Morels?

[Weedygarden]

I have been seeing bits of this story unfold and it came back up this morning. I'll post the update from what I saw in the next post.

This is an earlier story:

https://www.wildmushrooms.org/2023/08/12/update-montana-morchella-deaths/
August 12, 2023
I earlier reported[1] a mass mushroom poisoning which sickened 51 people and resulted in 3 hospitalizations and 2 deaths. The Montana Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS), working with FDA, has now issued its final case report.[2] The culprit: consumption of uncooked or undercooked (including marinated) Morchella sextelata.[3]

All of the illnesses resulted from consumption of mushroom dishes in a single restaurant during a 3-week period. The severity of symptoms correlated with the amount of mushrooms consumed.

MDHHS and the FDA were able to eliminate other probable causes.

Notes​

1. Montana Mushroom Morbidity (May 28, 2023) https://www.wildmushrooms.org/2023/05/28/montana-morchella-morbidity/.

2. Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services, Final Summary of the Foodborne Outbreak Linked to Morel Mushrooms. July 19, 2023. https://www.healthygallatin.org/wp-..._FinalSummary_FBIOutbreak_7.19.2023-Final.pdf

3. Morchella sextelata occurs in western North America as a “black” “burn morel”. It is macroscopically indistinguishable from the other members of the Morchella eximia group (M. eximia, M. exuberans, M. septimelata). Michael Beug, et al., Ascomycete Fungi of North America 194 (Univ. of Texas Press 2014); Michael Beug, Mushrooms of Cascadia 44 (2021); Trudell, Mushrooms of the Pacific Northwest 334 (Timber Press rev. ed. 2022).. Trudell, Mushrooms of the Pacific Northwest 334 (Timber Press rev. ed. 2022); Beug, Mushrooms of Cascadia 44 (2021); Beug, et al., Ascomycete Fungi of North America 194 (Univ. of Texas Press 2014).

4. U.S. Food & Drug Administration, “Investigation of Illnesses: Morel Mushrooms” (updated July 19, 2023) Investigation of Illnesses: Morel Mushrooms (May 2023)

• People who ate at the restaurant but didn’t consume Morchella (morels) did not become sick.
• The agencies also screened mushroom samples from the restaurant for pesticides, heavy metals, bacterial toxins, and pathogens. No significant findings were identified.
• The agencies traced Morchella from the same importer that were served by other restaurants. Those restaurants cooked the mushrooms properly before serving, without reports of illness. [2] [4].

Some suggestions:

• All Morchella contain toxins and should be cooked thoroughly before consuming.[4] Indeed, cook all mushrooms before eating; some other mushrooms contain toxins that are destroyed only by heating (and not by marinating or drying). Once such toxin is agaritine, a potent carcinogen found in the common button mushroom, Agaricus bisporus. Toth, “Hepatocarcinogenesis by hydrazine mycotoxins of edible mushrooms”, Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health, 5:2-3, 193-202, (1979) DOI: 10.1080/15287397909529744.
• Be certain of the identity of each mushroom that you consume even if store-bought.
• Check our FAQs on Eating Wild Mushrooms.

 

[Weedygarden]

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/morel-...reak that,the popular and expensive delicacy.
HEALTHWATCH

Mysterious morel mushrooms at center of food poisoning outbreak​

BY KEELY LARSON
DECEMBER 13, 2023 / 5:00 AM EST / KFF HEALTH NEWS

A food poisoning outbreak that killed two people and sickened 51, stemming from a Montana restaurant, has highlighted just how little is known about morel mushrooms and the risks in preparing the popular and expensive delicacy.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration conducted an investigation into morel mushrooms after the severe illness outbreak linked to Dave's Sushi in Bozeman in late March and April. The investigation found that undercooked or raw morels were the likely culprit, and it led the agency to issue its first guidelines on preparing morels.

