Any morel pickers out there?

[NorthernElectric]

I used to be addicted to digging telegraph insulators on old rail lines, and I still sometimes go out a few times in the spring before the foliage gets too thick.  Last weekend on such an outing I scored a couple of morels (a type of mushroom).  I have brought some home in the past a couple of times under similar circumstances but until now have chickened out and discarded them after leaving them in the fridge until they went bad.  This time, I spent lots of time researching looking at photos and reading descriptions to be absolutely certain that what I had were morels and not poisonous false morels.  Since I only had 2 I decided to cut them up into smaller pieces, brown them in olive oil, then add them to rice pilaf.  I ate a few of the pieces while I was browning the rice and it was really difficult to save the rest of the mushroom pieces for the rice recipe because they tasted fantastic.

Well, now I am hooked and have been looking in various places the last few night trying to find some more.  I haven't found a single one.  But, I live about an hour north of the place where I found them last weekend and we have had below freezing temperatures every night this week so far so maybe they haven't come out here yet.  I know they are usually found near certain trees that they form a symbiotic relationship with (elm, ash, cherry, apple) but my tree bark id skills are weak and the leaves are only just starting to form on most species here.  And I know most of the elms I encounter will be dead to to Dutch Elm disease so they won't be growing any leaves.  But as I said, I am hooked, so I am determined to find some good morel picking spots.

Anybody else share this affliction?

[19and41]

Good luck!  They are a prized commodity and many people value their favorite hunting spots like a well worked slot machine on a gaming floor.  I guess one has to dedicate some time to it to achieve success.

[NorthernElectric]

I guess one has to dedicate some time to it to achieve success.

I believe you may be right about that.  I went back to the spot where I found the 2 last weekend and expanded my search area and not one did I find.  I will check there again after we get some rain and I hope to find a few more spots (and morels) before the brief season is over.  I did get 1 tip for a spot to look which I will check out next week after work.

[19and41]

My dad could find a sack full in an hour.  I couldn't find one if it were growing on my nose.