Long Time Ago: Growing Morels

by Dennis
(Millersburg, Ohio)

I was a old man of 13 years when I first indoor cultivated morels. I told my dad back then (1961) that I had figured out how to do this as a year round project. The key was simple, as morel mushrooms depend on a cold period to trigger the process of fruiting.

I used the now well known process of mixing a cultivating environment the little fellows like. The farms here in Ohio are great for mushroom hunting, and it was a process of mixing manure (cow), apple tree branches that were partially rotten, and soil mixed with a bit of sand and peat moss.

I collected the mushrooms of choice (the small to medium gray morels), because they are my personal favorite. They cook up well when butter and flour are used in a frying pan. The ultimate key was to dry and place the spring crop in the freezer compartment of my moms fridge. It only takes about 17 days by my experimenting. I taught several of my friends and we have been doing just fine for over 49 years. Definitly cheaper than the kits.