Morel Mushrooms will be Popping Up Soon

(Farmington) An old Ozark tradition, as soon as the weather starts warming up, is hunting for the tasty morel mushroom.

Clayton Lewis is the conservation agent for St. Francois County.

He says this is prime time to hunt for morels.

There are at least three species of morels in Missouri. All are hollow-stemmed mushrooms emerging from the ground in the spring, with a somewhat conical cap or head covered with definite pits and ridges, resembling a sponge, pine cone or honeycomb.

In black and yellow morels, the bottom of the head is attached directly to the stem.

In half-free morels, the bottom half of the cap hangs free from the stalk.

In all cases, stems of true morels are completely hollow.

Also, do not confuse true morels with false morels.

They can kill you.

Don’t eat any wild mushroom unless you have identified it as a safe edible and have cooked it thoroughly.