Muer mushroom (Chinese black wood mushroom) has long conquered the market. And all thanks to a mass of useful properties. Legend has it that the mushroom appeared on the tree where Judas, who betrayed Jesus, hanged himself. People saw the resemblance to the ear and called it Judas’ Ear.

What kind of mushroom is the muer.

Only in its native land is this delicacy called muer, in other countries it is “wood ear”, “Judas ear”. In Japanese it translates as “tree jellyfish. It was originally in Japan as part of dishes served at imperial receptions. The tiger lily combined with muer was considered the height of sophistication.

The Chinese, as lovers of various exotics, have been using the mushroom since antiquity. Later, trading with the East, European countries such as Scotland, Ireland and Germany began to buy the product.

What it looks like.

This black woody mushroom is thin and fragile, resembling oyster mushrooms. At first glance, it looks like a charred paper or abalone in front of your eyes. Auricularia auricularis grows close to the tree, as its stalk is short. The stiff flesh is very thin and translucent.

The mushroom is rough on the outside and smooth on the inside. It is up to 10 centimeters in size. As it dries, it slightly decreases in size and hardens. The spores are white and elliptical in shape.

Actually, muir has 2 species: hairy and ear-shaped. But it is the second one that is best known, it is more attractive in appearance. The first has a fluffy gray-brown top with gray-white flesh.

Where it grows.

Mushrooms are most often found in the forests of China, Thailand, Vietnam, and less often in eastern Russia. They prefer trees of the alder family: oak, alder, maple, elderberry. Muir is parasitic on weakened and dead trees. Rarely grows alone, usually it is a sprawling colony.

What does muir taste like.

It is a mushroom with a sweetish, crispy flesh and a slight smoky smell. Because of its neutral flavor, muer is great with many foods. It is added to cold salads and appetizers, first and second courses, it is not prepared as a main dish due to the same taste neutrality.

Composition and calories.

Mushrooms are not inferior to meat in protein content and can replace it. Mungbean can be included in dietary diets because it is low in calories (30 kcal) and has a number of vitamins (C, D, group B), amino acids, calcium, potassium, phosphorus will prevent avitaminosis.

Useful properties of Muer mushrooms

Due to the presence of protein, vegetarians and people leading a healthy lifestyle can consume this product in any meal without hesitation. In terms of iodine, which is essential for the normal functioning of the thyroid gland, it is not inferior to seaweed, seaweed si beuka and chuka. In addition, it is a good natural antioxidant that helps to eliminate free radicals.

Nicotinic acid helps the body more quickly regenerate and renew itself. The enzymes in muera prevent the formation of blood clots. Polysaccharides increase immunity, reduce the likelihood of cancer.

Mushrooms are useful for diabetes, anemia, obesity, hypertension because they reduce cholesterol, and improve heart and vascular function. Heparin prevents blood clotting and fights blood clots. Frequent consumption of muir relieves irritation of the stomach mucosa and normalizes its acidity. The product will help to cope with edema and premature aging.

Harms and contraindications

The mushroom is not toxic, you can not get mixed up with poisonous counterparts. But such a specimen also has its disadvantages.

• Muir is dangerous and contraindicated for people with liver diseases.
• In allergic people, it can provoke a strong reaction in the form of skin dermatitis and eczema.
• The mushroom is contraindicated in children because the body at this age lacks the enzymes that allow it to digest chitin.
• Not recommended for pregnant and lactating women.
• Keep in mind that in the wild, mueres can absorb substances that will cause poisoning and eating disorders.

The medicinal uses of Muer mushrooms

Eastern medicine is famous for its desire to use as many natural resources as possible for various medicinal tinctures, ointments.

• The remedies made from moer treat skin diseases and also have a healing effect.
• Since ancient times, knowing the useful properties of the delicacy, Chinese healers treated diseases of the throat and eyes with it. It was used as a mild antibiotic, affecting the upper respiratory tract.
• The mushroom, having absorbent properties, can be an alternative to activated charcoal in severe poisoning. It is used for the prevention of diseases of the digestive tract.
• Muer is used even in the recovery period after chemical and radiation therapy.
• Auricularia fights blood clots and prevents their formation.

