How to Find Wild Morel Mushrooms

Wild morel mushrooms are a great springtime pleasures, whether sauteed with fresh pasta or sliced thinly onto steak. Finding and harvesting wild morels in the forest is a fun spring activity once you know what you are looking for.

Things You'll Need

• Woven basket
• Identification guide
• Sturdy hiking boots

Instructions

1. Buy a comprehensive guide to wild mushrooms that grow in your area of the country. Many wild mushrooms are poisonous and some are lethal, so knowing how to identify mushrooms properly is critical. One of the benefits of hunting wild morels is that there are no other mushrooms that look almost identical. Once you've seen your first morel, they are easy to identify after that. It is still a good idea to take a seasoned morel hunter with you on your first forage.

2. Find a location near you that most closely matches the morel habitat. Morels like shady forests and are often found near streams. Mark your search area on a map so that you focus on those areas most likely to offer up morels.

3. Begin your forage. Look for the morel peeking up through leaves or other forest debris near the base of dead trees or near streams or rivers. Frequently, just the tip of the morel will be visible so careful searching is important.

4. Tug the morel gently from the ground once you have made a positive identification. Do not cut the base of the morel with a knife as this damages the remaining mass. Do not wash the morel prior to use. Simply brush off the soil gently with a pastry brush.

5. Carry your morels in a woven basket so that the spores will fall out back onto the ground to produce new mushrooms. Take the morels straight home and store for no more than two days before eating. Morels should be stored in a paper bag on the counter.