Looking for morel mushrooms? Tri-State expert mushroom hunter offers tips for finding them
EVANSVILLE, Ind. — It's mushroom-hunting season.
That means all manner of people will be traipsing through Tri-State forests over the next few weeks prospecting for mushrooms with names like "chicken of the woods" and "shaggy mane."
But there's one particular kind that's the belle of the hunter's ball: The morel mushroom.
Perhaps the most popular edible mushroom in North America, morels have a distinctive mushroom- or sponge-like cap and come in brown, blonde and black colors. Their season typically runs from April to May, though they can be found as early as the second week of March — if you know where to look for them.
Recipes: After your mushroom hunt, it's time to eat them. Here's how to cook morel mushrooms.
David Hazlett, owner of Moreldawgs Mushrooms in Henderson, Kentucky, certainly does. A lifelong mushroom hunter, the 54-year-old said he's had a "knack" for finding morels from a very young age and used to participate in an annual competitive hunt in Jonesboro, Illinois.
"The best part about it for me was I got to meet so many different people who had the same obsession for morels," Hazlett said. "Everything else stops (for me) when it's morel season, just like it is for a deer hunter or a fisherman."
Hazlett said that while the typical season for morels runs from mid-April to the end of May, he follows the "old way" of figuring out when it's time to begin his hunt: He follows the dandelions.
"When the dandelions first come up, the morels are growing soon after that," Hazlett said. "In the rural areas, when the dandelions grow in abundance and get that white head ... it's time to get in the woods."
More: A new tasty treat is trending in Evansville. This time, it's not deep fried
Hazlett offered a few tips for finding the fungal delights.
Best practices for finding morels
A wannabe morel hunter has to stay vigilant in the woods because they're always "anywhere you're not looking," Hazlett said.
Black morels, typically the first of their kind that pop up, are especially tricky because they don't grow around any specific type of tree and can be found anywhere. Hazlett said he's even found them growing right out of a gravel road.
The yellow morels that come later in the season usually populate around ash trees, elms and sycamores. Even then, he said, it's not guaranteed they can be found around those trees easily.
"I might check 1,000 (of those trees) a day and only find two or three morels," Hazlett said. "It can get pretty frustrating."
But it's all worth it when you find one good patch of trees, Hazlett said, because it can have a year's worth of morels.
He said he's already found about 20 pounds of the mushroom in just a two-acre swath of land.
When you find an area that's chock full of morels, Hazlett said it's vital not to share it with any other hunters if you want to maintain a good haul year after year. He also makes sure not to leave any footprints or any other signs he's been in an area to keep it as "clandestine" as possible.
"If you're really cautious, over the years you can keep adding those spots," he said. "And then in one day you can go out and pick 10 pounds of morels and be done."
He warned against posting good finds on social media, because that can result in swarms of people descending upon an area, raking through the brush on hands and knees and not only scouring it clean, but potentially devastating the flora growing there.
Morels typically will grow as tall as five inches, and Hazlett's seen some get as tall as a "one-liter pop bottle," so they're easy enough to find without digging deep into grass and ferns.
Even though he's found more than 20 pounds of Morels already, Hazlett's still hunting. He sells a lot of his finds to local restaurants and to people who answer his advertisements on social media. He also gives some away to neighbors and to fellow hunters who can't get out in the woods anymore.
The rest he keeps for himself. He's got a few old recipes he likes to use.
"I (make) a grilled cheese with bacon and morels on there that, oh my gosh, I eat until I just can't anymore," Hazlett said. "I almost made myself sick (when) I ate two of them the other night. I just had to back away for awhile."
Contact Ray Couture at rcouture@courierpress.com or on Twitter @raybc94
This article originally appeared on Evansville Courier & Press: Where can I find morel mushrooms near Evansville, Indiana?