How to choose and store muir properly

Most often the mushrooms are sold in dried form in oriental spice stores at quite reasonable prices. It is important that they be dry, with no moisture on the package. An even black or dark gray color is ideal. But more often you will find light-colored varieties on sale.

The product is not good if white and green spots are visible. Most likely, at some stage of packaging or transportation, moisture got into the bag and mold formed.

If dried mushrooms are stored in a dry place, the shelf life can reach 5 years. If, however, after cooking some amount of soaked mushrooms remained, it is advisable to use them within 2-3 days.

How to cook mushrooms Muer: recipes

It is a fact that this delicacy has almost no mushroom flavor, but it can be fried, boiled, pickled. You can add it raw to salads. Before cooking, you need to soak for a few hours, because the mushrooms are sold in dried form. Combines with many products. So, now to some recipes.

Cold snacks

Cold muir appetizers are famous in restaurants in Japan and are in great demand, so they are served in many Chinese restaurants both at home and around the world. In China, the delicacy is served before the first course.

More often than not, appetizers include ginger, garlic, cilantro, and rice black vinegar. The combination of such ingredients awakens the appetite and helps digestion.

Thanks to its unusual presentation and taste, the type of such appetizers has caught on in Russia as well.

They are easy to prepare, budget-friendly, and therefore everyone can indulge in the delights of oriental cuisine.

For a cold appetizer of “Chinese ears” you need:

• dried mushrooms – 5 pcs;
• black soy vinegar – 1 tbsp;
• light soy sauce – 2 tbsp;
• sesame oil – 1 tsp;
• sugar – 1 tsp;
• garlic – 3 cloves;
• cilantro – 3 sprigs;
• ginger – 3 circles;
• salt, chili pepper to taste.

First, you need to prepare the mushrooms so that they thaw and regain their elasticity. This can be done in two ways:

• Soak them in warm water overnight.
• Soak for half an hour, then blanch for 5 minutes in boiling water, put aside on a sieve, rinse with cold water.

While the muers are cooling, knead the sauce. Mix sesame oil, black rice vinegar, light soy sauce, and sugar, once dissolved, the dressing is ready.

Peel garlic, cut skin off ginger, rinse cilantro and chili. Chop the ginger and garlic as finely as possible. Finely chop herbs and coriander stalks. Cut off a few rings of chili pepper. The more the pepper, the spicier the dish.

Squeeze the mushrooms, cut off the fleshy part, and slice into straws. It’s up to you whether you want them wider or thinner.

Transfer the sliced mushrooms to a salad bowl. Dress with the dressing. Add chopped ginger, garlic, chilies and cilantro. Stir and cover with clingfilm. Put in the fridge to soak and cool.

Stir again, garnish with the rest of the sauce, pepper and cilantro when placing on a plate. And you can proceed to the tasting.

Pasta with Mushrooms and Chicken Breast

To prepare the dish you will need:

• Muir – 15 g.
• Chicken breast – 3 pcs.
• Pasta – 130 g.
• Smoked paprika, ground black pepper, hop suneli – all by tsp.
• Onion – 1 pc.
• Vegetable oil.
• Corn starch – 2 tsp.
• Milk – 50 ml.

Cooking:

• Pour boiling water over the mushrooms for an hour.
• Cut breasts into sticks, finely chop garlic, onion, grate carrots. Transfer the ingredients to a bowl, pour the milk, add the starch, salt, spices. Everything should marinade.
• After increasing “ears” 7-8 times, rinse under the tap and coarsely chop.
• Next, in vegetable oil, stirring, fry the chopped breasts. Boil the pasta and strain it in a colander. Then mix it with breasts and mushrooms. Braise all this for another 5-7 minutes, and then you can serve.

Eggplant with mushrooms in sesame sauce

The composition of the dish includes:

• Eggplant – medium size.
• Red peppers – medium size.
• Muir mushrooms – 20 g.
• Soy sauce – 4 tbsp.
• Sesame paste – 3 tbsp.
• Rice vinegar – 2 tbsp.
• Sugar – 5 tsp.
• Starch – 3 tbsp.
• Garlic – 4 cloves.
• Hot water – 150 g.
• Vegetable oil or olive oil for frying.
• Cilantro and green onions to taste for decoration.
• Salt – to taste.

