Besides colorful flowers and warmer temperatures, spring brings an eagerly awaited edible treat: morel mushrooms. These delicious wild mushrooms are considered a delicacy, costing $50 per pound when fresh and well over $100 per pound dried.
The main reason morels are so pricey is their rarity. They only appear from late March through May, and they're nearly impossible to farm or grow indoors, so many people try to forage for morels. They grow in woodsy areas across the United States but are harder to find in the Southwest and other typically dry regions. Sometimes the thrill of discovering these elusive fungi is even more satisfying than eating them, so here's what you need to know about how to find morels.
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How to Identify Morels
Whenever you're foraging, identification is critical (you don't want to end up bringing home a basket filled with inedible or possibly dangerous mushrooms by accident). Luckily, morel mushrooms have a distinct look that's pretty easy to spot. Look for mushrooms with a cone-shaped cap with many crevices like a sponge. When you slice them open, all true morels are hollow inside.
Watch out for false morel mushrooms, which can be dangerous. They look like real morels poking through the topsoil from a distance, but when you get closer, it should be clear that they're not. Most false morels will have wrinkly, almost shriveled-looking caps instead of pits. Sometimes, the color gives them away, too; real morel mushrooms are light brown, and some false morels are reddish. If you're ever in doubt, leave the mushrooms where they are and keep looking!
When to Forage for Morels
Timing is essential to how to find morels, so keep an eye on the weather. They love moist, slightly cool conditions and tend to pop up through the topsoil if there have been several spring rainstorms. Temperature also plays a part; morels usually thrive when the temperature at night doesn't dip below 50°F, so a string of cool but not cold nights paired with rain is your cue to go mushroom hunting.
Remember that the mushrooms will get larger as the season progresses. You might not have much luck searching in late March or early April because most morels are tiny at that point, usually the size of your thumb or smaller. But in later spring, morels can get much bigger (sometimes as large as a soda can), reaching 4-5 inches tall. It's easier to spot morels when they're bigger, so new mushroom hunters might want to wait until later in the season. Of course, if you wait too long, other foragers might get to the morels first.
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Where and How to Find Morels
For the most part, hunting for morels is all about luck, especially for beginners. But if you're unsure where and how to find morels, sometimes more experienced hunters will share spots they've found morels. The Great Morel, a website dedicated to tracking down these elusive mushrooms, has a morel mushroom map where foragers can submit locations where they've found them, including the date they were there.
Otherwise, how to find morels is to head out to a forest or nature park. Usually, the mushrooms grow on the edges of wooded areas, especially around oak, elm, ash, and aspen trees. Look for dead or dying trees while you're on the hunt, too, because morels tend to grow right around the base.
Another good place to check for mushrooms is in any area that's been recently disturbed. It could have been a forest fire in the past year or two or even a lightly-used trail in the woods, but morels tend to sprout in these areas. Following a small stream or creek could also lead you to where to find morel mushrooms; they don't like soggy soil, but the moisture splashed from a nearby stream could create the perfect mushroom patch.
If you hit the jackpot and stumble across a morel mushroom or two, stop where you are! Your best bet to find more mushrooms is to search the immediate area within about 20 feet of the patch you already found. Usually, you'll find at least a few more morels growing nearby. If you find some, the easiest way to harvest them is to cut them at the base with scissors or a knife, but you also can snap or pinch them off at the base with your fingers.
A lot of the fun of morel mushroom hunting comes from the search itself, but if you find some, cook them first to enjoy the best flavor. Try using morels to top a pizza, or sauté them with a bit of butter to serve as a side dish. Enjoy the hunt, and savor any taste-testing of morels you're lucky enough to discover!
Frequently Asked Questions
How fast do morel mushrooms grow?
When morel mushroom heads poke through the ground, it only takes ten to 15 days to reach full maturity and be ready for picking. However, you won't always be able to see the heads because they're tiny, so sometimes it can seem like they appear overnight.
Which states are morel mushrooms most commonly found?
Morels can be found in nearly every state, as long as the weather and environment are hospitable. The states with the most morels each spring are usually Tennessee, Michigan, Wisconsin, Oklahoma, and Vermont. Locations where there have been wildfire burns are often the best sites for finding morels.
Can I grow morel mushrooms in my own garden or yard?
If you want to grow morels in your yard, the conditions must be just right. A dead tree is a good starting point, but if you don't have one, use decayed wood and place it in a shady, damp area. Commercially-available morel kits provide the spores needed to grow morels.
