Spring Mushrooms: Morels and the Hollow Test
Spring is a narrow, prized window. One great edible and one serious hazard define it, and telling them apart is the whole lesson of the season.
Poisonous
Caution
Morel Season
As the ground warms after the first mild rains, true morels push up near ash, elm and old orchards. The window is short, often only a few weeks. Our spring foraging guide covers where to look while it lasts.
Close relatives run in the same window. The black morel fruits from March through May, and the half-free morel tends to show in the middle of the local morel run. Both carry the same cooking and lookalike cautions as the common morel.
The False Morel Fruits Beside Them
The false morel fruits at the same time and in the same places. Its toxin, gyromitrin, is not reliably removed by cooking, so a pan with false morels in it can still poison you. You settle the question with a knife.
Warning
Cut every spring morel lengthwise. True morels are hollow from tip to base. False morels have chambered or stuffed insides, and they can be deadly.
What else is in the spring grid?
Besides the morels, this group holds a pair of deadly Amanitas. The western destroying angel fruits from late winter through spring under oaks in California and the Pacific Northwest. In warm parts of Europe, the fool's mushroom comes up in spring and into early summer.
For most foragers, though, spring stays a focused morel hunt. The hollow test goes with you on every trip, and the morel season tool works out when that trip should start in your state.
Frequently Asked Questions
What mushrooms grow in spring?
Spring is best known for true morels, which fruit for a few weeks as the ground warms. False morels appear at the same time. Spring foraging centers on telling the two apart.
What is the main danger of spring foraging?
The main danger is confusing a true morel with a false morel. False morels contain gyromitrin, a toxin cooking does not reliably remove. Always check that a morel is completely hollow inside.