Cooking:

• Wash peppers, eggplant, green onions, peel garlic. Pour boiling water over the mushrooms and put on low heat for 15-20 minutes.
• Cut the eggplant in large cubes, salt it so that it is not bitter.
• Coarsely chop peppers. Grate garlic on a fine grater. Remove the ears from the pan.
• If there is no sesame paste, you can make your own from sesame and vegetable or olive oil. To do this, first roast raw sesame on a dry hot pan, stirring and not overcooking, so that it does not burn later in the paste. Grind in a coffee grinder or blender, mix with olive oil. This mixture can be kept in a tightly closed container for about 2 weeks. Ready sesame paste contains vitamins E, C, A, B group, amino acids, as well as phosphorus, iron, calcium, zinc, copper, Omega.
• Chop the mushrooms, removing the hard parts. Wash eggplant, dry on paper towel, sprinkle with starch. Fry evenly. Quickly roast the bell peppers on high heat. Toss both vegetables on paper towels.
• Pour vegetable oil into a heated frying pan, toss and stir constantly the garlic, white part of the green onions, sugar, soy sauce, rice vinegar, and sesame paste. Add mushrooms, stew for 2 minutes, followed by peppers and eggplant. Pour in water. Bring to the boil, simmer for a couple of minutes, stirring. Serve with a sprinkle of coriander and spring onions.

This dish is delicious both hot and cold.

Soup with wood mushrooms

Ingredients for four servings:

• Mushrooms – 15 g.
• Chicken fillet – 400 g.
• Water – 1 liter.
• Peanut butter – 15 g.
• Ginger – 25 g.
• Wine – 50 ml.
• Soy sauce – 60 ml.
• White pepper – 1g.
• Garlic shoots.

How to cook:

• Wash the fillets, coarsely chop them, put them in a pot, pour water, put on the fire and bring to a boil. Cook until fully cooked.
• Peel the ginger and finely chop. Chop the garlic shoots coarsely.
• Heat the peanut oil. Fry ginger for two minutes. Transfer to the broth, pour the wine and soy sauce. Cook for another 5-10 minutes. Remove from heat. The soup is ready.

Pork fries with mushrooms.

Ingredients:

• Pork – 150 g.
• Muir mushrooms – 25 g.
• Onions – 150 g.
• Vegetable oil for frying – 0.5 liters.
• Soy sauce – 20 grams.
• Monosodium glutamate – 2 g.
• Wine or brandy – 10 g.
• Vinegar – 5 g.
• Starch – 75 g.
• Ginger – 5 g.
• Garlic – 10 g.
• Salt to taste.

How to cook:

• Slice the pork into 3 mm thick and about 3 cm long. Put it in a bowl and salt it. Pour in a couple of spoons of water, wine. Add the starch, sodium glutamine, triangular sliced onion and sliced mushrooms.
• Separately mix soy sauce, vinegar, sodium glutaminate, salt and water-diluted starch.
• Grill each piece of pork until crispy.
• Drain almost all the oil, leaving some to fry the onions, mushrooms, garlic, and ginger. Stir in and stir in the spices. Braise until thickened. Then put the roast pork. Thoroughly mix everything. Serve hot.

Wood mushroom appetizer with funchosas

For the dish you will need:

• Mushrooms – 20 g.
• Funcho – 120 g.
• Carrots – 1 medium.
• Onion – 1 medium.
• Smoked chicken fillet – 250 g.
• Garlic – 3 cloves.
• Cucumber – 1 medium.
• Vegetable oil – for frying.
• Salt, sugar, soy sauce.

Recipe:

• Soak the mushrooms beforehand. Shred the onions in rings. Grate carrots on a coarse grater. Coarsely chop the mayonnaise. Fry these vegetables in a pan with oil, stirring. Shred the chicken. Boil the hazelnuts. Grate cucumber.
• Cool the noodles and vegetables and mix together. Season with soy sauce, minced garlic and spices.
• Put in the fridge for a couple of hours. This dish is perfect for the festive table.

