Mushroom Series: Morel Mushrooms

Morel mushrooms (Morchella spp.) are really one of the most beautiful mushrooms out there… at least in my opinion. It’s so beautifully delicate and looks like someone just took a tiny fairy honeycomb and stuck it on top of a little stem. Then had the audacity to call it a mushroom, lol.

Well, these mushrooms are one of the most highly sought after wild mushroom out there (truffles being the top, I believe). If you’ve ever hung out with anyone who forages for mushrooms, you already know that morel season is serious business and absolutely no joke! Foragers will go hiking, climbing hills, crawling through forests, and just plainly wandering around looking at the ground for hours upon hours with the spark of hope that they’ll find a morel mushroom. Then, when they do find one? It’s like it sparks off dopamine that drives them to want to find more!

There are several species of morels in the genus Morchella and they might look a little different from each other considering the species and where they’re growing. But, the one thing that they pretty much all have in common is that cute honeycomb-like cap! And you want to know what’s really cool about morels?? Well, if you’ve been reading our mushroom series, you may have noticed that most mushrooms kinda like the fall and rainy, cold weather. The morel? This puppy is a spring mushroom!!

It’s like the funghi groundhog! When spring arrives, so do they! They’re appearance is definitely encouraged by soil temperature, moisture, weather, and location. When the soil starts warming up from winter, that’s when they feel it’s time for them to shine.

Where might be a good location to go look for morels? They’re usually fond of growing in forest and woodland areas, near and around ash, elm, cottonwood, sycamore, apple, and oak trees. There are other trees but those tend to be their main “squeezes”. But, they can also show up in areas that have experienced disturbances like old burn scars.

And, look out because this is where mushroom foragers get secretive and territorial. Because if someone has a really good morel spot? You might not be able to pry it out of them, not even on their death beds (you think I’m joking but it’s competitive - just like truffles).

Morels’ color can range from tan and yellowish to gray, brown, or almost black depending on the species and its stage of development. So being able to spot them out in the wild might be tricky because these colors blend in quite well with leaves, dirt, bark, or whatever happens to be covering the forest floor in spring. I wonder how many times I’ve just walked right past one on my hikes through the local forest??

Now, here’s something that you all need to pay attention to: there are false morels that contain dangerous compounds and can cause some serious poisoning. So here’s my usual warning:

Please find yourself a local, professional, and experienced mushroom forager to learn with before harvesting wild mushrooms.

As for the culinary aspect of morels, they are definitely edible (and so, so yummy) but they, like ALL edible mushrooms, should be cooked thoroughly before you eat them. So, do NOT just pop a raw mushroom into your mouth unless you are 100% committed to suffering GI upset and sometimes other unpleasant reactions. Oh, and the honeycomb-like shape of its top? It can hold onto quite a bit of dirt so please make sure to clean them properly before cooking them.

Oh, and if you’ve never eaten a cooked morel mushroom, let me tell you… they have a wonderful, rich, earthy & nutty flavor not to mention a really nice texture. Sauté them and add them to pasta, sauces, soups, risottos, etc. They truly are culinary mushrooms.

And, don’t worry if you missed out on fresh morels in the spring because you can also find them in the stores dried. Just rehydrate them in some water (and use that water in your cooking for that umami flavor as well).

Ok, so they taste good but how good for your health are they?

Like most mushrooms, they’re a pretty decent source of nutrients (like protein, fiber, vitamins, and minerals) as well as being antioxidants. They’re also, like their other mushroom cousins, anti-inflammatory and have immune boosting properties. They’re not really considered functional mushrooms but do they do their part to keep you healthy? Absolutely they do! I mean, how often do we get something that tastes good AND is good for you?!?

As for their place in our witchcraft practices…

Let’s think about how they grow… they hide underground until the conditions are perfect for them and suddenly they burst up through the ground, pushing their way through dampened leaves, etc. So, I’d use morels for any magic that involves rebirth, renewal, new beginnings, abundance, fertility, growth, and awakening. They’re great for spring rituals because of their connection to spring (obviously). What other ways can you incorporate morels into your spell work or ritual work?

Think abundance magic! Like, anything that you want to bring in multiples of (did you just think about money magic??) because it might take a while to spot that one morel mushroom in the forest but once you spot one, more and more become visible to you. Which also means this would be a good partner to use for workings to bring the unseen into visibility, like hidden opportunities, intuition, etc.

Next spring, if you’re lucky enough to spot some morels growing, take a moment to appreciate what else they bring to you before you prepare them to be eaten.

Have you ever found morels in the wild? Have you ever eaten them? And, if you’re a mushroom forager, do you have a secret morel spot that you’re absolutely refusing to tell us about? (Don’t worry. Your secret is safe with me. Probably.)

Tune in next week as the series continues with porcini mushrooms!