It’s that time of year again, the time of the ephemeral and elusive morel mushroom. Though the season comes but once a year, mushroom hounds patiently wait to hunt their prey through thickets or rain, each spring, still never divulging their secret and prized locations. I guess you could call it a fever of sorts.
There are several Morchella species in central Indiana, including black, yellow (sponge) and gray morels. Each species tells tale of where in the mushroom hunting season we are, but their erratic tactics of literally popping up overnight lend to each of them found clustered together, or sporadically and independently of their cousins; in essence, though mushrooms may be found in one location one year, does not guarantee a delicious reward the following year, yet other years on other sites mushrooms can be found each and every time!
There are so many tips and tricks to looking for and finding morels, and we have just what you need to begin your own mushroom hunting endeavors. If you want to try your hand at tracking this frustrating fungi—to learn the who, what, when, where and how of morel mushroom hunting, then checkout CDPL’s Morel Mushroom Madness program. On our website, click on the econtent tab and then Nature Series programs. The Morel Mushroom program is pre-recorded for your listening and viewing pleasure, and includes a cornucopia of information and images in the field of this fungi favorite.
If you prefer to have books between your fingers, might I suggest from our nonfiction collection, “Morel Mushrooms: Best Kept Secrets Revealed” by Michael Phillips (579.6 Phi), or “Morel Hunting: How to Find, Preserve, Care for and Prepare Wild Mushrooms” by John Maybrier (641.358 May). These are both excellent choices. There is also a plethora of e-resources in our digital databases, Hoopla and Kanopy. For an e-reader, check out “Start Mushrooming” by Stan Tekiela, or “Pocket Guide to Wild Mushrooms” by Pelle Holmberg on Hoopla. If you’d rather watch your information with a sense of humor, try Kanopy’s Food Forward’s “Wild Food, I Think I Love You” for foraging advice.
As always, never eat raw mushrooms, as they should be washed and prepared prior to consuming. It’s always best to consult with someone who has been mushroom hunting before as there are tricky similarities in poisonous versus nonpoisonous fungi, including the morel mushroom.
From the small black morels to the yellow sponge mushrooms and the cousins in between, you cannot go wrong with all the vitamins, minerals, and micronutrients these tasty morcels provide. From an exquisitely expensive gourmet prepared dinner, to down-home pan fried favorites, there is nothing quite as delectable as the morel mushroom. Good luck mushroom hunting, and stay wild Montgomery County!
Stephanie Morrissette is a library assistant withthe Reference and Local History Department at the Crawfordsville District Public Library.
