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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:
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.
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.
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 send us an email: InsideAppalachia@wvpublic.org.
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.
This week, it's been a year since Hurricane Helene hit central Appalachia. From the start, the recovery has brought people together. Also, country music’s Rob McNurlin grew up with traditional music in Eastern Kentucky. His friend Marty Stuart says he’s a folk hero. And, we check up on Virginia rapper and producer Byron Mack.
Continue Reading Take Me to More NewsLow income people in Mercer County can apply for a new program to give them a guaranteed monthly income. And, when Appalachian country singer Rob McNurlin announced plans to retire, a filmmaker decided to tell his story.
Continue Reading Take Me to More NewsThe federal subsidies that allow airlines to serve small, rural airports could be suspended in the government shutdown. And, groups on both sides of the aisle are successfully mobilizing young people to vote.
Continue Reading Take Me to More NewsThis episode of Us & Them first aired in 2023, and we’re sharing it again in the wake of the Sept. 10, 2025 assassination of Charlie Kirk, founder of Turning Point USA. President Donald Trump has credited Kirk’s organization with turning out young conservative voters in the 2024 election. Host Trey Kay talks with journalist Kyle Spencer about her book Raising Them Right and the decades-long conservative strategy to organize young voters, and with Abby Kiesa of Tufts University’s CIRCLE about what drives youth turnout. The conversation examines how campus organizing and money shape youth politics and where the system still falls short.
Continue Reading Take Me to More News
