[Schenk]

It is time to start looking for morels again! They should be going now, or soon, at lower elevations. I will be social distancing while I go hunt for them tomorrow. No need to divulge any secrets but let us know if you see any!

[Schenk]

No sightings yesterday at Heyburn St Pk in Idaho...maybe a wee bit early?

[More Cowbell]

Early Morels on the westside. Cottonwood morels in the Central WA area. Morchella elata spores are still covered in snow. Edit: But landscape morels in your recently applied beauty bark can appear on the westside now.

[RichP]

[RichP]

A buddy says that morels begin to appear here in north Idaho about the same time as ticks... early May. I've found a tick but no shrooms so far. Still below freezing at night so that may be the reason. A couple of pics from last May.

A fattie.

Nature's bounty.

[Roly Poly]

I got really sick last year from morels. As did a few other people I know (separate mushroom forages). Bit nervous to eat them this year. Did anyone else get sick last year?

[Anne Elk]

There's lots of info on the web to the effect that morels must be sufficiently cooked to be safe. Also important to distinguish them from the species called "false morel", which look similar.

[Schenk]

Apparently consuming morels (and a few other edible varieties) with alcohol can also trigger some adverse reactions in some individuals. I have never had a problem and I do make sure they are cooked thoroughly (usually with butter and/or olive oil and garlic or shallots..mmmmmm!)

[Mike Collins]

[Schenk]

Still looking, and still hoping to test this myself! Off and on rain for 2 days so maybe some will start showing up.

[Schenk]

Bagged a bunch of them, finally! Nice ones, blondes, greys, and black morels too. All forest mushrooms, no burn mushrooms. 2000' elevation on western aspects in damp protected spots, all under small fir trees mixed with brush and small open areas with a nice mat of needles.

[Anne Elk]

You lucky dog! One of these days I'm gonna learn how ...

[Schenk]

And another couple of banner days hunting these things. At my normal rate of consumption I have dried and vacuum sealed enought to keep me supplied well into the next season and beyond. Anne Elk, Have faith, you'll find them if you just go looking! Once your start seeing them you will find more as your "eye" becomes accustomed to their patterns and shapes. I frequently spot them from 30-40 feet away by seeing their silhouette. I also walk right past them and it pays to turn around and look where you have been when you find a few. I usually dedicate a full day to look for them. I covered 6 miles in 6 hours on a recent foraging, but 1 of those miles took 4 hours after I spotted one then combed the area and then found dozens and dozens. Recently logged, thinned, and burned areas, can be good spots to look, as well as the adjacent areas. They seems to show up in the first and second season after those events. This year I had the best luck in an area where they thinned out the small "fuel" trees and left the larger pines, firs, and occasional cedar. They were in the wetter, flat, spots next to firs or among the downed firs. Almost invariably they came up through a nice mat of mostly needles. Once and awhile they will be standing alone, proudly, in some green moss and in proximity to morels in the other spots You might find a few morels walking trails or forest roads as they do come up in disturbed soils. If you see one along a trail or road then search off trail, uphill and downhill and all around, as they are usually part of a larger (I'll probably use the wrong word here) "colony", or mycelium, which is beneath the surface of the soil. GOOD LUCK!

[Hesman]

I have a spot in my yard where white morels grow every year. Usually about 6 or so grow each year. This year I have found only 1 morel.

[Ski]

My mother would slice them in half lengthwise and toss them all into a sink half full of cold water with about half a cup of salt dissolved in it. That will usually get all the bugs to crawl out and float to the surface. Then lay them on paper towels to dry. Usually she would: Dip them in egg and then roll them in cracker meal and then fry them in butter (or bacon grease.) I would: Wash them off in the brine solution first and dry them off and then Quickly saute them in a hot skillet with a bit of olive oil, pouring off the liquor that comes out of them about a minute into cooking, and then either Mix them into some egg and make an omelette with a mild white cheese (jack or havarti) or After quickly cooking seasoned and floured veal scallopini and setting it aside, quickly saute the mushrooms until they are well cooked, and then deglaze the pan with a dollop of butter and a sweet white wine (Moscato works well), and then reducing that while adding about 1/4 tsp salt, a bit of black pepper, a pinch of white sugar, a splash of lemon juice, and (maybe) a spoonful of capers, and pouring that mix over the veal before serving with some buttered egg noodles. (* This recipe is particularly impressive if done in an iron skillet on a blazing hot barbecue grille, where (if you get it hot enough) you can actually get the glaze mix to ignite, hopefully not singing your eyebrows off in the process. *) (* PS: wild mushrooms, like wild salmon, are easily overwhelmed by over-seasoning. Sometimes less is more. *) YMMV