5 Tips For Hunting Morel Mushrooms Which Sell For a Surprising Amount

    • Fun fact: These mushrooms are the state mushroom of Minnesota. They have a conical shape with a texture that reminds me of a bee hive. If you find these at the right time, you'll have a unique product to either sell or use in your own meals. Whether you're just beginning your morel mushroom foraging career or are a morel mushroom expert, these tips and tricks will help you find the elusive morel mushrooms!

    5 Tricks to Finding Morel Mushrooms

    1. Get out and look often.

    Morel season is very short, usually a span of 1 week, two weeks at most. You could miss out on the morels for the season if you’re not out there looking starting in late April (for Minnesota).

    Things to pay attention to are the amount of moisture in the area. The temperatures- if it’s been consistently warmer than 60 degrees for a week with lots of moisture in the soil then it’s time to start looking.

    2. Search in wooded areas with dead trees.

    Morels tend to sprout off of the roots of dead and dying elm trees, although they will grow amongst other dead trees as well- as long as the nutrients are there.

    3. Check your southern exposure hillside slopes.

    Morels tend to grow larger on the southern exposure slopes. They are usually anywhere from the top of the slope to about the middle, any further down and your chances of finding them diminishes

    4. Where there is one there are more.

    Some may be hidden beneath leaves or other plants, or they may be so small that you’ll want to come back for them in a day or two.

    5. Come prepared.

    Wear long pants- jeans are best and long sleeved shirts. They will prevent you from getting scratched up by weeds and branches. Spray your shoes and lower pants with lots of bug spray to prevent wood ticks. This time of year is when they are at their worst and with Lyme disease rates on the rise it’s important that you take every precaution to protect yourselves.

    Bring bags. Spores are how new morels get ‘planted’ so you definitely want to be dispersing them back into the world. A fine mesh bag would be perfect. Don’t use a plastic bag.

    Have you been morel mushroom hunting? Are there any tips we have missed here?

    Article Source: Pickles Travel Blog



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    30 Comments

    8. Jamie Norris said:

      Look in burned areas that have had two years or more to recover, but not enough time for undergrowth to smother them out.

      Reply
    13. Robin Whittington said:

      I lived in IL when young. Our family went mushroom hunting a lot.
      Ppl look at me so strange when I tell them this.

      Reply
    16. Jesi G said:

      Very dicey business. They have quite a few poisonous cousins

      Reply
    29. Curtis Gay said:

      yummy went out turkey hunting last week but still too cold. also after a burn they are abundant fyi

      Reply

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