Early Morel
Spugnola-Ptychoverpa bohemica
march - may
Early Morels are harvested and used in some Italian regions and can be bought fresh, as this product is not licensed for sale when frozen or dried.
As with True Morels, these mushrooms can be enjoyed after gently cooking them for a long time, ensuring that all of the water released during cooking has evaporated. This is because Morels naturally contain some toxins which are destroyed through cooking.
Early Morels are symbiotic mushrooms which only grow in spring in predominantly sandy, very damp soils.
They have a distinctive bell-shaped cap which bulges out above the stipe, with an irregular honeycomb appearance. The hymenium is found on the surface of the cap and the stipe is rather long, hollow and yellowy-white.
In Early Morels, unlike True Morels, the cap is easily separated from the stipe.
Eat only after cooking for a long time.
