Morel Mushroom Foraging Tips

The ultimate guide to foraging morel mushrooms—everything you need to know, all in one place. Learn where and when to find them, how to clean and prepare them, the best ways to store your harvest, and essential safety tips to remember. And when you're done reading this morel mushroom foraging post, check out foraging fried chicken mushrooms!

Morel mushroom foraging season will soon be upon us! Here in Northwest Montana, morels start popping in mid-May (at 3,000–5,000 ft elevations), usually around Mother's Day. I like to think of it as God's gift to mothers who love to forage. At lower elevations, you can expect to see them in April!

Morel mushrooms are some of the tastiest mushrooms that you'll ever forage. They make my top 3 favorite mushrooms list. If you're wondering what the other two are, they're saffron mushrooms and fried chicken mushrooms!

Morels are considered gourmet mushrooms for a reason. Besides being delicious, they go for a pretty penny because they are not available commercially. A lot of work goes into foraging them; yes, I'm speaking from experience!

Jump to:

• When Do Morel Mushrooms Bloom?
• Where To Forage Morel Mushrooms
• How to Identify True Morel Mushrooms
• How to Take a Spore Print of a Morel
• False Morels
• Helpful Foraging Equipment
• How to Pick Morels
• How to Clean Morel Mushrooms
• Storage Ideas
• Pro Tips
• Morel Recipes
• FAQ
• More Homesteading Recipes
• Comments

When Do Morel Mushrooms Bloom?

This post is about foraging mushrooms in Northwest Montana, but most of the information applies to other locations. As mentioned earlier, here in my location, morels begin showing their pretty little heads in mid-May.

False morels bloom first, which is why they're also referred to as "early morels." Other factors determine when morels emerge, such as outside temperatures, soil temps, and rainfall.

Ideal Temperatures For Morel Growth

• Daytime highs: 60–70°F (15–21°C) & Nighttime lows: 40–50°F (4–10°C)
• Soil temps: When the soil warms up to around 50°F (10°C), the morels start to pop.
• Rain: A good soaking rain, followed by a few warm sunny days, can get things started. Dry spells or cold snaps will slow their progress.

Other signs that morels are about to emerge are when dandelions are in bloom and lilacs start to bud. While doing research for this post, I read an old forager's tip that a way to tell when morels are about to emerge is when aspen leaves are about the size of a squirrel’s ears. That one made me chuckle!

Where To Forage Morel Mushrooms

The BEST place to forage mushrooms is in burn areas. Look in areas that burned last summer or fall (wildfires or prescribed burns). You can use an app like Watch Duty to find these burns. Sometimes, you can still find morels in the second year after a burn, but not as many as the first. Focus on the following areas:

• South-facing slopes early in the season.
• Within the boundaries of burned conifer forests (especially ponderosa pine, spruce, lodgepole, and fir).
• Areas with little undergrowth and lots of ash or charcoal.
• Under logs, in the center of rotting dead stumps, and in depressions in the soil.

You can also find morels in disturbed areas, lawns, decaying matter, wet grassy areas, parks, along trails, and even driveways. Morels are also commonly found in abandoned apple orchards near dead or dying trees.

How to Identify True Morel Mushrooms

Morel mushrooms have a pretty distinct appearance and don't have too many look-alikes, but there are some to be aware of. Knowing how to properly identify morels is super important, both for success and safety (looking at you, false morels 👀). Here are the key characteristics of True Morels (Genus Morchella):

Honeycomb Cap

• Distinctive pitted and ridged surface (like a sponge or honeycomb)
• The ridges are solid, not wrinkly or brain-like

Cap Attached to Stem

• The cap is completely attached at the base of the stem — no hanging or skirt-like edges
• Looks like a single, continuous structure

Hollow Inside

• When sliced lengthwise, true morels are completely hollow from top to bottom
• The stem and cap are one hollow chamber

Color

• Varies by species and stage, but typically:
  • Blonde/white/tan morels in sandy areas, but can be found in other areas including burns
  • Gray to yellow morels in woods
  • Black morels often in burn zones but can be found in other areas too

Another way to identify morels is to take a spore print. This is where you get to be a little nerdy!

How to Take a Spore Print of a Morel

What you'll need:

• A fresh morel (fully mature, not dried)
• White paper AND black paper
• A glass or bowl to cover the mushroom
• A sharp knife
• Patience (and maybe a snack while you wait)

Steps:

1. Slice the morel cleanly across the base so it sits flat.
2. Lay the morel cap upside down (so the ridges and pits are facing the paper). Since morels are hollow, you can gently flatten it a bit to make more contact.
3. Spore color can be light, so using both backgrounds helps you see it. Morel spores are usually cream to light yellow, which may not show well on white paper alone.
4. Place a drop of water on top of the cap, then cover with a glass or bowl to keep in moisture and prevent air movement (which can blow spores away).
5. Wait 6–12 hours, or let it sit overnight. Morels don’t dump spores like gilled mushrooms, so it takes longer.
6. Lift the cap — if it worked, you’ll see a dusty, pale print of the pits and ridges. Sometimes, it’s subtle, but with good contrast paper, you should see it.

False Morels

Some false morels are edible, while others are toxic, like the Gyromitra Esculenta. In parts of Europe, they are eaten after being dried. Drying them removes some of the toxins, but not all of them. Others suggest parboiling early morels before consuming them. Although some can be edible if cooked properly, they can be deadly if eaten in large quantities due to the build-up of toxins in the body.

