It is that time of year when the delicious, and sometimes elusive, morels make their appearance. In early Spring when the nights are staying around 50 degrees and the “leaves on the trees are the size of a mouse ear,” is when the old timers say it is time to start hunting.
Why Do I Want Morels?
For starters, they are delicious. They also have an impressive nutrient profile. Like anything we eat, the vitamins and minerals found in a morel will vary depending on the soil it grew in, but they usually contain the following: Iron, Copper, Selenium, Thiamine, Vitamin E, B6, Manganese, Phosphorus, Zinc, Vitamin D, Folate, Niacin, Riboflavin, Potassium, Magnesium, and Calcium. Morels are also high in protein and fiber, can balance blood sugar, and have even been known to repair liver damage.
When Do I Look?
Morels can usually be found between the months of March and June. They thrive in the moist and warm, but not hot, environment of Spring. The farther south you live, the earlier these mushrooms will show up. The week following a good amount of rainfall is the best time to look, as the increased moisture will often encourage the fruiting of mushrooms.
Where Do I Look?
This is the question all mushroom hunters want to know. Morels have been linked with certain trees; hickory, elm, sycamore and ash are the 4 they are most commonly associated with and I have personally found them under oak and cottonwood as well. To understand where to look we have to understand a little more about morels. Mushrooms are the fruiting body of an organism called mycelium. Mycelium lives under the surface and when there is stress (such as a forest fire or a clear cut) or a flush of food (Spring sap run) the mushrooms will fruit. When mycelium is stressed from lack of nutrients it will fruit. The mycelium goes into survival mode and fruits, the fruiting body will spread its spores. So a good place to look would be an area that you knew had been clear cut or had experienced fire. I have also found them in old growth woods. In the earlier months try lower latitudes and south and west facing slopes, as it warms try the higher latitudes and north or east facing slopes. Also I have noticed that in the early Spring the mushrooms will appear under single trees, out in the open (in an orchard or pasture for example) and on the edges of woods. Later in Spring and early Summer they will be deeper in the woods where the temperature stays cooler. When you do discover them, make notes about where, the date, and the conditions, so that you can use that information in the future. They will often fruit in the same places for years.
Is It Really A Morel?
The tricky thing about mushroom hunting is that although there are many species of edible mushrooms there are also some poisonous ones. Luckily, morels are fairly easy to distinguish from their similar looking counterparts. True morels will have a cap that some describe as honeycomb like, which I don’t totally agree with because honeycomb is very exact and uniform. It does suggest the deep inward grooves though. Also, if you split a morel in half it will be hollow in the center and the stem will be directly attached to the cap. There are many good books about identifying mushrooms, Google has an unlimited supply of images you can use to compare, and there are groups on Instagram and Facebook that you can follow to find out what people are finding in your region. You can also post pictures to enlist more experienced mushroom hunters for help in identification. Never eat anything you have not identified with 100% confidence. That may seem like a tall order at first, but after spending some time learning about and persuing wild edibles you will be able to identify them as easy as you would food at the supermarket.
How do I Harvest Them?
Use a knife to gently cut them from their stalk (grabbing them too firmly will bruise them) leaving the part of the stalk that is attached to the ground there. Try using a large basket with good ventilation so that the mushooms can be placed in a single layer (although by all means if you stumble across enough to stack them deeply on top of each other go for it) as they like to breath. Bring a clean thin cloth to cover the mushrooms with to protect them from any dust and debris falling onto them. Maake sure you are mindful to leave some morels where they are as well, so they can spread their spores
What Do I Do With Them?
Eat them! First wash them well and then use them the same way you would any other mushroom. Cook in butter and garlic, add them to a sauce. If you find enough you think you would like to dry them for storage it is very easy to do. Just spread them out on a clean surface in the sun and let them dry for 24 hours or so. Letting mushrooms sit in the sun will actually increase their Vitamin D content. Make sure they are completely dry before storage. Store them in a jar and soak them in filtered water to plump them back up when you are ready to use them.
So get out there and start hunting.
Here are some good books about mushroom hunting if you would like to learn more:
