Morel of the Story by Tiffany Hankins, Lola Server
As my vegetarian friend commented as she munched on a mushroom the other day, “this is as meaty as it gets.” The meat of the vegetarian is also a mystery of biology and a treasure of gourmands. The seasonal menus have begun to reflect the spring bounty of morels and ramps as they arrive at the restaurants. Since I was among the many who wondered about these funny foraged fungi and their traditional companion, the ramp, I thought I’d share some of my research at Family Meal blog.
So the season for these two wild fruits of the earth arrives like a holy week in the foraging camp. The ramp, or allium tricoccum, is a wild plant in the onion family that grows throughout the eastern U.S. It is predominant in Appalachian cuisine, and in the community of Richwood, West Virginia, the ramp is honored with an annual “Feast of the Ramson.” Locally known as “little stinkers,” the ramp’s flavor is characterized as earthy with similarities to garlic and scallions. When I think about it, there is something a little sacred in the plant being one of the first green things to shoot from the ground in the spring. Ramps are also used as an indicator to determine where and when morel mushrooms will begin to pop up.
Morels, with their sponge-like heads, are among the most highly prized of wild mushrooms. They are usually found where the forest has been disturbed or burned, but are not known to reappear in the same location year after year. These mushrooms are especially popular among foragers for the challenge they represent and for the reward, since the mushrooms are very costly to buy at market. And the foragers I read from and about seem to regard morel-hunting as a rite of spring, which is really cool to me and infused so much meaning into the dish when I enjoyed a ramp and morel omelet at Lola last week.
I found this blog that has a fun visual of a ramp expedition… or here’s some info about the ramp festival in Richwood (just missed it!). Want to learn to hunt your own tasty morels? Join the club! No, literally. This one connects foragers and their unique forests and seasons from across the country, but you have to be a member. The Cascade Mycological Society hosts meeting and camp-outs for foraging and more. Happy Spring!
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