You know he was serious about those mushrooms when he didn’t add nutmeg to them.

When overcoming the vice of Nutmeg indulgence, A good man sticks to his Morels.

Im from India & this mushroom is one the expensive ones if bought at the market, we call them 'Gucchi". They are widely grown around the states close to the upper Himalayan region during the monsoon season. My mom makes an amazing curry dish with these & a wicked chilli fry too. It was a pleasure to hear Jon talk about these mushrooms with so much enthusiasm.

My family has hunted these for generations. The salt bath removes bugs living in the mushrooms. Do it for minimum 20 to 30 minutes. You'll be surprised!

Thats the kind of enthusiasm, that i picture when Tolkien discribes the hunger for mushrooms, Hobbits have.

I find it hilarious that Jon talked about nothing but mushrooms for almost 13 minutes. There isn't even any padding there, just pure mushroom enthusiasm. Can't blame him though, they look great. I would love to see some videos about family recipes of your and your crew's family, maybe on a secondary platform? I think it'd be a cool way to bridge the gap between 18th century cooking and our current families' traditions.

My 3 year old son decided not to take a nap today and, instead, watched this video with me. He was so enamored by the mushrooms, Jon, and the outdoor cooking that he has insisted on watching it several more times. Now he wants me to find all of the videos of you cooking outside. I must say, I’m a proud mama. Thanks for the awesome (and family friendly) videos!

Morels are sinfully delicious, the “bottled woods” comment is spot on. They’re so savory and earthy

I don't think I've ever seen John this enthusiastic about any food

The wicker basket is a nice touch too. For everyone looking to pick mushrooms, go for a container with holes. that way the spores spread as you walk, hopefully sowing more mushrooms next year.

Some of my earliest memories are hunting for Morels with my father. He would clean and cook them that evening and the kitchen would smell like heaven.

I have so many fond memories of morel mushrooms. My dad always used to take my little brother and I out and hunt for them in Indiana, even in his final days with cancer. We actually put a wooden morel mushroom carving in his coffin they were that important to the family. It's something I still do now at 30 years old, and when my son is old enough I plan on doing the same for him. It's such a fantastic way of learning about the forest and the importance of conservation. If you live in an area where morels, heck even other edible mushroom varieties are common, I definitely suggest going out at least once! Just be careful not to get on anyone's land, some people get a bit flustered about you stealing their gold haha.

I love how hes so passionate about the mushrooms

I remember searching for morels with my dad when I was a kid. He was fanatical about them and we would spend hours searching, but it was well worth it. I miss the old man, he taught me a lot.

You can tell how passionate Jon is about this dish from the way he talks about it. Never seen him put such emphasis nor criticize the older recipes as sacrilegious. Got me hyped up for these mushrooms lol

A friend here in Oregon who grows organic cherries was frustrated by a fungal infection in his orchard. He mowed it for years. Long story short, they were true morels. He burnt his prunings in windrows between the trees, yielding hundreds of pounds per acre of organic morels. He made more from mushrooms by far than from cherries.

6:30 Morels are actually an entire genus. The different varieties of morels that Jon's seeing are different species.

I grew up in Indiana; Jon’s enthusiasm for morels is totally par for the course in the Midwest, at least among morel hunters. He’s dead on about the various superstitions/traditions/etc that folks have when picking. Frying in butter is an absolute must though. That’s not a superstition. It’s mandatory.

They’re called “Dry land fish” around here. It’s interesting that you’ll usually find a big bagful of morels when you hunt for them, and all it takes is some flour, salt and butter to make a very good meal for a family. Add in some wild greens in a salad and you definitely won’t go hungry

I discovered these “Townsends” videos about a month ago (from the date of this comment 20th November 2021 - yes I’m a Brit). Each video is so very interesting and well produced. I did notice the mention of not using nutmeg, I was wondering if the mention of nutmeg would occur. In this video and others Jon refers to other countries and areas where the same ingredients, such as the Morel mushrooms, are also found and how recipes have been adopted and possible adaptions. I like Jon’s comment about the use of only the best when frying and using Kerrygold Butter, there is a little bit of Irish blood in me so 👍 on that Jon. I’m very glad that such good channels such as this are on KZfaq and not on TV and here is why: My Television set broke nearly 4 years ago, although I replaced a few parts it still wouldn’t work, although there were a few programmes that I initially missed, I soon discovered a lot of interesting videos on KZfaq. The Tv is still broken so I save the cost of the annual TV licence (now UK £159) to watch or record ANY programme, from ANY source (terrestrial, cable, satellite or internet) on ANY device (phone, tablet or PC) as it being broadcast at that time by ANY television broadcaster in and from ANY country. The UK TV license solely funds the BBC! KZfaq channels, with exceptions were “live” tv is being shown, such as this one are ok . I’m still finding more of Townsend videos so I’m happy, keep up the good work. Best wishes to All from Oxfordshire UK.

When hunting wild mushrooms, remember to doust a little mushroom ketchup on your clothes to kill the scent.

I wouldn't be surprised if there was a secret room in Jon's house. Inside is a golden shrine depicting a morel, three feet tall. The walls are lined with pictures of every morel he has ever eaten with dates, all individually named. Morel-scented incense burns in a morel-shaped holder atop a morel-shaped table. It is never allowed to stop burning as it is always replaced before it goes out. The gentle sounds of the forest in spring play in high definition on repeat through morel-shaped speakers. By the entrance, his special morel-hunting stick leans against the wall by his morel-hunting basket where his morel-hunting clothes reside when not in use.

Since my teens, I have always loved a bowl of mushrooms and onions with a creamery butter, a slice of homemade bread and considered myself 'well-fed.' Knowing we had access to meat and fish of all varieties, it is now my comfort food during the Fall/Winter. Alas, it is tricky to hunt fresh non-poisonous mushrooms, and men/women need protein and other vitamins/minerals, so I now consider it a special treat, and a highly appreciated 'share of knowledge' to younger generations here in America. Thank you for the upload!

I wouldn't call myself a morel hunter, but I come across one or two once in awhile. Since I don't usually find enough to do a sizable fry, my favorite way to do them is in an omelet. I saute them in a little butter, and fold them in "French" style. A lovely way to start the day for sure.

One of my most cherished memories growing up was hunting morel mushrooms with my mother. We had a small forest near our house we would hunt at as a family. The taste of morels is like bottling up my childhood. Purely magical.

He's almost as passionate about mushrooms as a Hobbit would be. Looks good. 🍄🍄🍄

I think we found the one thing Jon loves more than nutmeg 😂

Interesting thing about the different varieties; all cap and stem mushrooms do this. Imagine it like a fruit tree. Under the ground there is a network of thin filaments, like mushroom roots, called mycelium. The mycelium grows from spores weeks before the actual fruiting begins. Once the season is right and the rains come, the root will sprout its fruit. The fruit will appear differently depending on the conditions. So, early in the season, the roots put out the best fruit they can at that time; the spike variety. Those get picked, eaten, die, and are gone. The roots put out fruit continuously, but halfway through the season the conditions are different, so the fruit will be different. Ditto late season, and that's why you have the different mushrooms coming up at different times from the same spots.

My god, I just found and cooked these things for the first time 2 days ago! This would have been so helpful! Thanks for the vid, guys.

this is the most wholesome show i've ever watched. Definitely got me through most of the hard times of last year

6:30 The mushrooms are different because of the mycelium that is fruiting the mushrooms. As the mycelium network in the ground starts to run out of nutrients from the area it has colonized, it produces the spore-releasing bodies that we know as mushrooms in order to find more nutrients. The mycelium puts all the nutrients it has stored into these fruits, and can do it multiple times over the course of time. As the mycelium runs lower and lower on nutrients it will produce different mushrooms, often larger and less of them. This is why you find different varieties of the same mushroom as time goes on; unfortunately Morel mushrooms are not unique in this respect!

That calls for some bread toasted with butter in the fond left by the mushrooms, and then just stack it on the toast - also a fine glass of red wine, heaven.

Jon made cooking and eating Morels a religious experience. I almost fainted when he said nutmeg wasn’t needed. 😂😂

Northern Michigander here... John is absolutely spot on about how rare and delicious these little forest gems are. If you're thinking to yourself, "surely he's exaggerating," I can assure you, no, he is not, and he cooked them as one should - a hot pan and good butter with a bit of flour and salt and pepper. That's all you need.

Love this. I'm eating an amazing salmon salad & sure enough, I'm missing mushrooms. My better half chuckled over you refraining from nutmeg. "He would nutmeg his nutmeg!" Anything ate by hand...awesome. "The joy this guy gets from these mushrooms!...Well hell, now we have to go back east & find some mushrooms" ... - Better half. I guess morel hunting is on his Bucket List now. You've convinced him. He then sees the opening to "Early American Ginger Beer" and says..."Hey, can you make me one of those caps? I need one of those. Know anybody who sews?" His comedic way of reminding me I know how to sew but haven't set up one of my machines since moving. We love watching you. Some of the best therapy around.