"The toxins in morel mushrooms that may cause illness are not fully understood; however, using proper preparation procedures, such as cooking, can help to reduce toxin levels," according to the FDA guidance.

Even then, a risk remains, according to the FDA: "Properly preparing and cooking morel mushrooms can reduce risk of illness, however there is no guarantee of safety even if cooking steps are taken prior to consumption."

File photo: Harvesting morel mushrooms at an edible mushroom farm in Neijiang, Sichuan Province, China.VCG/VCG VIA GETTY IMAGES
Jon Ebelt, spokesperson for Montana's health department, said there is limited public health information or medical literature on morels. And samples of the morels taken from Dave's Sushi detected no specific toxin, pathogen, pesticide, or volatile or nonvolatile organic compound in the mushrooms.

Many highly regarded recipe books describe sauteing morels to preserve the sought-after, earthy flavor. At Dave's, a marinade, sometimes boiling, was poured over the raw mushrooms before they were served, Parker said. After his own investigation, Parker said he found boiling them between 10 and 30 minutes is the safest way to prepare morel mushrooms.

Parker said he reached out to chefs across the country and found that many, like him, were surprised to learn about the toxicity of morels.

"They had no idea that morel mushrooms had this sort of inherent risk factor regardless of preparation," Parker said.

According to the FDA's Food Code, the vast majority of the more than 5,000 fleshy mushroom species that grow naturally in North America have not been tested for toxicity. Of those that have, 15 species are deadly, 60 are toxic whether raw or cooked — including "false" morels, which look like spongy edible morels — and at least 40 are poisonous if eaten raw, but safer when cooked.

The North American Mycological Association, a national nonprofit whose members are mushroom experts, recorded 1,641 cases of mushroom poisonings and 17 deaths from 1985 to 2006. One hundred and twenty-nine of those poisonings were attributed to morels, but no deaths were reported.

Marian Maxwell, the outreach chairperson for the Puget Sound Mycological Society, based in Seattle, said cooking breaks down the chitin in mushrooms, the same compound found in the exoskeletons of shellfish, and helps destroy toxins. Maxwell said morels may naturally contain a type of hydrazine — a chemical often used in pesticides or rocket fuel that can cause cancer — which can affect people differently. Cooking does boil off the hydrazine, she said, "but some people still have reactions even though it's cooked and most of that hydrazine is gone."

Heather Hallen-Adams, chair of the toxicology committee of the North American Mycological Association, said hydrazine has been shown to exist in false morels, but it's not as "clear-cut" in true morels, which were the mushrooms used at Dave's Sushi.

Mushroom-caused food poisonings in restaurant settings are rare — the Montana outbreak is believed to be one of the first in the U.S. related to morels — but they have happened infrequently abroad. In 2019, a morel food poisoning outbreak at a Michelin-star-rated restaurant in Spain sickened about 30 customers. One woman who ate the morels died, but her death was determined to be from natural causes. Raw morels were served on a pasta salad in Vancouver, British Columbia, in 2019 and poisoned 77 consumers, though none died.

Before the new guidelines were issued, the FDA's Food Code guidance to states was only that serving wild mushrooms must be approved by a "regulatory authority."

The FDA's Food Code bans the sale of wild-picked mushrooms in a restaurant or other food establishment unless it's been approved to do so, though cultivated wild mushrooms can be sold if the cultivation operations are overseen by a regulatory agency, as was the case with the morels at Dave's Sushi. States' regulations vary, according to a 2021 study by the Georgia Department of Public Health and included in the Association of Food and Drug Officials' regulatory guidelines. For example, Montana and a half-dozen other states allow restaurants to sell wild mushrooms if they come from a licensed seller, according to the study. Seventeen other states allow the sale of wild mushrooms that have been identified by a state-credentialed expert.

The study found that the varied resources states use to identify safe wild mushrooms — including mycological associations, academics, and the food service industry — may suggest a need for better communication.

The study recognized a "guidance document" as the "single most important step forward" given the variety in regulations and the demand for wild mushrooms.

