Sandpoint, ID

The savory mystery of morel mushrooms is one I never get tired of. Every year, it is just as much of a thrill as it was the first time to come upon even one of these elusive treats. You’ve probably seen them dried, in tiny cellophane baggies in the produce section of your local grocery. And they probably cost around $7.99 for five or six shriveled little husks. If you are willing to look closely, be cautious and tramp around in the woods, you can find your own for nothing.

Of course, I can’t tell you exactly where I find mine, and no avid mushroomer will, unless under considerable duress. However, I will tell you how to look and when. Each spring in the Northern Idaho Panhandle, start looking around the last two weeks of April. Of course, 2008 was a doozy of a year and the morels didn’t bloom until much later. So, keep at it.

A word of caution, and this should be obvious. Don’t put anything into your mouth that you do not know a lot about. This is especially true of mushrooms. As you bring it to your lips consider this: “is today my day to die?” Laugh if you will, but mushrooming is that serious. Get yourself a good book and refer to it. My recommendation: National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Mushrooms (National Audubon Society Field Guide Series). Look at the photo of the cut-open morel and note that they are entirely hollow inside. Then imagine your mom when she hears you’ve died from doing something so silly as eating a questionable mushroom. Enough? OK. We’ll move on.

Not a morel mushroom — solid inside

An ironic coincidence of morel gathering is that it is nearly always simultaneous to deer fly season. Just when it is most annoying to be in the woods, you find yourself there, unable to resist the pull of fresh morels. To fend off bugs, I use a few yards of mosquito netting crowned with a rubber band over my head. It’s not pretty, but it works. You can also put sticky patches that go on the back of a baseball cap but that doesn’t prevent them from getting in your eyes and flying unceremoniously up your nose.

Look in mixed forests that are fairly dense. You will almost never find morels near cedars, so don’t waste a lot of time there. Look in mossy areas and areas that were disturbed last summer. Places that were recently logged are always a good bet. Areas that have recently been burned are also great places to look for morels. During morel season I go as many days as possible, because one day there will be no mushrooms in a certain area and the next, you’ll find a bunch.

Morels with cell phone for scale

Once you find them, there are so many things to do with them. Many people bread them with saltine cracker crumbs and cook them in butter. Others use some other combo of breading, including eggs or breadcrumbs. My family likes to use tempura and deep fry them. Or, dehydrate them and use them in soups next winter. If you have a lot or morels on your hands, make mushroom “dust.” Dehydrate them and then pulverize them in a Cuisinart or a clean coffee grinder. The result is a flavorful “spice” you’ll find all kinds of uses for.

However you cook them, enjoy this special seasonal treat and the fun walks through the woods.

snowbank mushroom