Funcho with muer, beef in coconut milk

This delicacy is suitable for fans of sour-sweet dishes.

Ingredients:

• Muir – 40 g.
• Beef – 350 g.
• Coconut milk – 200 ml.
• Funcho – 250 g.
• Onion – 1 medium.
• Red pepper – 1 pc.
• Salt, pepper – to taste.
• Greens – for decoration.

Step-by-step recipe:

• Soak the mushrooms for 3 hours. Cut the meat into strips, fry in a pan with seasoning, add the onion sliced in half rings. “Shred ears, peppers into strips, send to the pan. Pour in coconut milk and salt. Cook over low heat, stirring, for about 20 minutes.
• Boil for about 4 minutes with the funchos. Drain the water and transfer to the meat. Sprinkle with herbs.

How to grow muir at home

Make two cuts in the bars and prepare them by soaking them in water for a week. Then the mycelium of the fungus is placed on these branches. Deciduous species of trees are suitable for this purpose, muers do not grow on conifers in nature. It is best to use a meter branch with an average diameter of about 15 centimeters.

Planted usually in spring, in April or May. Mushrooms germinate for three months at an average temperature of 20 degrees. After sprouting, the logs should be moved to a place protected from the sun.

If the summer was humid and warm, the first crop will appear at the end of the season. Muir can be harvested when white pores appear at the bottom of the cap. Under favorable conditions, the mushrooms will bear fruit for about 6 years.

Interesting Facts.

• Muir increases almost tenfold when exposed to water. This fact comes in handy when cooking. “Xiangu” is the only species that enlarges slightly, only three times, and looks like an umbrella.
• Mushrooms sound very unusual in different languages: in Vietnamese “mok nhi”, in Mandarin “mu-er”, in Catalan “van yee”.
• Stores sell “ears” in boxes similar in size to matchboxes.
• The smell of smoky when dried disappears after soaking.
• The older the muer, the harder it becomes. The color also changes. Young mushrooms are purple, older mushrooms are brownish-purple.
• The Chinese mushroom is a blood thinner than medicines. It even helps with stomach upsets by having an astringent effect.

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Early spring mushroom is very porous, absorbs as a sponge useful and toxic substances. The mushroom is considered conditionally edible, as it requires careful heat treatment before being eaten.

The morel mushroom: what it looks like, where it grows, and when to pick it

The morel (Morchella) belongs to the family Morel family, class Pecicomycetes. A poorly studied genus, it is a complex with no clear species boundaries. The known species are not completely independent. Some of them are subspecies or different names of the same species.

What do they look like

Massively fruiting, a typical representative of the genus the real morel grows up to 15 cm. The fruiting body consists of a fused cap and stalk, which stand out visually.

The ovoid or rounded-spherical cap is irregular, roughly cellular. It is colored gray, various shades of brown, sometimes orange. Ribs of cells formed by crinkles, grooves, lighter than the general background.

Stalk, fused edges with the cap – white-yellow, emarginate, extended to the fungus. The nicely smelling flesh of the mushroom is thin, brittle, waxy.

Where it grows.

The mushroom grows in the temperate zone of the Northern Hemisphere, and is common in European forests, the United States, and Australia. In Russia and the CIS countries it is widespread evenly, except for the regions of the Far North.

The mushroom prefers moist, calcareous, sandy soils:

• deciduous and mixed forests;
• old growth fires;
• Prosek;
• glades, glades;
• edges of fields;
• foothills of mountains;
• parks, orchards, vegetable gardens.

Fungi form a symbiosis with the roots of higher plants – ash, birch, aspen.

Species

The most popular species of morels:

Conical
The elongate conical cap of the mushroom is 3-9 cm high, 3 cm in diameter, tightly adhering to the stalk. The surface of the hollow cap is cellular-ribbed with dark septa that stand out against the yellow-brown background.

The velvety cylinder-shaped hollow stem narrows or widens toward the ground. The color is white to hazel, the surface is covered with longitudinal grooves.

The saprophyte grows singly and in families on sandy, marshy soils, edges, glades, in coniferous, mixed and floodplain forests.