Hallen-Adams said raw morels are known to be poisonous by "mushroom people," but that's not common knowledge among chefs.

In the Dave's Sushi case, Hallen-Adams said, it was obvious that safety information didn't get to the people who needed it. "And this could be something that could be addressed by labeling," she said.

There hasn't been much emphasis placed on making sure consumers know how to properly prepare the mushrooms, Hallen-Adams said, "and that's something we need to start doing."

Hallen-Adams, who trains people in Nebraska on mushroom identification, said the North American Mycological Association planned to update its website and include more prominent information about the need to cook mushrooms, with a specific mention of morels.

Montana's health department intends to publish guidelines on morel safety in the spring, when morel season is approaching.

---

KFF Health News, formerly known as Kaiser Health News (KHN), is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues and is one of the core operating programs at KFF — the independent source for health policy research, polling, and journalism.

 

[hashbrown]

When I was a kid my parents got terribly sick from a batch. My brother and I were fine but they were really sick. We were finding 100s of Morels at that time and I always figured one of us picked something different. We all knew what we were picking and something different wouldn’t have got past my mother when she was cleaning and cooking them though.

 

[Weedygarden]

When I was a kid my parents got terribly sick from a batch. My brother and I were fine but they were really sick. We were finding 100s of Morels at that time and I always figured one of us picked something different. We all knew what we were picking and something different wouldn’t have got past my mother when she was cleaning and cooking them though.

My daughter went on a road trip with a friend recently and they stopped at the home of some of his family friends. At some point in time the friend's family ate some mushrooms, not sure what kind, and some of the family did not survive.

Even though my family has European roots, not too far back, we never ate or had mushrooms of any sort. It's possible that we never had them around to eat.

For a while I attended Colorado Mycological Society meetings and presentations. I was a member of the group. They have excellent presenters or did.

Truth: I like mushrooms for all the things they do for medicinal healing and healing the earth. But for some reason I have never cared for them. Daughter told me the same thing. If we end up with food with mushrooms in it, we pick them out. Both of us have a very short list of foods we do not care for, but mushrooms is on our lists.

I had Chinese friends and learned to cook some Chinese foods, and black mushrooms is an ingredient in some soups. I have some dried ones, which is how they are sold, and I use them in the broth, but I don't eat them.

 

[angie_nrs]

Boiling morels? Yuck!

We pick em', clean em', and then put them in the frig in salt water overnight or longer depending upon when we can eat them. We then drain the salt water, get them somewhat dry, shake them up with flour and sautee them in butter on the stove until they have a mild crunch. Dang.....I'm drooling just thinking of it. I have many months before they will pop up in my area. Last year's crop was the worst ever! So, I'm hoping for better picking next year.

 

[Patchouli]

@angie_nrs I've never gathered morels but one friend who did, did exactly what you said, in the fridge in salt water overnight. I don't know what my in-laws did with theirs.
I was reading recently that a lot of people have been sick and in a couple of rare cases, have died from eating mushrooms they said were morels. They are fairly identifiable so don't know how they'd make someone so sick they'd die, unless the people misidentified them.

 

[Tim Horton]

The one little trivia I believe to be true about morels is there is a ....false morel.... variety...
The ...false morel... being very toxic...
I believe they can grow side by side and until you pick them and cut them open it is extremely hard to tell the difference... It is said once you see the difference with them side by side you will always know the difference..

I you have more knowledge and experience please post it...

 

[Patchouli]

@Tim Horton I'm sorry, I don’t have any photos or links at the moment, looks like a previous poster had a lot of info. I’ve never seen false morels, only the actual morels, my l.h. identified them and I can’t remember if we ate them or let his mom have them. To me, from photos I’ve seen, there is definitely a difference.

 

[Curmudgeon]

with flour and sautee them in butter on the stove until they have a mild crunch. Dang.....I'm drooling just thinking of it.

