Growing Procedure

Various simple and more complicated methods are used experimentally around the world. The cultivation of edible morels is considered difficult, but not impossible. A deeper study of the subject is necessary to achieve success. I refer explicitly to Paul Stamets and Tradd Cotter, both of whom can attest to their breeding successes. The latest scientific findings indicate that a certain soil bacterium must be present for fruiting.

As long as the morel was able to germinate, there will always be some form of the morel’s mycelium underground. Their mycelium is protected by the sclerotium until the conditions are right . Once the ground is damp enough and the weather warm enough for morels to prosper (which tends to be anywhere from April to July depending on the location), Morels start “popping”. Now in these areas where the morels grow, other fungi such as the False morel prosper as well.

Morchella angusticeps are heterotrophic which means they are “other feeding” and must feed on preformed organic material. It does this by first building a mutualistic relationship with a host such as an ash or elm tree. To form this relationship, the morel’s mycorrhizae (which means fungus root) and creates an ectomycorrhizae sheath around the tree’s root. This sheath has hyphae emanating throughout the soil which increases the surface area. Once the sheath is made, the fungus is able to penetrate between the cells of of the cortex to allow for nutrients to be exchanged. In order for the morel to have nutrients, it must digest then ingest the area it is around. This is made possible by exoenzymes which help rapidly digest the material in order to take the nutrients out of it. The reason this allows for a mutualistic relationship is because both the tree and the fungi gain nutrients from this process.

Courtesy of Tom VolkMorels are non-vascular which means they have no specialized tissues to transport the nutrients they ingest. To move the nutrients throughout the organisms, the hypae contain internal crosswalls called septa. These septa have pores which allow cytoplasm to flow from one cell to the next. This movement allows materials to be transported within the cytoplasm of the cells. When times are “good” and the morel can store food, it stores it as glycogen like many other animals.

Growing

Agar Culture Media: MYA, MEA, MYPA, PDYA, OMYA
Cropping: An indoor spawning crop can be placed outdoors to create natural patches
Containers for fruiting: Straw bale, mushroom bed, culture in greenhouse difficult
Biological efficience: 1 pound per square foot
Substrates: Rye Berries, grain mix
Place a moist layer of peat moss buffered with 10% calcium sulfate on top of the morel/sawdust seedbed, 4 to 6 inches apart. A depth of 10 to 12 inches from the bottom seed layer to the top surface of the buffered peat moss is sufficient to promote establishment. A thin layer (1 inch) of moistened vermiculite will promote aeration. The optimum pH for fruiting is between 6.5 and 8.0.

Growing Characteristics

In burned areas (1 to 2 years after fire), black morels also found directly under neglected aspen and apple trees.

Natural Habitat

Black Morels can be found all over the Northern Hemisphere. Mainly being in North America, Central America, Europe and Asia. The morels found in these parts of the world are currently either part of the black morel or yellow morel clades which was further studied and revised in Revision of Morchella Taxonmy .

Morels are most commonly found in forested areas around dead elm trees, Sycamore, apple trees, under wood scraps and Ash trees, but can also be found in other areas. They often tend to grow under objects on the ground as well because of the dampness under them (In Identification you will learn more about where to find morels in the wild).

A native and everywhere in the northern hemisphere widespread noble delicacy mushroom. In nature, the mushroom is found in the first warm weeks of spring, no morel hunter reveals its locations. The mushroom is in high demand among gourmets, which is reflected in the price. After truffles, real morels are considered the most expensive mushrooms of all.

Widespread in temperate regions of the world. Common in spring in various habitats e.G. along rivers, in sandy soils of mixed woods.

Gourmet

Black More are a classic sauce mushroom that develops its flavor best in a cream sauce.
Eaten raw, Morchella angusticeps are highly toxic, there have already been deaths. In addition, the consumption of the mushroom can cause the so-called Morchella syndrome in some people.

Flesh

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Taste

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Smell

The mycelium is pleasant and smells like fresh, crushed morels.

Nutritional content per 100g

other names

Morchella angusticeps, The Black Morel, The Conic Morel, Peck´s Morel, schwarze Morchel

Kingdom	Fungi