A wet spring will quite often mean a very good mushroom season.
The humidity of a forest is very likely to encourage morel growth.
Places where a lot of rainwater sits on the surface, like a swamp or trickling stream, are generally not ideal environments for morels to grow.
An elm tree that has just died in the last few years is one of the surest bets. An old apple orchard is often a good place to find morels.
For example, if you found a morel in a creek bed, keep searching the rest of the creek or other dried creeks nearby.
A half-free morel has a longer stem and the cap attaches near the cap, resembling an umbrella. While this type of morel is not poisonous, it can cause cramps or other gastrointestinal distress for some people.
Look for the smaller grey morel early in the season, and the bigger yellow morel later in the season.
The false morel contains the chemical monomethyl hydrazine (MMH), which can cause vomiting, dizziness, diarrhea, and sometimes even death. If in doubt, try slicing open the mushroom. A real morel will be hollow inside. A fake morel will have wispy fibers or chunks of tissue inside.
If you don’t know any mushroom hunters, look for a local class or club you can join. You can also take an illustrated field guide with you when you go hunting to help you search for an identify mushrooms. Eating toxic mushrooms can make you very sick and in some cases may be life-threatening. Seek emergency medical care if you start to experience any negative symptoms after eating a mushroom.
It’s best not to pluck them out of the ground because they will come out of the soil dirty and frayed.
Mushrooms need access to oxygen just like people. Otherwise, bacteria will build up in the mushroom and it will begin to decay.
You can also dry your morels to help them last from 6 months to 1 year. Watch for worms in the mushrooms. Remove any mushrooms with worms as soon as you spot them to keep them from contaminating any more of the batch.
Try slicing the mushrooms in half before you soak them for a more thorough cleaning. You may want to shake the bowl after you put the mushrooms. Swish them around by gently cupping them in your hand and swirling around in the water to dislodge any dirt or insects inside the folds of the caps. Transfer clean mushrooms to a clean dry cloth to drain. Only begin preparation when the mushroom is completely dry.
If you want to experiment with your morels, try putting them in scrambled eggs with some tarragon, or fry them in a batter. It’s not recommended to eat morels raw. They don’t taste very good this way, and they can cause stomach cramps or gastrointestinal distress.