Now I am, that is exactly how we prepare ours. That nice woodsey /smokey flavor is the best.

 

[angie_nrs]

The one little trivia I believe to be true about morels is there is a ....false morel.... variety...
The ...false morel... being very toxic...
I believe they can grow side by side and until you pick them and cut them open it is extremely hard to tell the difference... It is said once you see the difference with them side by side you will always know the difference..

I you have more knowledge and experience please post it...

Yes, the false morels have more of an umbrella like top (like a cap) and they also have a white material in the stem....almost like a silk webbing. They also have more of a yellow or golden color to them and grow tall through the stem. I kick em' over when I see them. That does 2 things...it let's others know someone has already picked here and also that they are falsies. I've been hunting morels for so long that I can spot the fakes a mile away. I have seen them grow side by side with the real morels, but generally they grow in their own patches. For some odd reason, the fakies are easier to find then the real ones.....go figure.

 

[Hooch]

Boiling morels? Yuck!

We pick em', clean em', and then put them in the frig in salt water overnight or longer depending upon when we can eat them. We then drain the salt water, get them somewhat dry, shake them up with flour and sautee them in butter on the stove until they have a mild crunch. Dang.....I'm drooling just thinking of it. I have many months before they will pop up in my area. Last year's crop was the worst ever! So, I'm hoping for better picking next year.

I didnt find any in my usual places. A friend found bags full on a recent burn area but I never made it up the mountain that far.
But I like them fried beer battered, butter n garlic..yummy!
Mushrooms are tricky..I've read in different wild foraging books to never eat wild mushrooms raw, always cook them well and when consuming them for the first time..always try a small bite of a new species and wait a day to make sure you dont have a reaction.
I bet that restaurant chef feels terrible..

 

[Weedygarden]

A friend found bags full on a recent burn area but I never made it up the mountain that far.

I heard a PhD from Montana speak about mushrooms. When there is a burn area, mushrooms are the first thing to grow back and they begin to heal the area.

 

[K-S ranch]

I have been seeing bits of this story unfold and it came back up this morning. I'll post the update from what I saw in the next post.

This is an earlier story:

https://www.wildmushrooms.org/2023/08/12/update-montana-morchella-deaths/
August 12, 2023
I earlier reported[1] a mass mushroom poisoning which sickened 51 people and resulted in 3 hospitalizations and 2 deaths. The Montana Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS), working with FDA, has now issued its final case report.[2] The culprit: consumption of uncooked or undercooked (including marinated) Morchella sextelata.[3]

All of the illnesses resulted from consumption of mushroom dishes in a single restaurant during a 3-week period. The severity of symptoms correlated with the amount of mushrooms consumed.

MDHHS and the FDA were able to eliminate other probable causes.

Notes​

1. Montana Mushroom Morbidity (May 28, 2023) https://www.wildmushrooms.org/2023/05/28/montana-morchella-morbidity/.

2. Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services, Final Summary of the Foodborne Outbreak Linked to Morel Mushrooms. July 19, 2023. https://www.healthygallatin.org/wp-..._FinalSummary_FBIOutbreak_7.19.2023-Final.pdf

3. Morchella sextelata occurs in western North America as a “black” “burn morel”. It is macroscopically indistinguishable from the other members of the Morchella eximia group (M. eximia, M. exuberans, M. septimelata). Michael Beug, et al., Ascomycete Fungi of North America 194 (Univ. of Texas Press 2014); Michael Beug, Mushrooms of Cascadia 44 (2021); Trudell, Mushrooms of the Pacific Northwest 334 (Timber Press rev. ed. 2022).. Trudell, Mushrooms of the Pacific Northwest 334 (Timber Press rev. ed. 2022); Beug, Mushrooms of Cascadia 44 (2021); Beug, et al., Ascomycete Fungi of North America 194 (Univ. of Texas Press 2014).

