May/June 2008                                                                                      Vol. 5 No. 3

            Each spring as the snow melts across the Midwest and the sun starts to warm the air, hunters can’t wait to head to the woods.  I am not talking about turkey hunting.  I am talking about mushroom hunting.  Morel mushrooms, to be exact.  If you’ve never been squinting at the ground looking for the tasty little mushrooms, you are definitely missing out on one of springs’ grandest adventures.  Tom Nauman from Central Illinois is a morel expert who knows how fun it can be.  Tom has been hunting for morels his entire life and says that mushroom hunting is a great activity for the entire family.  Nauman has a website, morelmania.com, where he sells a variety of morel-related products.  He also teaches a class on morel hunting.  “Hunting for morels is something the entire family can do together.  It gets you outside after a long winter and kids think it is great fun.  It is very similar to going on an Easter egg hunt.  The difference is you are looking for mushrooms.  Adults also enjoy looking for mushrooms.  Morels taste great and being in the woods is fun, regardless of your age,” Nauman said.
            Before you begin looking for morels, you need to know what you are looking for.  If you don’t, you could end up sick if you pick and eat the wrong mushroom.  There are a few telltale signs to look for.  “First, the mushroom must have a sponge-looking cap with true pits and ridges.  Some mushrooms that are mistaken for morels don’t have true pits and ridges on the cap.  They have wrinkles, waves, or folds.  These aren’t morels.  Second, the inside of a true morel is always completely hollow.  If you pick a mushroom that has cotton fiber on the inside or chambers, it isn’t a morel.  Third, the stem of a morel connects to the cap at the base of the cap.  If a stem goes up into the cap or if you are not sure where it connects, it isn’t a morel,” Nauman instructed.  If you are a beginner and you aren’t sure if a mushroom is a morel or not, ask someone who knows before you eat it.  Eating a fake morel could make you extremely sick.

You will need to know where to find morels.  Just like every other style of hunting, knowing where to find morels is helpful.  The hotspot for morel mushrooms is by dead elm trees.  “They usually come up within 30 or 40 feet of a recently deceased elk tree.  Morels can often be found in the area around the tree for a year or two after the tree dies.  Elms aren’t the only place you can find morels, but that’s where they are the most abundant.  Ash trees, cottonwoods, and a variety of other trees are a safe bet also, but you don’t know where you are going to find them.  I’ve even seen them sprout in the cracks in a cement driveway.                                             
            In the spring, starting in the south, morels begin sprouting when nighttime temperatures stay above 60 degrees for three consecutive days and the daytime temperatures don’t go above 85 degrees for three consecutive days. Once the daytime highs rise above 85 degrees for more than a couple days, the morels stop popping up.  “The rule of thumb is once they start sprouting in the southern Midwest, you will begin seeing them sprout about 100 miles north each week until they pop up in the upper Midwest; in Wisconsin and Michigan.  All of that, however, is just an estimate.  Sometimes they begin sprouting earlier; sometimes later.  It is a good rule of thumb to follow if you are planning a morel trip.  Simply get online and find out where they are sprouting and calculate how long it will take for them to be sprouting in your neck of the woods based on 100 miles per week,” Nauman explained.
            The best time to find morels is first thing in the morning.  “A strong dew in the morning is often enough moisture to make the morels come out.  Another good time to be in the woods looking for mushrooms is after a light rain.  This year should be a good year for my area, which is Central Illinois, because we had a drought year a few years ago and a lot of elm trees died.  With lots of dead trees and some moisture, 2007 should be a great year across much of the Midwest,” Nauman added.
            What makes elm trees dying so special?  According to Nauman, the elm and the organism (mycelium) that produces the morel have a symbiotic relationship.  The mycelium lives by the roots of the tree and helps break down the nutrients in the soil to feed the roots of the tree.  When something happens to the tree, the mycelium realizes it is losing its’ food source.  It sends out fruit (the mushroom) so the species survives.  The mushrooms’ spores get released and the species continues.  Elm trees seem to be the golden jewel even though the same process occurs with the other tree species.  The elm is king.
“Some people shake the mushrooms when they pick them to release the spores.  I use a mesh bag so when I am walking through the woods filling my bag with morels, the spores just fall out of the mesh bag onto the forest floor, thus continuing the cycle.  When hunters take them home and don’t release the spores, there may not be as many mushrooms in the area you were picking in,” Nauman explained.
            Sometimes as hunters pick mushrooms they may find one or two mushrooms.  However, many times, especially around elm trees, large patches of morels can be discovered.  It is not uncommon to fill up a bag in a very short period of time if you find a few patches.  Most mushroom hunters are just like hunters who hunt deer or any animal that can be secretive around hotspots when they find good areas.  Some people enjoy picking mushrooms because it is something to do in the woods.  Some people don’t even eat them.  Others love to eat the mushrooms.  Regardless of which group most people fall into, a lot of hunters are fanatics about mushroom hunting,” Nauman said.  Nauman met a mushroom hunter who even named his daughter Morel!
            Similar to any sport, the longer you do it, the better you become.  “Over time, a mushroom hunter gets good at picking out a morel amongst the leaves on the ground.  Some people have an eye for it; others don’t.  Nauman even participates in a morel picking contest with a variety of categories.  One is given to the person who finds the smallest mushroom.  According to Nauman, the contests are held all over the Midwest.  For more information, check out his website (www.morelmania.com)
            The cool thing about picking mushrooms is it doesn’t require a lot of skill or expensive gear.  Purchase a mesh bag and you’ll be ready.  It is also a great excuse to get the kids outside.  Hold some type of contest with your kids to see who finds the most mushrooms.  Contests will make them eager to get involved.  Discovering a morel hidden in the leaves will excite any kid.  They will learn a little about the woods at the same time.
            Picking up morels yourself saves a lot of money.  Purchasing a pound of fresh morels at the store can set you back up to $30!  That’s a lot of money for little mushrooms.  To many people, morels are worth every penny.  I know guys who travel the country each spring on a morel tour looking for morels.  Their mushrooms probably end up costing $100 a pound!

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Last modified: 26 May 2008