By: MOOL RAJ
Morchella Esculenta, commonly known as ‘Morel mushroom’ is a highly prized edible mushroom. Commonly known as ‘Kangitchh’ or ‘Gitchh’ and in Urdu it’s called ‘Guchhi’, Morel Mushrooms are really costly and are often used in culinary dishes.However, apart from culinary uses, morel mushrooms are also used for several medicinal purposes including in traditional medicine to treat a variety of ailmentsincluding high blood pressure, headaches, and fatigue. In addition, it is also used in industrial sector
In a nutshell, we can say that morels are precious and versatile mushrooms mostly found in areas with moist soil and a temperate climate.
Morels tend to grow in spring season and is commonly found in Europe, Asia and North America. And because Kashmir,Bhaderwah,Doda,Kishtwar,Raman are hilly mountain region in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, morels grow here in abundance.
Anyway, I have been finding or let me say haunting Morchella Esculenta since childhood and I would go to the orchards to find these valuable mushrooms. At that time, I wasn’t aware of its uses and value. I mean I was just trying my best to find as many morels as I could only for a hundred rupee note. I have been hearing from my Friends that they sold their findings and got 100 rupees, a thousand or even two thousand, but to be honest, I never got well over two hundred rupees. I used to find them from dawn until dusk, then I would sell them. Money earned that way was honestly the best kind of pocket money back in the day.
A few days ago, I went to find morels again with my son Ayroud in a forest range called DramanDedani Doda. I couldn’t find any but luckily, my brother found some. I don’t know if morels are really valuable to everyone, but for children, morels are more precious than gems.
Well, it’s beyond doubt that its taste is unique and scrumptious. Some people cook morels with pure milk, as they believe that it adds up to its taste. Its flavor makes it expensive, but the taste is not the only asset. Too much availability makes one cheap and morels are neither available that much nor are they cheap, in simple words, morels are only available for a short period each year, typically in the spring, and they can be difficult to find in the wild. This limited availability drives up the price.
More than that, there is a greater demand for morels, and the high demand drives up the price. Most importantly, it requires intensive harvesting. I mean the laborers have to toil to collect the morels without damaging them in a short period of time.
Morels are different from all the other mushrooms that are available there in the forests as well, and they have their benefits anyway, I do not possess a lot of knowledge about mushrooms. The study stated that” Morels have expectorant properties, which means they may help loosen and expel phlegm from the respiratory tract. They are also thought to have anti-inflammatory properties, which may help reduce inflammation in the respiratory system”. Researchers are investigating the use of a polysaccharide found in morels called beta-D-glucan as a potential immunomodulatory agent.
Morchella esculenta also helps in boosting the immune system which makes our body capable of eliminating diseases.
In Asia, these mushrooms are mostly found in China, India, and Iran, and they can lift the economies of these countries if given a little emphasis, however, their rarity makes it hard for the government to extract or cultivate I should say.
Right now, children are being used for searching for morels and some buyers underestimate kids and do not pay them as much as they should. I’m not going to mention prices here because prices keep on changing everywhere, but the buyers at least must appreciate the toil of those children who link the finding of morels to pleasure and keenly search for them forgetting their meals. (Please remember this isn’t related to child labor at all)
In conclusion, I want to request the parents that, please watch after their kids during the period of morels as they go into the dense orchards, grasslands etc. to collect mushrooms and can become the victims of stray as well as wild animals.
The author is Environmental Science Lecturer