Edible
A large, pleasant-tasting member of the morel family has a fleshy, hollow fruiting body. The ovoid or globular cap is 3-8 cm in diameter and up to 7 cm high, yellow or brown in color. The surface is wrinkled, with a honeycomb-like cell structure.

The hollow 7-cm stalk darkens over time and becomes powdery. Conical morels are common in forest fires, glades with humus soils.

Tall
The tall mackerel differs from the conical mackerel in its large size and dark color. The cap, covered with olive-brown triangular cells, reaches a height of 10 cm. The top of the cylindrical, granular stalk, up to 15 cm high, is almost equal to the diameter of the cap (3-5 cm).

The mushroom belongs to the rare species of morels. Sometimes found in forests, more often in the open – on edges, glades, in gardens, vegetable gardens.

Semi-Free
The cap, 3 cm in diameter, descends in a cone along the white (creamy) stem by 4 cm and does not adhere to it at the ends. The surface is mottled with sinuous vertical grooves and transverse ribs blackening over time. The color of the cap varies from olive to dark brown.

Occurs in birch forests, aspen forests, oak groves, city parks, and gardens. Widespread along the beds of rivers and streams.

Mushroom cap.
The name of the mushroom is due to the shape of the cap, which looks like a wrinkled, vertically-folded cap that is attached to the stem only by the upper part. The cap is up to 5 cm high and up to 4 cm wide, changing color with age from chocolate to ochre-yellow.

The white, scaly stem is 7-10 cm high and more often curved, flattened from the sides. The pleasant-smelling flesh is thin and brittle.

The mushroom cap grows in clumps on depleted waterlogged soils.

Steppe
A rare delicacy, the morel resembles a white mushroom in taste. The fruiting body reaches a quarter of a meter in height and weighs 2 kg. Most of the body is occupied by a grayish-brown, ball-shaped cap covered with narrow cells.

The short two-centimeter stalk, in contrast to the hollow cap, has only small cavities.

The species’ range is steppes, forest-steppes of southern arid regions.

Thick-footed
The species owes its name to its thickened, notched stalk, which grows to a height of 30 cm.

The oval or cone-shaped cap is yellowish or brown in color. The species is found in broad-leaved forests.

Spongy
A hollow mushroom that settles on seashores (dunes), it does not grow taller than 10 cm. It is distinguished from other species by its spherical cap with large, deep cells with a shape close to a circle.

Delicacy
The height of the fruiting body does not exceed 15 cm. The mushroom is similar in appearance to the cone-shaped mushroom. It is distinguished by its larger, vertically elongated cells and pale color – gray with a greenish or brown hue. The species got its name for its excellent taste.

When to harvest

Early spring mushrooms appear just after the snow melts. In southern and central regions, harvesting begins in late March, April, and ends in June, sometimes in the first half of July. In northern regions, some species form fruiting bodies only in May.

If the autumn is warm, the second period of fruiting begins, which occurs in September, the first half of October.

What does it taste like.

Quiet-hunting enthusiasts who don’t miss picking the earliest mushrooms claim that their taste is for aficionados. For some, the product seems delicious, while others flatly reject it.

The pulp of the morels does not have a distinct mushroom odor. It is pleasant, spicy with a nutty, earthy aftertaste. Especially excellent gastronomic qualities have delicatessen, steppe morels.

What is the difference between the morels and the strop

The two species of representatives of the mushroom kingdom have differences in appearance, consumer properties.

Unlike the edible morels, the grosbeak contains in its composition the poison hyromitrin, which is difficult to destroy even with prolonged heat treatment.

The cone-shaped, shapeless cap of the deadly species resembles a turban dressed on a swollen short stalk sunk in the forest floor. Whereas the morel, this part of the fruiting body resembles a bee’s honeycomb, the stinger’s hat resembles the kernel of a walnut or the brain of a walnut. In edible species, the cap is ochre-yellow, gray or brown; in poisonous species, it is more often dark (brown, brown-red, brown).

Representatives of different species can be distinguished from each other by the stalk. The morel mushroom has a hollow stem, while the shingle is filled with septa.

Composition and calories

100 g of low-calorie product contains half the daily allowance of cobalamin, more than 60% iron, copper.

