Top Mushroom-Hunting Tips From Tony Williams, Local Morel Expert

May 6, 2016

1. “Listen to what people are saying and gather info on where other people are picking. If you have all kinds of time to go out into the woods and scout, that’s great, but otherwise I wait until I hear the morels are out; I wait until I hear that my friends and colleagues are finding them.”

2. “Always, always pick with a friend or a group, or at least have a cell phone on you and let someone know where you’re going. More often than you’d think, people get focused on the mushrooms and get lost.”

3. “Never pick with plastic bags. Morels are full of water and need to breathe; in a plastic bag, they get slimy fast. Line a tote with a paper grocery bag and shake off the dirt and leaves before you put them in, otherwise you’ll get your entire bag of mushrooms covered in dirt.”

4. “In the early season, hunt underneath the mature poplar trees. That’s where you’ll find the black morels, which are the first ones out. In the crossover season, you’ll be able to find both black and white morels under old apple trees, and then the white morels [at the] end the season.”

5. “Don’t soak your morels in salt water! I can’t state this one enough. For me, it ruins the flavor. People are so worried about bugs and dirt; just cut open the morels lengthwise and use a light butter brush to brush them off. If you see a little bug, just pick it out. You can give them a quick rinse in water if you want, but I put mine directly in the pan for cooking.”