N.E. MICHIGAN – A sure sign of spring is nearly here: morels! As sunshine and April rains wake up the forests, the annual search for the elusive mushrooms is a great way to enjoy the outdoors. You can find them from late April to early June, and – according to Michigan State University Extension – they’re believed to grow in every Michigan county.
Most Michiganders will tell you that the location of a good morel patch is a matter of utmost secrecy. This makes mushroom hunting a perfect chance to practice the 6-foot-minimum social distancing that is such a critical step in slowing the spread of the coronavirus. Mushroom hunters should plan to search locally, too, and only with people who live in their household.
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To find morels, target hilly areas with plenty of hardwood trees like maple, beech and oak, checking for burn scars where a wildfire or prescribed burn has occurred. Pick a warm day after a rain to start your hunt, when mushrooms are most likely to have bloomed. When heading to the woods, take a mesh bag for carrying your prizes, a knife (always cut, never pull morels) and a map of your hunting area.
Learn how to find morels, tell a false one from a real one, prepare them, and boost your odds of success – with a map showing sites of last year’s wildfires and prescribed burns – at Michigan.gov/MiMorels.