In addition, the mushroom contains:

• PP, B vitamins (especially a lot of riboflavin, pyridoxine, pantothenic acid);
• Micronutrients – manganese, zinc, selenium;
• Macronutrients – phosphorus, potassium, magnesium, calcium, sulfur, sodium;
• saturated and unsaturated (Omega-6, 9) fatty acids;
• dietary fiber;
• natural sugars;
• Campesterol.

The energy value of 100 g of the product is 31 kcal. BZU are 3.1, 0.6, 2.3 g, respectively.

What are morels mushrooms useful for the human body

Useful actions of representatives of the genus morels:

• Mineralize bones, teeth;
• Strengthen the muscles of the eyes;
• increase hemoglobin levels;
• improve carbohydrate, lipid metabolism;
• Participate in hematopoiesis, normalize blood flow;
• Accelerate absorption, assimilation of nutrients;
• Strengthen the immune system;
• support the vestibular apparatus;
• Bind, remove toxins;
• Prevent the development of fetal malformations in pregnant women:
• stimulate lactation;
• Accelerate healing of muscle, cartilage tissue injuries;
• normalize blood pressure;
• regulate water-salt, acid-base balance;
• activate the synthesis of insulin;
• Increase elasticity of joints.

Antioxidants in mushrooms bind, remove free radicals, prevent the formation of malignant tumors, support heart and liver function, and prolong youthfulness.

The use of mushrooms in folk medicine

The antioxidant, diuretic, antiviral, and anti-inflammatory actions of the morel are known and used in folk medicine.

How to apply:

For the treatment of myopia, hyperopia, cataracts
Dry 150 g of mushrooms, grind into powder, pour a glass of vodka. Keep the tincture in a dark cool place for 14 days.
Take the remedy for 30 days in the mornings and evenings after meals in the amount of a teaspoon. For greater effect, wash the tincture with sour juice, morsels.

For joint ailments.
Combine, mix a handful each of flowers of willow, honeysuckle, rosemary. Add to them 100 grams of morels (fresh), beaten in a blender. Pour the mixture in 600 ml of vodka. After 2 weeks, tincture, relieve inflammation, pain, rub into painful joints.

To treat chronic thyroid disease (thyroiditis)
To prepare a tincture, you will need 150 g of fresh, 50 g of dried mushrooms, 500 ml of vodka. Until the condition improves, take the medicine on an empty stomach, 5 ml.

To improve lactation, digestion, treatment of intestinal disorders
Soak the mushrooms in salted water, boil for 30 minutes in a large volume of liquid. Mushrooms (20 g) grind, pour a glass of water. Tom on minimum heat for half an hour. Decoction infused for at least five hours, take before eating 4 times a day 50 ml.

Harms and contraindications

The product is contraindicated in the presence of:

• pancreatitis;
• individual intolerance to the product;
• allergies;
• inadequate blood clotting;
• gastric ulcer, duodenal ulcer;
• gastritis;
• duodenitis;
• pyelonephritis;
• hepatitis, cirrhosis of the liver.

The harm to the body of morels is caused by insufficient heat treatment. Poisons contained in the mushrooms cause severe food poisoning.

Where to buy and how much they cost

Mushrooms are sold through food bases, markets, large chain stores and online sites by individuals, farms, and large agribusinesses.

The average price of fresh mushrooms – 500 p. per 1 kg, dried – 1000-2000 p.

How to prepare morels for cooking

To keep yourself safe from food poisoning, prepping is essential:

• Pick the morels and remove any debris from the forest. Cull the crumbled and rotten specimens. Wash away sand, soil.
• Soak the mushrooms in cold salted water, laying them with their heads down. After 30 minutes, drain the brine, rinse the product.
• Fill the soaked morels with water. After boiling, add salt, boil for 10 minutes.
• Change the water. Boil again for another quarter of an hour.
• Rinse the mushrooms in a colander, rinse thoroughly under running water.

When picking, put only young mushrooms with white stems in the basket, as old ones accumulate a lot of toxins. They are difficult to neutralize even with prolonged heat treatment.

