May is the month to find morel mushrooms in Michigan. But you can still find them from late April until mid-June, depending on the location and species.
These famous mushrooms are not just found in Northern Michigan, some of the best picking is actually further south.
For the novel mushroom hunter, morels are among the easiest to find and identify of the thousands of wild mushrooms found in Michigan. Similar to all wild mushrooms, morels need certain conditions of temperature and moisture to grow. Some springs are good for morels, others poor. Warm and wet conditions are best, and cold and dry can mean almost total failure of the crop.
Some sites have proved to be more ideal, such as large burn sites in forested areas. This is especially true in burned areas where jack, white or red pine once grew. Grassy and other non forest areas are not as likely to produce morels. The Michigan DNR put together a map of large burn areas that occurred within the past couple years.
Tips for your morel search
- Bring a map and a compass or GPS unit when out in the forest to avoid getting lost off-trail.
- Wear sturdy, comfortable footwear, as you likely will have to go off the beaten path to find morels.
- Be prepared to experience disappointments when searching for morels - some spots yield mushrooms year after year, while others skip years between crops.
- Your “eye” for morels will sharpen with practice.
- Never rake an area for morels or drive an off-road vehicle cross country. A healthy forest floor allows morels to grow.
- Using a mesh bag (such as an onion bag) or a basket will allow your collected morels to stay dry; a plastic bag can speed up decay.
- Cut mushroom stems with a pocket knife to collect.
- Select only fresh, young mushrooms that show no wormholes, damage or decay.
- Clean mushrooms with a brush or by washing and drying thoroughly. Open lengthwise to check for any bugs that may be inside.
- Refrigerate collected mushrooms in a paper bag.
Mushrooms found on public land are for personal use only and cannot be sold. The Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development offers a curriculum to train and certify foragers who commercially harvest and sell wild mushrooms in Michigan.
When it’s time to eat them, keep in mind morels have a distinct flavor, they aren’t going to taste like supermarket mushrooms. The flavor is delicate and easily diminished by over-seasoning. The simplest preparation for morels is to melt a generous amount of butter or oil in a frying pan, put in enough morel halves to cover the bottom of the pan, and salt lightly. Sauté about five minutes on each side, and serve immediately.
Morels can be added to soups, pasta, pizza and other recipes that call for mushrooms. To preserve this short-term, spring crop, morel mushrooms can be dried in a dehydrator or frozen.