The way he talks about mushrooms with excitement and zeal is exactly how we treat them in Iowa lol.

My great-grandmother absolutely LOVED these things. I was only around 5-6 when she died, but I still remember going around and hunting for these for her with my grandparents and great-grandfather when she was really sick.

Mushrooms are wonderful. Butter, salt, and pepper, that's all you need. Maybe a little bit of fresh garlic.

my family was in Rochester Minnesota around 8 years ago. we were on a lakeside walk when my mother found a morel mushroom about 6" tall and 3" wide. looked like it weighed 1 pound... long story short she identified it as edible she fried it up and it fed all 6 of us. best mushroom ive ever tasted, only seasoning was a dash of salt and pepper. 👍🍄

"Morels are magic anyway"

"this doesn't need nutmeg" Holy moly that must be magical stuff!

All the morels in my usual spots were stunted here by the cold weather in lower Michigan. It's too bad, it was going to be a great year for them before a few freezes hit between the 80 degree days.

So incredibly jealous of The morels!! As a kid here in Tennessee- we’d hunt them and get massive amounts each year and my favourite way of cooking was fried. I had NO idea till I became an adult that these were expensive mushrooms 😂 We enjoyed them as seasonal treat much like we did poke salad or creek greens in bacon grease & vinegar we called a salad. (water cress as I now know) Gosh you made me 🥰 when you said there’s no other way to cook them but fried!!! I will say maybe now that I’m an adult- I’d go for a freshly grated horseradish with mayo for about every 5th bite just to go zinnnnng! The texture of a morel is also just *chefs 😘 kiss*

Cooking morel mushrooms in a bit of white wine (and a schalot if available) is also absolutely delicious. They just have such stringent environment requirements though. Usually you just luck into a zone where they grow and that's your go to zone for years

Morels are delicious, I usually pan fry them with a little bit of olive oil until they’re crispy and then add salt and pepper. Also if you’d like a bit of unsolicited advice for picking them you should try to avoid uprooting the base that’s below the dirt; if you leave that in they’re more likely to propagate back up. Also, when you pick them, blow into the base to cause the spores to spread around; that also helps them regrow there. They are porous so they catch wind and spread spores

“Mmm... hm, this tastes differe-“ And that was the last video he ever made.

When the problems in the world are overwhelming and i see myself becoming what i dont like things like this remind me to be humble and appreciate the simple things in life

This is such a great video, I spent all last late summer/early autumn, taking a woodland walk to work, picking birch boletes, puffball and parasol mushroom, such a great activity, highly recommended with 100% caution.

When I lived in Michigan a friend had land where Morels grew in abundance. Morels with some grated onion (grated, not diced) in broth gravy is a gastronomic delight. I have served Morels in beef broth gravy over wild rice (which is really a grass seed) and I received many compliments. Great video (as always). 👍😋

Found a patch of them near the ninth hole of a golf course I frequent! Four years of searching and a stray golf shot reveals them.....

I grew up in the Yukon in Canada and we had lots of old forest fires up there. Morels absolutely EXPLODE in those conditions and we would pick so many you end up drying and selling pounds of them each year. In northern BC, just south of us there are so many that its a college summer industry with massive groups of people organizing picking, drying, rebuying and distribution.. you should take a trip some day :)

One of my grandpa's close friends was a great mushroom hunter. Me and my grandpa when into Wal-Mart once and he stayed in the car and 10 minutes later we came out and he had this Wal-Mart sack ful of them. He was just like, well i saw this dogwood and just went over there, and there they were.

My dad is from the Dalmatia region in Croatia and his family has been hunting morels for generations.The locals there fry them with scrambled eggs and season with a little salt and pepper.

This is the first year I've hunted Morels in Indiana and I hit the jackpot in northern Indiana mid-April. We enjoyed them fried, in frittatas, and in risottos. The taste is unique. Nutty and earthy is the best way to describe it. You have to cook them do not eat them raw or you can get sick.

Can confirm, they are found in Sweden too! These morels you have are considered the true morel, and I’m used to another closely related mushroom we call ‘stone morel’. Actually highly poisonous but if boiled several times, most of the poison is gone. My mom would serve us these whenever she could!

A woodland poem to the love between a man and a mushroom. Beautiful camera work, delicious fungus, and the kind of whether that makes me want to eat in front of a fire. Maybe your most heartfelt work. Great job!

