Ever since the introduction of the grocery store in America, consumers in the United States can access almost any food, any time they want, regardless of where it comes from and when it traditionally grows. You want bananas in Minnesota? You got it. How about winter squash in the middle of July? No problem. Scientific advancements like GMOs, the use of infrastructure like greenhouses, and large-scale monoculture monopolies enable farmers to manipulate nature so we can enjoy its gifts all year long.
Though it may seem that the food industry has cracked the code to replicate nature’s production of food, a few plants still exist that have big business stumped. With its sponge-like appearance, nutty flavor, and intense market price, the mighty morel mushroom is so difficult to cultivate and find, that many regard morels as a luxury.
Morel mushrooms are really popular in the culinary world due to their meaty texture. Though morels grow in pretty much every state across America, they are incredibly hard to find, as they demand an incredibly particular set of conditions to initiate their growth: First, a decaying elm, oak, ash, or aspen tree needs to fertilize woodland soil. Next, the morel’s underground “web”, called mycelium, needs to survive four days when the nightly temperatures are around 40 degrees and the daytime temperatures are over 70 degrees. These particular temperature requirements make April and May the primary growing season for this fungus. Lastly, there needs to be plenty of moisture in the area. Check the boxes for all of those conditions, and just maybe you will be able to find a morel mushroom.
Due to their random nature, one pound of morel mushrooms at a farmer’s market typically goes for between $30-$40, and people fight to get to these mushroom sales in time. Try to order them online, and that 1 lb can cost upwards of $150. Why? Because morels are like nuggets of gold in the woods – a rare find and they cannot be massly reproduced.
I write about morel mushrooms today as a refreshing reminder of the miracle that foods can be. We don’t need to genetically modify and replicate and chemically alter every single thing in our food system. Morels still thrive on their own, without human intervention! In addition, morel mushrooms require foraging through the woods for their collection – which connects the consumer with the natural world that the morels came from, and makes them “work” for their food. These two elements are great reminders of mindful eating, which is becoming more and more important as issues such as food waste continue to rise.
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