One of my favorite outdoor activities in Bozeman, MT is to forage for wild mushrooms and huckleberries. I think the reason I love it so much is the fact that there are world-class ingredients just waiting to be found in the woods – I can fill my freezer with products that chefs pay top dollar for! Not to mention I enjoy getting outside and being able to spend time with my family.
The season starts early in the spring with morel & oyster mushrooms. You can find morels in the river bottoms around cottonwood trees that are light yellow and mild in flavor. But in the mountains they are black and have a lot more flavor, I prefer the mountain morels ->
Since we don’t pick in the wild fire areas we usually don’t get too many morels so I end up just eating them fresh. sautéed in a little butter and served over steak, yum!
Later in the summer is when the other mushrooms start to show up. Towards the end of July if there is enough moisture the chanterelles and king boletes are prolific. These two mushrooms are my favorite – the king boletes have a great flavor and are perfect in a fritatta and the chanterelles are wonderful in pasta and on pizza.
King bolete mushrooms tend to do well every year but the trick is to find them when they are small & very fresh. The bugs and worms like this mushroom so you have to be selective. When I see one I will grab the stem and lightly squeeze it. If it is mushy or hollow then I just leave it. But if it is firm I pull the whole mushroom and trim off the base.
Chanterelles on the other hand are fun to pick because the bugs don’t like them and they are a cool orange color. But there has to be plenty of rain for them to get bigger than your thumbnail. I pull the whole mushroom trim off the bottom and knock off as much dirt and pine needles as I can. Then when I get home I clean them under a little running water and let them air dry on a towel, stick them overnight in the fridge in a brown paper bag and they are good to go!
When I get more mushrooms than I want to use I saute them with a little butter and sea salt, let them cool, pack them in plastic baggies and store them in the freezer. This technique is great because the mushroom retains all its flavor and the same texture as when it was fresh. I keep my freezer well stocked for the entire year with just a few great trips into the woods. If I get more than I can handle my Dad will dehydrate them or I can sell them to restaurants/grocery stores. But value wise I like to keep them for myself! Anyone for wild mushroom risotto?
Note – don’t ever pick a wild mushroom unless you know what it is. There are many poisonous mushrooms that look similar to edible ones and grow in close habitats.
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