The scent of freshly baked bread drifts through the open-air stalls, mingling with the bright, green scent of just-picked herbs. Shoppers weave through tables stacked high with vibrant produce, filling their baskets with the best of the season. Farmers' market season is upon us now that spring has officially sprung.
Spring is the best time to enjoy bright, refreshing recipes packed with seasonal fruits and vegetables. That includes leafy greens (think spinach, arugula, kale, lettuce, collard greens and Swiss chard), root vegetables (carrots, radishes, beets and turnips), stalk vegetables (asparagus, rhubarb and celery), stone fruits (apricots and cherries), fresh berries and herbs. Aside from produce items, seafood (like clams, black sea bass and lobster) along with eggs, gourmet cheeses and honey are also seasonal must-haves.
Among all the vibrant spring ingredients, there’s one that doesn’t get nearly as much attention as it deserves: mushrooms. Although peak mushroom foraging season varies from location to location, most species tend to come out in early fall. Some, like the highly prized morel mushrooms, will enjoy seasons beginning as early as March. According to Outdoor Life, morel season kicks off in March, ending early in the South but stretching into June in the Midwest and Northeast.
“I think that with spring finds, we’re looking at the possibility of more forage mushrooms and also just more forage produce out there with short growing seasons,” said Celine Beitchman, Director of Nutrition at the Institute of Culinary Education’s New York City campus. “There might be some producers who are kind of doing it in hydroponic settings for small local farms. But again, it's going to be this really short window.”
Beitchman said morels are spring’s best farmers market find: “I'd say morel mushrooms are your kind of little sweet spot of the darling of spring that pops out for like a month, and then it's gone.
“So if you have an opportunity to find morel mushrooms fresh at the farmers market, that's going to be the peak time to get them,” she added. “When I started to discover the fresh morel concept, it was a whole other world. So I really do highly recommend them.”
Morels are prized for their earthy, hay-caramel flavor. They also have “a very light aroma that's associated with a woodland kind of experience,” Beitchman described.
Unlike shiitake, porcini or white button mushrooms, morels have a distinct appearance with a honeycomb-like top and hollow stem. Even when cooked or sautéed for slightly longer periods of time, morels will hold their shape and maintain their honeycomb structure.
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“Some of the simplest ways to cook morels is sautéed in butter, vegan butter or dairy butter with a little salt and pepper,” Beitchman said. “You can eat them on toast or add them to other foods like risotto or pasta, where the morel mushroom itself is going to shine and there's not going to be a lot of other strong flavors competing for attention.”
It’s important to clean morels properly and ensure no dirt, debris, or pests are hiding in the mushrooms' crevices. Beitchman recommended gently wiping down each mushroom with a dry paper towel first. You can also use a pastry brush or a clean, unused paintbrush to dust off the surfaces.
“The bristles would allow you to gently brush into all the little honeycomb sections or little divots,” Beitchman explained.
Nutritionally, mushrooms are great sources of fiber and vitamin D and wild forage mushrooms reportedly have more added benefits.
“There is some research that suggests that they're more nutritious for us, that they're riper and have evolved into a more healthful product because they've been allowed to grow in their natural environment for you know the length of their growing season,” Beitchman said. Some foraged mushrooms contain anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer and immune-boosting properties. They also help boost gut health because they contain prebiotic fibers.
That's all to say when you spot fresh morels at the farmers market, don’t hesitate — grab a basketful, cook them simply and savor the fleeting magic of their season.
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