What you can make with morels: recipes

From morels boil delicious soups, make cutlets, julienne. The product is stewed in sour cream sauce, fried, baked in the oven under cheese with potatoes, pickled.

Mushrooms flavor sauces for meat, fish. Pasta and risotto are prepared with them. Baking with morels – pies, kulebyaki, pies – acquires a special flavor.

Soup

To make 4 servings of flavorful mushroom soup, you will need:

• 300 g morels;
• 60 g butter;
• 100 ml of sherry;
• 700 ml of chicken broth;
• 100 g cheese;
• 4 onions;
• 2 tbsp. sugar;
• 100 g white bread;
• salt;
• ground cloves, nutmeg.

How to boil:

• Pour 250 ml of water over the prepared, coarsely chopped mushrooms. Add cloves, salt, boil for 5 minutes over low heat.
• Peel and slice onions into half rings. Saute in a saucepan in butter. Pour in sugar, continue cooking for 10 minutes.
• Pour in the sherry, stew until the wine smell is gone.
• Add 700 ml of chicken broth, simmer over low heat.
• After half an hour, pour the mushroom broth with the morels, salt, introduce the nutmeg into the dish. Bring to a boil, remove the container from the stove.

Fry slices of white bread in butter. Cut the croutons into round shapes. Sprinkle each one with grated cheese, put in a preheated 180 degrees oven for 5 minutes. Serve the soup with the croutons.

Mushroom Cutlets

Nourishing original cutlets can feed the family by serving the dish for lunch or dinner.

Ingredients:

• 250 g of morels;
• 50 g sour cream;
• 400 g loaf;
• 2 eggs;
• breadcrumbs;
• salt;
• butter, milk to taste.

How to make:

• Rinse the mushrooms, soak for half an hour in salted water. Cut into pieces, boil for a quarter of an hour, rinse thoroughly in running water.
• Soak the loaf in milk. When it softens, squeeze, pass with the morels through a meat grinder.
• Peel the onions, chop them in small cubes. Fry until golden, add to the stuffing.
• Beat the egg, salt, knead.
• Whisk the second egg in a bowl with a fork. In another bowl pour the breadcrumbs.
• Form the cutlets. Each dip first in egg, then roll in breadcrumbs.
• Place the croquettes in a hot frying pan with vegetable oil. Fry until cooked on both sides.

Serve mushroom cutlets with sour cream, mashed potatoes, fresh vegetable salad.

Pasta with morels

To prepare an Italian dish with Russian morels, prepare:

• 300 g of mushrooms;
• 300 g noodles;
• glass of cream;
• 2 tbsp. each of soy sauce and tomato sauce;
• 80 ml each of olive oil, white wine;
• 1 onion;
• salt, paprika.

Cooking steps:

• Put a pot of water on the stove. When it boils, pour in the noodles.
• Remove the husk from the onion, cut into cubes, fry in oil.
• Add washed, soaked and boiled mushrooms to the pan.
• After 5 minutes, pour in the wine. When it has evaporated, add the cream, sauces, and seasonings. Simmer over low heat for 10 minutes.
• Toss the finished noodles in a colander and arrange in portions on plates. Pour over the sauce with the morels.

This exquisite dish takes only 20 minutes to prepare.

Mushrooms in sour cream sauce

Fried mushrooms in sour cream have a delicate flavor and subtle aroma.

Set of products for 2 servings:

• 1 kg of morels;
• 150 g sour cream;
• onion;
• vegetable oil, butter;
• salt, ground pepper.

Cooking Algorithm:

• Sauté the chopped onion in vegetable oil, put it in a plate. Add butter to the frying pan, fry the mushrooms that have been prepared (washed, soaked, boiled).
• Add fried onions, thick sour cream to the morels.
• Season with salt and pepper. Braise under a lid for 5 minutes.

Serve as a dish on its own or with pasta, potatoes, vegetables.

How to preserve morels for the winter

If you gathered a lot of mushrooms in the nearby forest, you can enjoy them all winter. There are three ways to prepare the product: freezing, drying, or pickling.

Dried morels

After the moisture evaporates, the fragile fruiting bodies become denser and easier to create culinary masterpieces with exquisite flavor.

