Morel mushrooms are expensive., and really expensive . While prices vary from store to store or region to region, the fresh ones can cost multiple times more than the other cultivated mushrooms they sit next to on the shelves. Why are they so expensive, and are they really worth buying?
You could be thinking “How much do morels cost?”
Some authors claimed another thing that sets morels apart from other mushroom varietals is the price tag. Morels can garner a price tag of at least $30 per pound and are often seen for much more (via Michigan State University), especially if they’re being shipped (via Northwest Wild Foods). They’re expensive for a number of reasons.
What are morels and morels?
Morels are a delicacy with many uses; fried, stuffed and baked, added to sauces, sauted, stir fried and many other uses. The dried morel reconstitutes very well, coming back to it’s original form very well. It takes 7 pounds of fresh morels to make 1 pound of dried. These morels are wild harvested, using no pesticides or chemicals of any type.
Another thing we asked ourselves was, what are morels and how are they made?
Most morels in the market are burn morels, which mean that they grow in mass quantities in the burn zone areas of a forest fire the following spring after the summer fire has occurred. Morels are hollow and thus bulkier in volume, so more of them have to be collected to make a pound than solid wild mushrooms like chanterelles or porcinis.
How long do morels last?
However, dried morels will last up to 12 months or longer so you have more time to sell them. Fresh morels only last 1-2 weeks when refrigerated so you’ll need to team with a grocery store or sell at a farmer’s market to get these out fast .
How much do morel mushrooms cost?
Oregon mushrooms sell frozen morels for $40 per pound. This is within the range of $20 – $50 per pound you’d expect to pay for fresh morels. Other sellers offer this up to $50 per pound frozen. Grocery stores usually don’t carry frozen morels.
When weather and soil conditions are right, the sclerotia may fruit and grow into actual mushrooms, or they may just produce more mycelium fuzz. Figuring out how to do this has been difficult, so there hasn’t been a verifiable, commercial cultivation of morels, leaving foraging as the main option for obtaining them.
How much morel should you buy per pound?
To enjoy morels on a budget, Litchfield recommends carefully selecting and buying 1/4 to 1/2 pound of the best ones in the bin. Although it’s not the same experience as going out in the woods and foraging for them yourself, you’ll have enough to infuse your dish with the flavor and essence of morels without breaking the bank.
How many morels make a pound?
The dried morel reconstitutes very well, coming back to it’s original form very well. It takes 7 pounds of fresh morels to make 1 pound of dried. These morels are wild harvested, using no pesticides or chemicals of any type. They are organic, just not certified.
Why are morels so hard to grow?
Hard to cultivate. In the sterile conditions of a laboratory, morels can easily start the growing process saprobically, meaning grown on dead or decaying organic material, to make sclerotia, a hardened mass of fungal mycelium (the vegetative part of a fungus that looks like white fuzz) that contains food stores.