I like to err on the side of caution and avoid false morels altogether and I recommend you do the same! You can identify false morels using these pointers:

• Wrinkled, lobed caps — Dark brown, brainlike caps. They can be saddle-shaped or smooshed
• Cap may hang loose or be only partially attached to stem
• Not hollow inside — They have a short, white stem that is cottony or chambered. The stems can be partially hollow.
• White spore print — Unlike true morels, which have cream to light brown spore prints, these have white or yellowish spore prints.

Helpful Foraging Equipment

You don’t need any fancy gear to start foraging mushrooms. The only essential item is something to carry your finds—either a foraging basket or a foraging bag. I recommend going with the basket. Unlike bags, which tend to swing and bump against your leg as you walk (often bruising and crushing the mushrooms in the process), a basket keeps your haul safe and intact.

Some people like to use a mushroom knife to slice the mushroom's stem. It comes with a brush to remove the debris from the mushrooms before adding them to your basket. This makes the cleaning process easier.

You may want to load a mushroom app on your phone to help with mushroom identification. The one I have on my phone is called Picture Mushroom. The problem with using an app is that it's not always 100% accurate. Also, if you don't have a wifi signal, the app will not load. This is usually the case when you are foraging in the mountains.

This is why a mushroom foraging book comes in handy. My personal favorite and one that comes highly recommended amongst mushroom foragers and experts is All That the Rain Promises and More. It's loaded with colorful photos and detailed information to make identifying mushrooms easier. If you're going to buy one mushroom foraging book, make it this one!

How to Pick Morels

Gently cut or pinch the mushrooms at the base (don’t pull them out) and place them in a mesh bag or a basket to spread the spores. Leave some behind for others to find and to repopulate the area.

How to Clean Morel Mushrooms

If you ask the question "How do I clean or process my morels?" in a foraging group, be prepared to get a variety of answers. Here are just some of the answers that I came across.

• Clean, cut in half, blanch, and freeze.
• Wash, let dry, and coat lightly with flour. Put them on a cookie sheet and freeze them. Then vacuum seal.
• Bread them and freeze them on a cookie sheet, then put them in ziplocks in the freezer. Then you can take out enough for a meal and fry 'em up.
• Freeze dry them, preserves the flavor. 
• Cook down till they release water, then seal-a-meal and freeze. We prefer to drying.
• Can them
• Cook in butter & freeze a meal's worth in baggies or wrapped in parchment "logs" in one large ziplock. Also fun to chop some up and make a compound butter with thyme.
• Pickle them
• Clean them, then dry them with paper towels and let them air dry for a few hours. Freeze them individually on a cookie sheet for 3 hours, then take them out and bag them or vacuum seal.

Then there's the inevitable argument as to whether or not you should soak morels. Here is my answer to those who prefer not to soak...

Morels are notorious for attracting tiny critters that burrow inside the honeycombed cap and hollow stems. This is why I always rinse off the obvious dirt and soil, slice them in half lengthwise, then soak them in salted water for around 1o minutes. Morels soak water like a sponge, so you don't want to soak them for longer than 15 minutes. To make the soaking solution, add 1 to 2 tablespoons of salt per 1 quart of cool water.

After soaking the mushrooms, strain them and allow them to dry on a clean dishcloth or paper towel. Another option is to dry them outside in the sun. As the morels dry, you will notice tiny worms crawling out. So long, suckas! 🐛 🪱

Storage Ideas

Once morels are clean and dry, you can freeze, dehydrate, or freeze-dry them.

How to Freeze Morels

Once cleaned, toss morels in a light coating of flour (optional) and freeze on a cookie sheet. Once frozen, store in freezer bags. Another option is to sautee the mushrooms in butter first, then freeze them in serving-sized portions.

Dehydrating Method

Once the mushrooms are cleaned and dried, arrange them on dehydrator trays. I like to leave the small ones intact. Set the temperature to 135°F. It can take anywhere from 7-10 hours, depending on the size of the morels and the humidity in the air.

If you don't have a dehydrator, you can use the oven. Set the oven temperature to the lowest setting and leave the oven door cracked to allow moisture to escape. This can take anywhere from 8-12 hours.

To dry the morels outside, place them on a drying rack or string them up and hang them. This method can take several days and is not ideal in humid environments.

Freeze Drying Morels

If you're lucky enough to own a Harvest Right freeze-dryer, it's the best method of preserving morels for long-term storage. Freeze-drying preserves morels by removing moisture at low temperatures under a vacuum. This method helps them retain more of their flavor, shape, and nutrition than dehydrating.

Lay cleaned, dry morels in a single layer on a tray. Freeze for 4–6 hours or overnight (optional, but recommended to cut down on freeze-drying time). Load the frozen morels into your freeze dryer. It can take anywhere from 20–36 hours, depending on the thickness of the mushrooms and their water content.

Whether freeze-dried or dehydrated, morels are ready to be stored when they are completely dry and crisp. They should not be squishy, soft, or bendable.

Store dried morels in wide-mouthed quart-sized mason jars and toss in an oxygen absorber. Freeze-dried morels can be stored in mylar bags for extended storage.

What About Drinking Alcohol With Morels?

This one surprises a lot of people: even cooked morels can cause weird reactions if you mix them with alcohol — at least for some folks.

Here are some possible reactions:

• Face flushing
• Nausea or an upset stomach
• Headaches
• Feeling dizzy or weirdly off

Not everyone gets this, and it’s not guaranteed to happen. But it shows up often enough that it’s worth mentioning — especially if you’re eating morels for the first time.

No one’s exactly sure why it happens, but it might be due to:

• Little leftover toxins (yes, even after cooking)
• How your body reacts to the mix
• Just plain sensitivity

My advice?

If it’s your first time with morels, maybe hold off on that glass of wine until later — or save it for the next day. Once you know how your body handles them, you’re probably fine to pair them with your favorite drink.

Better safe than barfy.

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