A Local Delicacy, Morel Mushrooms Are Popping Up In Woods Across Indiana

Mushroom lovers and foragers rejoice! As the temperatures begin to slowly climb and the spring months are upon us, it's just about time for one of our favorite pastimes: combing the woods in search of morel mushrooms in Indiana. Given that there are literally thousands of types of mushrooms out there, you definitely want to be cautious; however, lucky for us, these particular mushrooms are quite easy to identify.

Morel mushrooms are kind of strange looking, really; they have a deeply pivoted and folded cap and can range in color from a tawny brown to a yellow, to even a dark brown.

There are three types of morels that can be found in Indiana: "black," "yellow," and "half-free," so named because their caps tend to be noticeably shorter than your average morel mushroom.

They can range in size from tiny to very large, and boy, are they delicious when sautéed with butter and all the fixin's.

Morel mushrooms tend to begin popping up when the topsoil reaches and maintains a temperature of anywhere from 55 to 57 degrees Fahrenheit. Most often, this happens to occur in mid-to-late April and continues through the month of May.

Your best bet for finding those highly motivated morels that burst from the ground early is likely going to be on the southern-facing side of hills.

Later in the season and as things really warm up, you'll find them easiest on the northern-facing sides of hills (though they can be found in so many other places, too). Look for them around dead and decaying trees, especially American elm, ash, oak, and even beech and maple trees from time to time.

When you look, look carefully; they're often hidden just under some dried-out leaves, and you don't want to step on them.

Gently brushing leaves away before you step in an area is a decent way to uncover some precious morels, too! They tend to blend in easily with their surroundings, as their earth-tone colors match dead and dying organic matter very well.

If you're not exactly the type of person to go out to hardwood forests and take the temperature of the topsoil (neither are we), there are a few other ways you can decide if it's a good time to go searching for morels.

When you begin to notice that trees and plants are in bloom and flowering, that's your clue that the time for mushrooming is upon us. In the days following healthy rainstorms, they'll usually begin to sprout, too.

Local legends say that when you hear wild turkeys calling in the woods again, it's time to look for mushrooms.

We don't know if that's really the case but, as always, we'll take any hints from Mother Nature we can get that the coldest months are behind us.

If you find one morel on the forest floor, you'll probably find more very close by, so keep your eyes peeled!

Remember also to keep an eye out for any creepy-crawlies in the leaves, as spring is right about when native snake species begin emerging as well. Lucky for us, they're not fans of mushrooms anyway, so all the more for us, and if you don't bother or surprise them, the snakes shouldn't bother you.

Morels are considered a "gourmet" mushroom, and as such, they sauté up nicely and go with just about anything.

They're even super-versatile when it comes to wine pairings. Reds and whites work nicely, so simply choose your wine based on the rest of your meal instead of the morels on their own for the best results.

When it comes to hunting for delicious morel mushrooms in Indiana, you really can't go wrong. Morels are interesting, tasty, and definitely a lot of fun to look for. Are you a morel hunter? Tell us about your best haul ever in the comments!