How to Dry:

• Sort through the mushrooms, setting aside the small specimens. They are not suitable for drying. Separate the stalks (you will only need the caps).
• Rinse quickly, place on paper towels.
• Cut into slices.
• Line a baking tray with parchment. Place the chopped caps in it.
• Dry in the oven with the door ajar or with convection on at 50°C for 3 hours.
• Set t – 70 degrees, continue drying until ready to use.

Store the billet in a canvas bag or tightly closed glass jar.

Frozen morels.

Clean the fresh mushrooms of debris, rinse, and soak them in cold water for 2 hours. Boil for a quarter of an hour, change the water, repeat the heat treatment.

Toss the morels in a colander. When the liquid drains off, place them on clean kitchen towels to get rid of any excess moisture.

Spread the mushrooms into bags, squeeze out the air, tie, and send to the freezer. You can use food containers or freeze the morels on a cutting board for 5 hours, transfer to bags for later storage.

Pickled morels.

To pickle 1 kg of morels deliciously, you’ll need:

• 6 bay leaves;
• 30 peas of black pepper;
• 5 g salt;
• 3 tbsp. of 6 percent vinegar;
• One-third teaspoon of citric acid;
• If desired, cinnamon, cloves.

Preparation:

• Clean the mushrooms from the debris, sort them out, and rinse them. Soak for an hour in salted water. Boil in 2 stages of 15 minutes, changing water and rinsing.
• Prepare the marinade. In 500 ml of water add spices, seasonings.
• Boil for half an hour, cool, pour the vinegar.
• Place mushrooms in clean jars, pour marinade over them. Screw the lids on.

Store the preserves in a dark, cool place.

Can morels be grown at home

If your house or apartment has windows facing north or west, you can grow morels on a windowsill:

• Fill a box or large pot with a soil mixture of peat, gypsum, birch or oak sawdust, and wood ash.
• Spread store-bought mycelium over the surface. Sprinkle soil from the broadleaf forest.
• Water with warm water.
• Sprouts will appear in 2 weeks if the substrate is not allowed to dry out.

Important: Planting should not fertilize with organics, allow direct sunlight, water with chlorinated water immediately from the tap.

A more reliable way to grow mushrooms is on a plot of land:

• In the spring or summer, choose a shady spot under a broadleaf tree.
• Remove the top layer of soil. Spread a 10 cm layer of specially prepared substrate on the vacated space.
• Water (10 liters per square meter). Sprinkle mycelium on top. Cover with the removed soil, moisten the soil again. Cover with tree leaves.
• Don’t let the soil dry out, feed with wood ash.
• For the winter, insulate the plantings with leaves, straw, and pressed branches.
• In the spring after the snow has melted, remove the cover.

Sprouts will appear in 2-3 weeks. The fungus will bear fruit for up to 5 years.

First aid for mushroom poisoning

Symptoms of mushroom poisoning begin 1-1.5 hours after eating. They are manifested by abdominal cramps, headaches, fever, nausea and vomiting, diarrhea.

Severe intoxication causes drowsiness, impaired cardiac and respiratory functions, increased sweating, and salivation.

If mushroom poisoning is suspected, an ambulance is called. While the ambulance reaches the patient, first aid is given to the patient:

• Provide bed rest.
• Give plenty of fluids – mineral water, chilled green tea.
• If there is no vomiting, induce artificially. After the poisoned person has consumed 1-1.5 liters of water, it is necessary to press with the fingers on the root of the tongue.
• In the absence of diarrhea, a purgative enema is given.
• For the fastest elimination of toxins the victim is offered to take absorbents – activated charcoal, Polysorb, Enterosgel, Smecta.
• In case of dehydration, Regidron or other saline solutions are needed.

First aid given in time shortens the period of recovery to 2-3 days. Treatment of severe intoxication can take up to a month. Doctors advise not to get rid of the remaining mushrooms. To clarify the cause of poisoning, the product will be sent for testing in the laboratory.

The popular object of silent hunting reveals its exquisite taste and has beneficial, therapeutic effects, if it is properly identified and prepared. The mackerel is necessarily subjected to soaking, a long heat treatment, which gets rid of toxic substances.

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