While I was working on expanding mycelium I got an excited phone call from James. He said, “You can probably guess why I’m calling…” and I said, “Are you standing in front of some morels?”. “Black morels! About 30 of ‘em!” he said, and before I knew it, I was driving up into the mountains to go see them. I arrived to the spot and hiked up the stream into a grove of aspens. There was James and Clem standing there with big smiles on their faces. We went down to the stream and James sent me down to find them on my own. What was amazing to me is that they were growing right in the middle of the creek about halfway underwater! When I had first read in books that the Native Americans called morels ‘land fish mushrooms’, and I could never quite understand why until I saw these beautiful specimens swimming in the creek like trout. Even though they were soggy, with a little drying out they made a delectable cream sauce over barbecued chicken. But the most amazing part to me was that when they were fresh they smelled like fresh trout! Amazing! Suddenly the name ‘land fish’ begins to make more sense. So the first report of black morels has arrived in Colorado, and with it tons and tons of rain. We may have had a rough blonde morel season but that doesn’t mean no morels for us Coloradans. So keep your eyes peeled if you are around 9,000′ in elevation and are seeing moist aspen groves, especially if the leaves are just starting to come out, you might get lucky and spot some of these gorgeous little morsels! Check back soon for dates to the Amateur Mycology black morel forays, as well as more pictures and HD video of the whole experience. Happy hunting!

In conjunction with the Colorado Mycological Society, Amateur Mycology is pleased to announce our first annual morel hunts of 2011. James and I have the itch early this year so we have reached out to some of the other fungi folk in warmer climates than Colorado. We have been speaking to McCartney at the Texas Wild Mushrooming Club and Chad and Jude at ediblemushrooms.org in Oregon about planning morel forays. Both of these trips are in the early planning/ discussion stages right now and we are the assessing the interest of others who may want to attend. We will more than likely do a road trip to our destination and then camp or cabin when we get there.

If you:

1. Are interested in attending morel forays.
2. Have good out of state mushroom contacts (in particular TX & OR)
3. Are interested and have transportation (particularly RV’s or vans)
4. Have ideas or suggestions about regional places to check out.

Please contact:

james@amateurmycology.com or graham@amateurmycology.com

Oregon forays are scheduled for third week of May, Texas the first week of April. For more information, watch the youtube video by McCartney about Texas morels below, or check out the 2011 Morel forays at ediblemushrooms.org.

Morel season is almost here! Time to dust out your hunting baskets and get ready for spring. Morels grow in many different habitats and regions in the United States. While the Great Lakes region is known as the ‘morel hot spot’, they have been found in almost every state. Morel season in the US usually begins mid-April and is wrapping up around mid-June, depending on where you live.

Blonde morels (Morchella esculenta) should be popping up soon in lower elevation areas. Your best bet is to look in areas less than 6000ft in elevation. Soil temperature is also very crucial. When a digital meat thermometer reads 50 degrees F morels are usually about. Generally, 49 degrees means you may be a little early, and 51 degrees F they usually have past. Riparian habitats are usually the most productive areas, but many people find ‘landscaping morels’ in mulched garden beds and city parks. Many seasoned morel hunters refer to ‘indicator plants’ that help them find habitat and also shows them the specific times they should be out. Much of this research has been done by amateur mycologists who through years of experience have been taking note of other natural signs of the season to increase their harvests. ‘Follow the “Signs” to Collect Morel Mushrooms‘ is an article about morels written by Colorado Mycological Society member William Windsor. He has a very interesting way of describing the morel hunt, and a very Zen way of looking for these sneaky little fungi. Some of the best indicator plants for blonde morels are old apple and ash trees, dying elms, cottonwood trees, asparagus getting just too old to harvest, and poison ivy just beginning to bud. Here is a couple hints. Look in the horsetails next to the river, and always make sure they aren’t just hiding under dead grass!

Black morels tend to be at higher elevations: 8,000′-9,000′. They can be very difficult to find since the blend in so well with the ground. They have a resemblance to fallen pine cones, so move slowly. Many black morel hunters in Colorado will tell you, “When the aspen trees have dime to quarter sized leaves and pasque flowers and calypso orchids are in bloom, morels are about.” Burn sites are also good places to look. Many black morel hunters only search in burned areas the 2 years following a fire, and nowhere else. Paul Stamets says if you see cup fungi such as the genus Rhizinia, Peziza, or Discina you are in a good area to be looking. The poisonous false morel, Gyromitria esculenta, pop up 2-3 weeks before black morels start popping up. If you are new to morel hunting, make sure you familiarize yourself with the false morel so as to avoid picking it for the table. (there is much debate about Gyromitra esculenta… so much in fact that we must talk about that in a different blog post!!) Another sign is oyster mushrooms that are large and past their prime, as oyster mushroom season is usually the weeks prior to morel season. So as you can see, it is a good idea to familiarize yourself with a few of your native trees, plants, and fungi as well as getting to know the other signs of spring in your area by simply walking around. It is probably one of the most enjoyable things you will ever do!

Last year, we were fortunate enough to meet Michael Kuo at the Snow Mountain Ranch NAMA conference. He is the author of the book, “Morels”, the best guide I have ever read on these elusive fungi. One of the phrases you might hear him say if you attend one of his lectures is, “I’m just an English teacher in Illinois”. However, he also has many, many years of experience with fungi, and what I would consider an obsession with morels. His book is a wealth of morel knowledge. It has tips for hunting, cooking, and storing morels, but also goes more in depth with his discussions on DNA classification, habitat, and more. His lecture on Morels of North America at the NAMA conference was well worth attending. He went in depth into the DNA research being done to differentiate the different species of morels. In fact, he describes at least 14 different ‘genetic types’, many easily confused with each other! Luckily for all of us amateurs, all of the species tested are safe to eat. Beyond his morel-know-how, he also is the developer of MushroomExpert.com, a popular online identification key and updated reports on morel sightings, morel information, and more. It is an indispensable online resource that every amateur mycologist should know about.

As I write this, morel season is still 4 months away here in Colorado. But in other parts of the country, 2 months is all that is left until Morel season starts! If you would like to stay on top of morel sightings on a national level, TheGreatMorel.com is another great website that you should definitely check out. All of this talk about morels made me hungry. Bacon and cheese stuffed morels with a creamy dipping sauce? Or maybe a hearty cream of porcini soup for this freezing Colorado winter night? (it is -2 degrees F without wind-chill tonight… brrrr!)

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