How to Identify Northwest Morel Mushrooms in the Wild

Expert and novice mushroom hunters alike agree that morels (Morchella spp.) are among the best tasting of all edible mushrooms, and they have the added appeal of being easy to identify. In the Pacific Northwest, morels begin appearing in mid- to late April and continue through May. So grab a collecting bag, and be sure to take a walking stick for turning over leaves.

Things You'll Need

Paper sack

Walking stick

Instructions

- 1
  Consult an expert field guide on mushrooms for text and photos about morels.
- 2
  Look for morels under dead elms and apple trees or under live ash trees. According to mushroom expert David Fisher of American Mushrooms, old orchards and burned fields are among the best locations to find them.
- 3
  Compare any mushrooms you find to Linnaeus' original description of what is now known as Morchella esculenta... "a phallus with an egg shaped head". Unlike other mushrooms, morels do not have disk or cup-shaped caps, but unusually wrinkled and honeycombed, conical caps.
- 4
  Check your tentatively identified morel once more against your field guide, then contrast it with photos and descriptions of false morels -- the Gyromitra species -- to ensure you have made no mistake.
- 5
  Slice open the mushroom through the center from top to bottom as a final test. If it is completely hollow inside, and every other identification checks out, it is a morel.
- 6
  Search morel recipes on line, or just haul out the butter and garlic for the tried and true traditional dish of sauteed morels.

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