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If you are hiking one of the many beautiful trails in the Ozarks this spring, don’t be surprised to see people wandering off the trail. These people will usually be carrying a container or bag of some kind and appear to be searching for something. Old timers, families even teenagers can participate in the activity and it can become quite addictive. Hunting for morel mushrooms is a fun, challenging activity with delicious rewards if you’re lucky.

Over the past few weeks I have been searching for the elusive mushroom in a variety of places including Busiek Conservation Area, the woods behind my house, Boston Ferry Conservation Area and Henning Conservation Area. I was going home shroomless until yesterday afternoon, when I found 12 morels on the Henning Homesteaders Trail. Cooked ‘em up and ate ‘em last night with steak and broccoli. Yum yum, those mushrooms were nearly better than the steak!

There are all kinds of tips and tricks to finding morels. Hunting near elm, ash or apple trees, dead or alive, is often recommended. Also, look for them on south-facing slopes. The best time to start searching is after the average daily temperature has been above 50 degrees for several days in a row and there has been at least a couple of significant springtime rain showers. That being said, I will confess that every single morel I found yesterday was growing at the base of on old oak tree, often in pairs. The season usually ends in late April in this part of Missouri, but it can sometimes go until mid May.

Before heading out to look for mushrooms for yourself, please make sure you’re picking the right ones. Morels are best described as beige-colored, deeply grooved raisins atop a tan stalk. The color can vary from a cream color to brown, orange and even black sometimes. Please see the pictures below. Also keep in mind that when harvesting the mushrooms to leave some of the stalk in the ground. Morels are easily pinched off near the ground and it is thought that leaving a little stalk will encourage new morels to pop up again. You might also want to consider putting your fungal treasures in a mesh bag to ensure that any falling spores will be redistributed into the forest. Cut mushrooms in half and let them soak in a mild salt water in order to get rid of any little hitchhikers, then sauté in butter with a little salt and pepper. Or you can bread morels and deep-fry them if you want to get crazy.

Remember to consult the rules and regulations of public conservation areas before collecting anything. The Missouri Department of Conservation permits the taking of mushrooms, seeds and berries for personal consumption on most conservation areas.

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