"Trick somebody" So Jon - I'm getting the idea that you like morels...

So I don't like mushrooms, but you've convinced me to try this recipe 😂 Your energy and enthusiasm for morels is just too dang contagious. Plus I think it's good for me to give mushrooms another chance. Since recently I've discovered that the reason I haven't liked certain ingredients is simply because I haven't had them prepared the right way.

This is honestly the most wholesome video I’ve seen😂😂😂 a man with a simple love for fried mushrooms

Mushroom: looks like a brain on a stick Townsends: LOOK HOW BEAUTIFUL IT IS Love them too tho :D

Both sets of my grandparents prepared morels by 1st parboiling them, then draining them; then cooking them lightly in cream with a wee bit of chopped dill weed. They were both from Ukraine.

I just wanted to say: Thank you, for bringing these old traditional foods and methods to a modern platform like KZfaq.

I love how you snip the stipe, leaving all roots in the ground, to help regrowth. Bring a knife if you are picking mushrooms that aren't as easy to snip with your fingers. Well ... I always recommend bringing a knife to the woods.

Thanks for being a beacon of wholesome quality content on the internet.

*Townsends taking a walk through the forest during spring* Morels chuckle : "I'm in danger..."

Born & raised in Washington, and I used to go mushroom hunting every year with my grandma and uncle Dean! My older sisters and I would bounce around in the back of his truck up to the woods to go searching for these mushrooms! After a few hours and hopefully a couple full bags, we would go home and my grandma fried them up just like you did here! They truly do taste like heaven 💕 Even back then when I disliked mushrooms in general (luckily something I've outgrown), I lived for these tasty morsels! She would even stop by the side of the road every time she saw the right trees during their season just to check, lol. I look back so fondly on these memories, so thank you for sharing your love, and your wife's family's traditions! Your channel is always a delight to visit. I learn something new and fascinating every video while getting inspired to explore cooking more 🩷

In middle Tennessee, we call Morel mushrooms "dry land fish". When I was a child, my neighbor had a pond by a wooded hill nearby. With his permission, my mom, sis and I would carry two large buckets and pick them on the hill. Mom would clean them, soak them and dredge them up for frying in a skillet. I haven't had them for years, but they are so delicious. Childhood memories! ❤️

When my sons were young, we'd visit family in southern Indiana. We'd forage for morels. They were WONDERFUL. Some years were better than others, but we adored them. Thank you for bringing back memories. My family has passed on, and we haven't been back to Indiana for years. I miss those days.

I once heard this little story: You're at home, and grab an orange from the fridge. A plant specialist runs in and says "STOP THAT'S NOT AN ORANGE. IT'S POISON!". But you know it's an orange and eat it anyway. THAT'S how sure you need to be before you go foraging for food.

Every time I watch your videos, I want to tap into my inner 18th century camper, LOL!!!! Those look amazing!

There is something so wholesome about your channel! Thank you for your theraputic and fascinating productions :)

I remember when I was little, we were always in the forest with babushka and dedushka picking all types of mushrooms, after that we dried most of them and prepared some soup with the rest. Good times.

The alternate thumbnail is "This recipe doesn't use nutmeg" [laser eyes]

I can confirm that these are the best. Grew up in Illinois during the 1970s. My dad had a connection, and once per year for a few years, he would come home with morels, and dinner would start with them. He used an egg batter, and it was divine

My grandparents are from Indiana. They used to tell me about these when I was a little kid and I’ve always wanted to try them. This definitely makes me wanna make a trip next season!

The perfect crossover of all my weird interests: Mushrooms, history and cooking. *chefkiss* Once in a lifetime I guess.

Wow, here in Ukraine we`ve had morel season just 2 or 3 weeks ago, depending on region. For me - its cool to see that not just button mushrooms connect different continents in cooking :)

"Don't eat strange mushrooms in the woods" within first 10 seconds. That's some top notch disclaimer/psa right there. Good looking out for folks!!

Its that time again! Greetings from the ozark mountains! Arkansas side!

