The Cost:Flavor Ratio of Food
Apr 13, 2009 general food
Certain foods are prized more for their scarcity than their soul-satisfying flavor. Some of these, like fiddlehead ferns, are clamored for because they’re one of the first vegetables to crop up each spring when people are eager to eat anything fresh and green. While they’re not the tastiest of vegetables, they’re relatively cheap, and I can except people’s affection.
The morel mushroom on the other hand is not cheap and, after a Saturday at YellowTree Farm–where we noted wild onions as the top foraged food of the day–I am calling out the morel because, I am not a fan.
–First, the prices people are paying for them are not warranted by their flavor. $45/lb? Seriously?
–Second, unless you soak them–which is especially bad for the morel because of their porous texture and delicate flavor–they’re gritty.
–Third, and most importantly, they just don’t taste that good. They don’t have the depth of flavor other wild mushrooms do and, anytime someone is carrying on about their wonderfulness, they were invariably either (a) breaded and fried-which is personally a huge waste of something that costs so much or (b) cooked in something both salty and fatty which, as discussed before, is the one-two punch of making anything taste good.
Of course, that’s not to say I think they’re disgusting. I wouldn’t turn them away if someone served them to me. I just believe the cost:flavor ratio is low compared to other prized foods.
Without even taking it out of the fungi kingdom, I believe the chanterelle to be a vastly superior mushroom. Though they are also not cheap, they’re worth the time it takes to make them delicious and non-gritty, and my personal favorite. …until someone rolls in with a supply of hen of the woods that is.
Tags: fiddlehead fern, morel, mushroom, YellowTree Farm
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April 14th, 2009 at 8:46 am
I’m with you…..except hen of the woods outranks chanterelles in my book.
April 14th, 2009 at 11:11 am
Bill, I think not soaking your morels would leave you with a massive boost of protein that you may not be interested in:) They are always loaded with bugs and I found a few nice slugs in some last year.
Heading out this weekend to raid the honey hole once again. We were graciously supplied with more than we needed, hopefully this year will be as productive.
I’d suggest a nice saute in butter if you aren’t into breading them, really brings out the flavor. Also goes well with the morning omelette:)
One morning last April next to the farmhouse, before we found the motherload…
http://img90.imageshack.us/img90/1600/24654531913671f6c7f8.jpg
April 14th, 2009 at 3:02 pm
Hey Bill, did you notice what picture of chanterelles appeared in your wiki link?
April 15th, 2009 at 8:18 am
love hen of the woods! When I lived in Seattle they were everywhere. Can you get them here too?
April 15th, 2009 at 8:46 am
readily available MO wild shrooms…..morels, chanterelles, oysters, hen of the woods aka maitake (bb, I would have recognized it too)chicken of the woods, black trumpet, puff balls, gyromytras, shaggy manes, some bolete kinda things that really aren’t close to porcinis or cepes, wood ears, then there are some truffles……not many and so far not that good, lbm aka little brown mushroom, then there’s something like a button but I don’t remember the name.
There are probably 80 edible varieties that one of my shroomy friend eats. Personally, I eat about 10….I’ll agressively hunt for chanterelles, the others are catch as catch can. Chanterelle season starts when the weather gets hot, usually the beginning of July, when you find one you find hundreds….and like easter eggs they are way easier to spot than the tricky morels. For years I chaired the wild mushroom gourmet group, cooked for their forays in the middle of the woods or scout camps, taught wild mushroom cooking classes both here and other states….there’s even a video put out by NAMA from 1998 national conference. Founding farmers markets wiped out weekend hunts…so for 7 years from May-Oct I was cooking on burners in the middle of N. Central in Clayton instead of making chanterelles and fingerlings in the middle of St. Joe State Park.
*Always a caveat,there are bold mushroom hunters, there are old mushroom hunters, there are no old bold mushroom hunters. If you cannot positively ID a mushroom for heaven’s sake do not eat it. A bad mushroom will make you sick for a day, you get better then within 2 days your organs start shutting down and there is NOTHING that can stop it.
April 15th, 2009 at 10:27 am
Julie,
The one I picked out trivia was matsutake not maitake.
…and that last italicized point was that hen of the woods are my favorite mushroom too. Chanterelles are my favorite of the easy to procure ones as I haven’t even been able to come up with any hens myself outside of restaurants.
I’m willing to concede I’m talking to the wrong people.
April 15th, 2009 at 2:00 pm
hens are prevelant in STL area, which means within 100 mile radius….you just either have to log in alot of time in the woods looking, know someone who will share either shrooms or sites, or be exceptionally lucky. They generally show up in the summer/fall, chickens in the summer. I’ve got a cool pix of a tree stump loaded with chickens found in STL County….very urban area.