4 March 2024
TOPEKA (KSNT) – If you’ve got mushrooms on the brain and are looking for an excuse to get outside, consider joining other Kansans in the search for morel mushrooms this spring.
With warmer temperatures on the way, some Kansans are getting ready for the annual hunt for morel mushrooms in the great outdoors. Looking for this type of fungus is a favorite pastime for those who enjoy using the mushrooms in food preparation.
27 News spoke with Sherry Kay, chairperson of the Kaw Valley Mycological Society, to learn more about what to expect this season. Kay has also co-authored a book with details on more than 300 mushrooms you can find across the state called “A New Guide to Kansas Mushrooms.”
“They are complicated as most mushrooms are,” Kay said. “Every season is different and some are earlier than others.”
Kay said she has yet to find any during her travels outdoors this year. However, she did give some tips on when and where people should start looking for the fungus.
“Many people will say the leaves on the oak trees should be the size of a squirrel’s ear and the Mayapples should be up; I’ve seen them before either occur,” Kay said. “They do almost always appear with or near trees; often elm, sycamore and apple but I’ve seen them in quantity with cottonwood, cedar and oak.”
KSNT Stormtrack Meteorologist Becky Taylor also weighed in on the topic. With eight years of foraging experience under her belt, she also has recommendations for people looking for morel mushrooms this year.
“They usually emerge in mid April here in Northeast Kansas,” Taylor said. “You want to see a couple weeks of 60° highs and 40° lows to get the soil temperatures warm enough for them to pop out.”
“Dry creek beds tend to be good spots along with river banks,” Taylor said. “Look for fallen and rotting trees, too. Some people swear it’s the type of tree that they like, so you could try looking around oak and elm trees. I’ve seen them pop up in the middle of a yard, though, with nothing around.”
The mushrooms are mostly used in cooking and are viewed as a rare treat by some, making large finds particularly lucrative for those who know where large amounts of the mushrooms grow. In 2022, 27 News spoke with local morel mushroom hunters who said morels can go for anywhere between $35 and $50 a pound, with some restaurants out of state paying upwards of $75 a pound to get the mushrooms before the season ends.
“People use them [morel mushrooms] for cooking,” Taylor said. “Since their season is so short and weather-dependent, they are pretty pricy and are considered a delicacy. You want to cook them in such a way that their flavor doesn’t get overwhelmed. A popular thing for folks to do is fry them. I like them in a mushroom-cream sauce served over chicken with freshly picked asparagus.”
While looking for the mushrooms can be fun, it also comes with some dangers. The Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks (KDWP) recommends potential morel hunters do the proper research before heading out as some mushrooms are toxic.
“If it’s your first time, try to go with an experienced forager,” Taylor said. “Nothing worse than picking something that you think is edible only to find out later that it wasn’t. They can show you what is safe and what’s not. Otherwise, just be patient and take your time. They can be pretty tricky to see!”
The KDWP also recommends you look for the mushrooms only in state parks and wildlife areas and avoid Walk-In Hunting Access areas.
For more tips on morel mushrooms, check out this article from FOX4. There will also be two online classes on identifying morel mushrooms, courtesy of Kansas State University, from noon to 1 p.m. on March 21 and from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. You can find out more on how to attend these courses by clicking here.
For more Kansas Outdoors, click here. Keep up with the latest breaking news in northeast Kansas by downloading our mobile app and by signing up for our news email alerts. To download our Storm Track Weather App, click here.
Follow Matthew Self on X (Twitter): https://twitter.com/MatthewLeoSelf