Morel Mushrooms, River Music And A Pumpkin Drop, Inside Appalachia

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Morel mushrooms are a forager’s delight, but don’t shortcut cleaning them.

As flood relief continues from Hurricane Helene — a musician raises money with a song inspired by West Virginia’s 2016 floods.

And, not every pumpkin gets to be a jack-o-lantern. Some are used in science experiments instead.

In This Episode

• More About Morels
• Raising Flood Relief With A River Song
• Smashing Pumpkins For Science!

More About Morels

A morel sliced lengthwise will resemble a gutted fish. Note its characteristic hollow stem, a final safety check on whether you have a true morel, and the reason for its nickname of “dry land fish.” Also note that unclean morels can house ants as well as snails. Courtesy Adam Boring.

Every spring, morel hunters head to the woods in search of mushrooms that look like little wrinkled Christmas trees. Some folks freeze them for later. And even add them to their holiday menus.

Folkways reporter Wendy Welch spoke with foragers and chefs in Virginia about how to safely harvest and prepare these beloved fungi.

Raising Flood Relief With A River Song

Four months after Haddox appeared on stage at the Southeast Regional Folk Alliance festival in Black Mountain, North Carolina, Hurricane Helene tore through the conference location, where recovery efforts are ongoing. Courtesy Chris Haddox.

In 2016, torrential rains resulted in one of the deadliest floods in West Virginia. It inspired songwriter Chris Haddox, called “O, This River.”

Since Hurricane Helene, Haddox has been using that song to raise money for people in North Carolina affected by Hurricane Helene.

Folkways reporter Connie Bailey Kitts spoke with him about the story behind the song.

Smashing Pumpkins For Science!

The crowd looks on at a package with a parachute falls to the ground at the 35th Annual WVU Pumpkin Drop Oct. 25, 2024. Photo Chris Schulz.

Mason: Just because Halloween is over, doesn’t mean pumpkin season is done. At West Virginia University, the big orange gourds are part of an annual challenge that takes a lot of guts –pumpkin guts.

WVPB’s Chris Schulz had more.

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Our theme music is by Matt Jackfert. Other music this week was provided by Christian Lopez, The Appalachian Road Show, Tim Bing, Caleb Caudle, Chris Haddox and John Inghram.

Bill Lynch is our producer. Zander Aloi is our associate producer. Our executive producer is Eric Douglas. Kelley Libby is our editor. Our audio mixer is Patrick Stephens. We had help this week from folkways editor Nicole Musgrave. You can find us on Instagram @InAppalachia.

You can send us an email: [e-mail].

You can find us on Instagram, Threads and Twitter @InAppalachia. Or here on Facebook.

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Inside Appalachia is a production of West Virginia Public Broadcasting.