4. U.S. Food & Drug Administration, “Investigation of Illnesses: Morel Mushrooms” (updated July 19, 2023) Investigation of Illnesses: Morel Mushrooms (May 2023)

• People who ate at the restaurant but didn’t consume Morchella (morels) did not become sick.
• The agencies also screened mushroom samples from the restaurant for pesticides, heavy metals, bacterial toxins, and pathogens. No significant findings were identified.
• The agencies traced Morchella from the same importer that were served by other restaurants. Those restaurants cooked the mushrooms properly before serving, without reports of illness. [2] [4].

Some suggestions:

• All Morchella contain toxins and should be cooked thoroughly before consuming.[4] Indeed, cook all mushrooms before eating; some other mushrooms contain toxins that are destroyed only by heating (and not by marinating or drying). Once such toxin is agaritine, a potent carcinogen found in the common button mushroom, Agaricus bisporus. Toth, “Hepatocarcinogenesis by hydrazine mycotoxins of edible mushrooms”, Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health, 5:2-3, 193-202, (1979) DOI: 10.1080/15287397909529744.
• Be certain of the identity of each mushroom that you consume even if store-bought.
• Check our FAQs on Eating Wild Mushrooms.

I e often thought of trying to find these mushrooms but I think I’m better off not, I’ve already escaped death 3 times no need to keep tempting it or my family. I’ll stick to huckleberries and watching for bears. Thanks for sharing!

 

[Weedygarden]

I e often thought of trying to find these mushrooms but I think I’m better off not, I’ve already escaped death 3 times no need to keep tempting it or my family. I’ll stick to huckleberries and watching for bears. Thanks for sharing!

I like learning about mushrooms and how they help people, but I have never really enjoyed eating them.

 

[Hooch]

I like learning about mushrooms and how they help people, but I have never really enjoyed eating them.

There are some interesting studies about how manic mushrooms in low micro doses are helping folks with depression and ptsd .
Folks who go on those mushroom vacations often come back with life changing perspectives on their lives after a controlled environment exposure to higher doses.
YouTube has some interesting videos on it..

 

[Weedygarden]

There are some interesting studies about how manic mushrooms in low micro doses are helping folks with depression and ptsd .
Folks who go on those mushroom vacations often come back with life changing perspectives on their lives after a controlled environment exposure to higher doses.
YouTube has some interesting videos on it.

I know people who have done those mushroom vacations. One younger man was in the army and spent time in Iraq and Afghanistan and had some issues around PTSD as well. He told me that the micro-doses have made a big difference with his recovery. He has been working with a person at the VA and has been encouraged to use mushrooms.
Colorado Voted to Decriminalize ‘Magic Mushrooms’ — What Happens Next?

Colorado Voted to Decriminalize 'Magic Mushrooms​

CU Anschutz Newsroom
https://news.cuanschutz.edu › medicine › colorado-ma...

Nov 15, 2022 — It also legalizes personal private use, growing, and sharing of psilocybin and psilocin, as well as three additional psychedelic compounds — ...

I know people who grow them. I believe that the next step for Colorado is the legalization of the sale of mushrooms, which according to my understanding is still not legal.

 

[Hooch]

I know people who have done those mushroom vacations. One younger man was in the army and spent time in Iraq and Afghanistan and had some issues around PTSD as well. He told me that the micro-doses have made a big difference with his recovery. He has been working with a person at the VA and has been encouraged to use mushrooms.
Colorado Voted to Decriminalize ‘Magic Mushrooms’ — What Happens Next?

Colorado Voted to Decriminalize 'Magic Mushrooms​

CU Anschutz Newsroom
https://news.cuanschutz.edu › medicine › colorado-ma...

Nov 15, 2022 — It also legalizes personal private use, growing, and sharing of psilocybin and psilocin, as well as three additional psychedelic compounds — ...

I know people who grow them. I believe that the next step for Colorado is the legalization of the sale of mushrooms, which according to my understanding is still not legal.

I hear they are helpful..