Me: "Man, Jon talks about morels the way he talks about nutmeg." Jon: "If there's one dish that doesn't need nutmeg, it's this one!" Me: :surprised pikachu:

Morels aren’t just a food. Around where I’m at in Michigan they are a spiritual connection with the forest >>>

In the early 1990's, I was doing security work looking after an empty country house from the 16th century. It had extensive grounds, and a kitchen garden that I was allowed free rein in. There was a full time gardener, who introduced me to the wonderful world of fungi. There were at least 15 different edible varieties in the grounds - brackets on trees and dead logs, and mushrooms in the grassy areas, and under hedges, etc. that's not including the ones grown deliberately, either. I could pick whatever I wanted, except for Chanterelles and Morels, which the Gardener sold to a local gastro pub - Chanterelles at that time were selling for about £6 per pound. Morels, as they are scarce in Britain, considerably more. Morels grow well on ground that has been cleared by fire, by the way. If I wanted any, I just asked the gardener, and a brown paper bag full of them would appear on the kitchen table. I was shown to cook Morels just like you did, although I used olive oil. Chantelles, I always intended to take home for my parents to try, but I always gave in to temptation, and put them in an omelette for lunch. Mum and Dad did get to try them... Eventually. 😆😆😆

Ive eaten these type of mushrooms.. They go "mushroom huntin" in southern illinois still. Collecting cleaning and frying these bad boys... Its fun and so worth the effort cus they arr YUM!

I want to recommend soaking any mushrooms in salt water (3 tablespoons of salt per liter of water) for about half an hour. Then rinse them thoroughly. This helps to remove all insects and worms from the mushroom.

As an Indiana native theres nothing better in this state than morels! I dont even flour them lmao. Awesome video!

I almost always see Morels around early April here in Arkansas. Usually growing in dead red oak debris. Tasty and fairly reliable, then again, I also usually crush up some of them after they dry and spread the spores in good areas.

A trick to know when it’s time to pick morels is when a mayflower plant is up. That’s when the season starts

i've never seen him this deadly serious about anything. you mess with this man's morels, you gon' get cut

Working at the Cataroque Cemetary in Kingston Ontario Morel's used to grow in are wood Mulch piles as we use only untreated natural wood chip mulch they where a presious thing saved as a treat for the Grave digger crew we would very gently fry them in garlic an butter

Found some of these in my yard today in a mulch pile from a maple that was cut down last year. I've never had them before. I have to say, I'm impressed for sure. Wish I had more for dinner tomorrow.

I remember going out with my grandmother looking for "Dry-Land Fish". I hated them, but everyone else loved them and I thought it was pretty cool to go looking for them with Mammy.

Oh my, never saw you so passionate before! Funny thing is, I walked by my garden this morning and saw several morels which I have never seen before, then came in and saw your video! I'm heading back out to pick them now.

Morels can actually be cultivated now, though it is somewhat harder than more common types, and _often_ takes 3-5 _years_ to actually show results. Mix your spawn slurry with the wood of elm, oak, or ash (preferably sawdust, shavings, and/or chips, for faster development; apple can also work, and likely other broad-leaf species as well, but the set of oak, elm, and apple should be fairly easily available; supposedly they can grow on grain, but it sounds a smidge adventurous), possibly with some additives of molasses (supposedly provides energy for faster growth), salt (to reduce bacterial growth), sand (for better drainage- standing water causes problems), wood ash and maybe charcoal (they seem to like post-fire zones, and presumably benefit from the nutrients; charcoal can act as a moisture stabilizer, but I haven't actually heard of it being used), and gypsum (calcium sulfate supposedly helps increase cap size; the mentions I've seen specified peat moss at the same time). The temperature should preferably top out around 60-70 fahrenheit, and despite the need for good drainage the growing medium needs to be kept moist. Do not use tap water, as the chlorine (and possibly other chemicals) can be harmful to the fungus, and even prevent it from growing at all. Shade is preferable. Remember: it can take the mycellium (roots) _3 to 5 years_ to set enough that it starts sending up mushrooms, so be patient.

Has John ever been more enthusiastic in a video?! 😊 I totally get the enthusiasm for mushrooms and mushroom hunting, even though I'm actually not the biggest fan of eating them. But my mum is. Mushrooms are magical, I agree. I need to try morels.

Watching your videos literally lower my blood pressure, each one is a gift ❤️ I’m a novice forager but I can’t wait to find and serve my first morel mushroom! Thank you for the inspiration

Literally have a morel tattoo. These mushrooms were worshipped in my household growing up. Every april we would get up at 5am and find every honeyhole in the tricounty area.

I almost fell out my chair when John refused to put nutmeg in it?!

Grew up eating morels was nice to see the respect you gave these wonderful shrooms!

His love for these mushrooms is refreshing and admirable.

I grew up near the Mississippi River, and morels were a huge family event every year. John, this video speaks to my soul.