White Morels

Photo by Jim Jung. All rights reserved.

Morels

The appearance of these tasty little mushrooms is one of the few natural events still celebrated by modern, urbanized humans.

Morels are considered the second tastiest fungus in the world - after Black Perigord Truffles - and according to some people who have eaten both, it's a toss-up. So should you find a flush of these fleshy fungal delicacies popping up somewhere, gather them and return next year for more since they appear in patches that consistently return year after year.

Morels are forest mushrooms and morel hunters have their secret lore which they use to find these elusive mushrooms. Ash trees are believed by some to harbor them, as well as elms, apples and poplars - so if you're a first time morel hunter keep this in mind when looking.

Black Morel

Photo by Jim Jung. All rights reserved.

Morels are (possibly) mycorhizal fungi, which means that they grow on, and along, the roots of trees. But they also pop up in completely unexpected places as well - like flowerpots, lawns and golf courses - so keep your eyes open. Since most morel species appear and fruit about the time that elm trees are dropping and germinating their seeds it's your editor's opinion that at least the White Morels are primarily mycorhizal. An experiment I did a number of years ago with a small elm tree growing from our foundation proved to my satisfaction, at any rate, that they are.

These are the three species of our Morels that are collected most avidly.

Half-Free Morel

Photo by Jim Jung. All rights reserved.

In addition, the Half-free Morel (Morchella semilibra occurs.

From our Archive:

• Morels
• Growing Morels
• Mushrooms and the Moon

Offsite links:

• Missouri Mycological Society Homepage
• The Great Morel Home Page
• Under the Auspices of the Missouri Dept. of Conservation, Edible and Poisonous Mushrooms
• National Morel Mushroom Hunter's Association

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