False morels are reddish-brown to yellow in color, with a cap that hangs to one side. They’re also not hollow on the inside, like real morels. If you’re foraging for morels, be sure to do so with an experienced guide.
Which morels come up first?
The black morel mushroom, Morchella elata, is normally the first morel to grow during the morel hunting season. This smaller species of morel has black ridges with yellowish pits on its conical cap. The cap of the black morel can grow upwards of 2 inches high with a width of 1.5 inches.
While there are over 80 different species of the Morchella clade (Morel) you can easily come into contact with many different looking Morels while out foraging. This can seem confusing to the beginning Morel mushroom hunter.
You might be wondering “Are morels a delicacy?”
This video is really neat and shows the growing cycle of two different morel mushrooms. True morels really are a delicacy; the bigger the wild mushroom, the less you’ll have to pick.
The next thing we wondered was, do all morels have a cap?
On most morels the cap will be attached to the stem, not hanging free as with Amanitas and many other mushrooms. There are species known as “half-free morels”, where only the bottom of the cap hangs freely from the stem.
Do morels grow or pop up?
The question of how morels grow is very popular amongst mushroom hunters. Many believe that mushrooms pop up out the ground while others think they grow over a period of time. Well, you won’t need to guess if they grow or pop up after watching this video.
Another thing we asked ourselves was, where do morels grow?
Our answer is that delicate and elusive, morels are a gourmet prize once limited to those willing to muck around in the wild searching the forest floor for these harbingers of spring. Morels grow in North America and Europe but generally resist cultivation.
Another common question is “What does a Morel plant look like?”.
Here is what we discovered. They have a smooth and sometimes wrinkled, brown cap which hangs over their stems. A cottony tissue fills the stem’s interior which doesn’t completely appear hollow as with all other true morels. However, when it ages it may get hollow looking .
Morel mushrooms are a mystery, a miracle, and a gift of the spring woods. Their arrival of mushroom hunting season often coincides with turkey season. Wild mushrooms can appear overnight and remain maddeningly elusive.
When does morel season start&end?
If you live in the Deep South your morel season will start in March and end sooner. It you’re in the Mid-South or Midwest, April through May is usually prime time. For the upper Midwest and Northeast, May through June is ideal mushroom hunting season.