Morel mushrooms

With the coming of spring many of us are looking forward to foraging for morel’s. These mushrooms being easy to identify are favored among many mushroom hunters. They are very good and found in very large quantities in many parts of the country. They are even picked and sold commercially.Here in Upper Michigan we first see the black morels around the end of April. With the white or yellow morels starting to appear a couple of weeks later. This mushroom should not be eaten raw only fully cooked. It took a lot of exploring when I first started hunting morels to find some good spots I could depend on year after year.Hunting for the black morels I seem to have the best luck on the edge of fields with the mushrooms being scattered among the poplar trees. Also old apple orchards are pretty good areas to check out. If you have any forest areas near you that have burnt in the last couple years these are also good places to search in.For white or yellow morels old gravel pits are the best places I have ever found, search the wooded edges as well as the bottom of the pit. I have seen them growing pushing the pebbles right out of the ground. Walk down and look. They are real good at hiding and will blend right in with the white rocks.Take your time and walk slow its easy to go right by them. I remember one time, I had been searching for what seemed like miles and had found nothing. I decided to take a break and sat down to rest on a log. After I had been sitting for a few minutes my eyes started wandering around. To my surprise there they were right in front of me. I had walked right by them.
So get out this spring and explore the outdoors. As a bonus you may bring some of the delicious morel mushrooms home to your table.
Remember if you cannot positively identify don’t eat. consult an expert for identification.