Where to find morel mushrooms

The Minnesota Harvester Handbook addresses sustainable natural resource harvest and markets. For more non-timber forest products to harvest this spring, purchase a copy of the Minnesota Harvester Handbook or find it on the University's digital conservancy. All rights reserved. The University of Minnesota is an equal opportunity educator and employer. Home Natural resources Forestry Woodland ownership Harvesting morel mushrooms.

Quick facts Morel mushrooms are prized for culinary uses. Morels usually emerge in the spring in woodlands after adequate rainfall. When harvesting, pinch or cut the stem just above the soil to leave the base of the mushroom in the soil. Usually, the mushrooms grow on the edges of wooded areas, especially around oak , elm , ash , and aspen trees.

It could have been a forest fire in the past year or two, or even just a lightly-used trail in the woods, but morels tend to sprout up in these areas. Following a small stream or creek could also lead you to morels; 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. 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 manage to find some, cook them first to enjoy the best flavor. By Andrea Beck Updated April 09, Save Pin FB More. Credit: Greg Scheidemann. Close up of person harvesting a Morel mushroom with a knife. Makes just as much sense in the back of your truck as it does in the kitchen drawer.

The definitive guide to cooking wild game, including fish and fowl, featuring more than new recipes. Likely the biggest debate in foraging culture centers on how to clean morel mushrooms. Mushroom enthusiasts often fall into one of three camps: quick rinse, short soak, and long soak. To better understand where most foragers stand, I conducted a poll in a morel mushroom hunting group on Facebook. Spring might be the tastiest time of year for sportsmen.

Spawning walleye hanging out in shallow water offer firm, white fillets. Turkeys susceptible to sweet-talking hunters provide plump cuts of white and dark flesh.

Wild asparagus hiding in rural ditches reward foragers with distinctly-flavored greens. But perhaps the most valued delicacy this time of year is the morel mushroom.

This golden fungus shows up each spring and drives wild food Morels are enigmatic. Despite their reputation as the best tasting mushroom among some 1. With a lot of room for interpretation, foragers like me do their best to fill in the scientific gaps. For that reason, morel hunters get plenty of things wrong.