Hunting Morel Mushrooms and Eating Them

I have been hunting morel mushrooms successfully for over 40 years; some years better than others.  I have done much research and found the common elements that are usually dependable in my search.  Most of all I rely on my intuition and the more I trust in it, the more successful I am.  As it relates to morel mushroom hunting, I called it "putting on my mushroom eyes."  For some basic good overall morel mushroom information that is made for Missouri but is likely useful for anywhere, check out this site:

http://mdc.mo.gov/discover-nature/field-guide/morels

My morel experience began in Western Iowa.  There were two distinct types of areas that produced the morel mushrooms and they appeared at different times of the spring season.  The first to come up were along the sand shores of the Missouri River among the willow saplings.  They were very easy to see and usually came in large numbers as well as size.  The only problem with them was that they needed extra good soaking and rinsing because of the sand residue.  After the Missouri River morals were gone, up come the ones in the Loess Hills.  These were harder to find because of the forest floor cover. These mushrooms had more tiny bugs that ate up the mushroom rather quickly so the hunter had to get them as soon as they came up and beat the bugs to them!  The most morel mushrooms I ever found were during the 1970's when  I lived in Iowa for seven years.  I do not know how it compares now as farming practices have changed over the years to remove more and more of the older growth forest areas and the river has changed it's boundaries a lot.  I do know that Preparation Canyon State Park is an old reliable area.  Keith and I were married there in an outdoor wedding in May1974 and have gone back there frequently over the years.  We will check it out soon as we plan a trip for our 39th anniversary in May.  Check back here as I will add photos if we are successful.

This year has been a little unusual as it has been cooler and wetter than normal.  The first morels were found by me on April 17th in a public area along the Pomme de Terre River.  I have always found morel mushrooms in this place.  They came out when the night and day temperatures were above 50 degrees.  They were very small and about a week later than usual...but they were there!  Two things to remember about picking morel mushrooms is to pinch them at the base rather than pull them up complete.  It is good to leave a little piece for good luck next year.  It is also best to place them gently in a open weave basket or a cloth hankerchief.  They will stay fresher and the spores will likely drop back to the ground better than if they were kept in a plastic bag for more than an hour of walking around.  Even a paper bag is better than plastic.  I have carried plastic trash bags many times just in case I find enough to fill one or more...and I have...but not for many years!

The second time I found morel mushrooms this year was in the same public area about a mile and a half from the first spot.  There were several other people at my first spot before me so I moved on.  Late in the afternoon on April 22nd, it was overcast and very humid with temperature hitting 81 degrees.  There were severe thunderstorm warnings out and the rain and sun broke through off and on making it really steamy.  I only found three but they were a good size.  They are in the first photo above being held by my froggy friend.

Then it got cold for a few days with temperatures at night getting as low as 33 degrees and some brief snow flakes in the morning!  The next time I went out I did not really think I would be as successful but I was even though the daytime temperatures only reached 61 degrees.  I went to my old-standby reliable spot and there they were again bigger and more of them!  I think this is still just mid-season and am looking forward to discovering a new location on public land further up the river.  Keith and I scouted it out during the recent cold spell and plan to spend all afternoon soon.  It is a spot that we found a mother-load when the children were very young and it involved a lot of walking and an island that could only be accessed by boat. A couple years we used a downed tree as a bridge.  Well, that spot now has good road access and many miles to explore without leaving the truck far behind so less walking.  We were successful in finding morel mushrooms and we found an easy walk.  Here is an overall photo of the river area and what we found there:

We can now drive to the river valley and access all the land along the river which is all public land.  This area is near Cross Timbers.

Emerging morel in our new hunting grounds...now that's fresh!

A successful Sunday afternoon!

So what do you do with the elusive morel mushrooms when you find them?  Use them as you would any mushroom in recipes.  I have even dried them and stored in glass quart jars.  It has been a long time since I have had so many to dry.  Mostly, I cook them three different ways:  The Ritz Cracker Way, in egg omelets, and as one of the toppings on a quality and/or homemade pizza.
Here is The Ritz Cracker Way:

It is a good idea to have crackers, eggs, and butter on hand all the month of April!

Slice the morels in half lengthwise, rinse under running water, and soak overnight in salt water.   Do not get impatient and think that you can soak for a shorter time.  If you do, rinse again after one hour and wait another hour  or until you no longer see things floating to the top. When you see all the tiny live moving bug specks that float on top of the water, you will wait longer.  Although I have soaked for as little as one hour and did not die.  The risk is yours.

The Morel Mushrooms are sometimes called "Sponge Mushrooms."  After soaking overnight, rinse again under running water.  Place on doubled paper towels.  Put another doubled paper towel on top and gently press to squeeze out all the water.  Repeat as needed.  If your mushrooms fall apart, they are too old or bug-damaged.  Again, I have still ate them this way so use your own judgement.  When you have removed as much of the water as possible, they are ready for the next step.

Put some Ritz Crackers in a sealed Ziploc bag and roll until fine crumbs.    I use about a half roll of crackers for  about a dozen mushroom halves.

Beat 2-3 whole large eggs or enough to cover all the mushroom halves.  Be sure to coat well dipping the mushroom to soak up the egg in all the indents.  Lift each mushroom out of the egg to drain. Put in the crumb bag and gently shake until coated well will crumbs.  Have them all ready before putting in pan to cook.

Over medium heat, melt half-stick of real butter in large enough fry pan.  Place each mushroom half  in pan and cover a few minutes until brown.  Remove lid and turn over cooking a few more minutes until other side is brown.  Do NOT walk away as it is a sin to burn these beauties after all it took to get this far!  The smell will keep you close anyway as well as anyone else that is sharing.  Be sure to have had all other meal preparations done and ready to plate and eat.  Although, I have ate them cold.

This meal consists of Morel Mushrooms - The Ritz Cracker Way, Clementines, and Asparagus Polonaise

So you may think I am quite the expert morel mushroom hunter.  Well, I am humbled at how very little I do know as the elusive morel mushroom cannot be grown by gardeners or commercial growers and they show up in places that do not always meet the expected descriptions.  That is why good mushroom hunters never tell exactly where their special spots are located.  You see, the morel can return to the same spot for decades!  I know there are places that produce hundreds of morels.  I believe they are on private land as I know people who have found as many.  I will always hope to see a mother-load like I did in the 1970's.  But I am happy to get one good mess a year!  This year I have found a couple dozen which is a good year for me.  The season is about midway at this writing.

This spring I have had the pleasure of meeting new neighborhood children.  A couple days ago I showed them my day's morel mushroom find and told them the story of the elusive morel mushrooms.  Today they came over and showed me what they just found in their backyard...three fresh morel mushrooms!!!!  You do not have to be an experienced expert to find them!  I'm am convinced you must be pure at heart and have faith as a child.  Like children, morel mushrooms are a gift from God.

Wesley and Kinsey find their first morel mushrooms in their backyard!