spoil before eating, you can sell them, give them away, dehydrate them or freeze them. In Michigan Morels go for $45 a pound and in Minnesota they are getting $30. The season typically last 3 weeks starting in early April and going to early June, depending where you are in the Mid-West.
Where to find the Morel Mushroom.
Okay, now for preserving them. I have tried several different ways to preserve Morel mushrooms over the years, and here is what I have come up with.
How Do You Dehydrate Morel Mushrooms?
You can dehydrate Morels in a dehydrator and then add them to soups, pastas, stews at a later time. I have also seen dehydrated Morels going for $20 an ounce, in stores that carry dried fruits, nuts, and mushrooms, so there is an option to sell them dried also.
How To Freeze Morel Mushrooms – A step By Step Guide
I have tried many different ways to freeze Morels and this is the only one I found to be okay. The key is in the amount of water they have before freezing. The water makes them mushy, so limit the water as much as possible. Do not clean and remove sand by soaking in water or salt water.
Step 1
If the bottom of the stem has dirt on it, cut this off. When picking, it’s better if you keep as much dirt out of the bag as possible, so trim your stem at this time.
Step 2
Cut your Morel mushroom in half, from top to bottom, leaving two identical pieces.
Step 3
Rinse them off quickly and briefly to remove sand and any insects. Shake them dry and place onto a paper towel and let them air dry. Try padding them down with paper towels to help remove water. Again, the key is to remove all the water if possible.
Step 4
Once the Morel slices (halves) are dry, place them on a cookie sheet, with room between each one, and place in the freezer until completely frozen. 1 hour should do it.
Step 5
Take a plastic container, such as a Cool Whip container, and place flour in it with a small amount of Lawry’s seasoning salt (for seasoning). Use enough flour to lightly cover the Mushrooms you place into this shake container. Use other containers to place your Morels into, once you have them covered with flour. I like to use multiple containers, so I’m not putting too many into one container. This also makes it easier when taking them out to cook. Now take a few out of the freezer and put them into the shaker container (container should already have your flour in it) and shake them up. Remove them from the shaker container and shake off any excessive flour and place them into your storage containers. Make sure each piece is covered with flour, if not shake again or add more flour. You do not want the Morel Mushrooms in your storage containers buried in flour, but just lightly covered. Just like when cooking fresh, you want very little flour as this takes away from the flavor and makes them cakey? So light on the flour and seasoning.
Step 6
Now place the containers into the freezer and leave until you are ready to cook them. When cooking them, do not thaw them out first, just put them in the fry pan frozen or cook as you would normally with them. I like to use a fry pan on low, with butter. Do not let the pan get too hot as this burns them, just cook them on low until brown.
