I found my first two black morels last year and I’m hoping to find more this year. From my reading it looks like we need a week to ten days of temps in the sixtys during the day and fortys at night, ground temperature fifty two. In northern mn it looks like that temperature patern is going to just get started. I would think they are starting to pop down in the lower half of the state. Anyone finding any yet ?
I’ve walked the wooded bluffs in Buffalo County WI overlooking the river on our hunting land the last couple of days. It’s still too early here. Closer to home around Lake City and Reads Landing, my walks have shown the same thing.
We need rain as well for anything to happen. The woods are a tinderbox down this way. Moisture is an important variable to make things pop. My guess is next weekend people may spot a few little ones after a midweek rain. I’d say two weeks from now things will really be popping in this part of the state.
Thanks for the response. I figured I could gage when I should start looking by the information I receive from around the state. It would be nice to have people post on here when there starting to find them and maybe the conditions around them. I’m not looking for peoples spots but maybe general locations in the state. Good luck they are tasty. I watched a video on growing them by making a slurry in a blender with a mushroom and some water, molasses, wood chips and ashes. This was supposed to create millions of spores that you would dilute in five gallons pails of water and pour in likely growing spots. I did this with one of the ones I found last year and poured it around my yard in shady spots. I also have an old rock wall that I cut five dead and dieing elm trees out of . It’ll be neat to see if some grow but I’m not holding my breath.
I was sent a picture of a few morels found near Winona today. It’s extremely early, but I think this weekend will bring some early reports.
I like to sweep each area I hunt 2-3 separate times per morel season (or once a week). Along the river, it seems the season lasts on average a couple of weeks for the best production. However, last year was a banner year for many in this part of the state. I’m planning to put on some miles Sunday after tomorrow’s rain and then some late week sun.
Soil temps need to stay at something over 56 degrees for them to start, it’s about the same time the lilacs start to set flowers and you should put down the crabgrass preventer.
I’m in the MSP metro and I’d say we’re about 10-14 days away, assuming we get enough rain to get it going. The season here is usually from around walleye opener through June 1, give or take 7 days on either end depending on temps and rain. Hope this helps, good luck.
When the lilac buds are the size of a squirrel’s ear……
Don’t you mean oak buds the size of a squirrels ear. My lilac buds were that size 2 weeks ago.
Don’t you mean oak buds the size of a squirrels ear. My lilac buds were that size 2 weeks ago.
. I thought that’s when the suckers were running. But aspen trees
Soil temps need to stay at something over 56 degrees for them to start, it’s about the same time the lilacs start to set flowers and you should put down the crabgrass preventer.
I’m in the MSP metro and I’d say we’re about 10-14 days away, assuming we get enough rain to get it going. The season here is usually from around walleye opener through June 1, give or take 7 days on either end depending on temps and rain. Hope this helps, good luck.
Zooks is spot on here! Lilacs are one of the best things to look at if your asking about morels. Blacks grow early. Before the big run of yellows go. Blacks also come and go faster. Blacks start when the leaves on the lilacs are the size of a squirrels ear. They are spotty too and I find most around poplar groves that are dying. I have found blacks as early as 4/14 and as late as 5/6 on given years.
The big show (whites/yellows) does not start till you smell lilacs blooming and last till the lilac flowers turn brown. This is true 90% of the time. Moisture can change this a bit but lilacs are still your best indicator. Most yellows will grow off dying elms. I have found yellows as early as 5/1 and as late as 6/5 on given years. These also take longer to mature (up to 2 weeks) I have photos I can attach for reference but no different than you can find all over the web.
Here are a couple photos.. These are the blacks. I took this photo on 4/26 a few years ago and was a week after I started finding them.
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Here is a pile of yellows. You can see some look grey and others are yellow. They are the same thing but the yellows are more mature. I used to think these were different species but after watching them grow and not picking them I have learned they are the same ones. Just a matter of weather conditions and how long you let them go. I like to get them before they get too big. After a while the walls of the stem and cap will get thin and do not taste as good.
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I almost forget about one other variety.. The mysterious jumbo garden morels. They grow all year at my place. Taste woody though.. haha
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Here are a couple photos.. These are the blacks. I took this photo on 4/26 a few years ago and was a week after I started finding them.
I dunno but the blacks or grays as I’m used to calling them, don’t look like that.
Not sure I would pick any that looked like that.
I dunno but the blacks or grays as I’m used to calling them, don’t look like that.
Not sure I would pick any that looked like that.
I agree the ones we pick in south metro sure don’t look like that. Think I would be scared of them.
<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>haleysgold wrote:</div>
I dunno but the blacks or grays as I’m used to calling them, don’t look like that.
Not sure I would pick any that looked like that.I agree the ones we pick in south metro sure don’t look like that. Think I would be scared of them.
I used to say the same thing about an eelpout. Then I tried it…. Blacks are a common variety of morel’s and assure you they are just as good as the ones you guys find. There is a variety of Verpas that will start popping up also. These are the ones with long stems and a short cap. Looks like a pecker! These are edible but I do not pick them. They have many names and myths but not to be confused with a true black morel. Same color but different shape and stem structure.
I haven’t seen any black morels but I do find some of those verpas
These are the ones with long stems and a short cap. Looks like a pecker!
I have a patch of them that grows on the edge of our property and it is crazy how much they resemble the old man hood.
Little early yet
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It won’t be long now. That’s x140 picked in one two hour evening outing last spring.
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It won’t be long now. That’s x140 picked in one two hour evening outing last spring.
. So out of curiosity, what do you do with that many at one time . Do you dehydrate or freeze or give them away to strangers on the internet 😆
<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>buckybadger wrote:</div>
It won’t be long now. That’s x140 picked in one two hour evening outing last spring.. So out of curiosity, what do you do with that many at one time . Do you dehydrate or freeze or give them away to strangers on the internet 😆
In years past, I sold them for $18-25 a pound to a few local restaurants. Today, that hassle isn’t really worth my time and turns a hobby into a job.
I swap morels for fresh asparagus and rhubarb, give a few to neighbors and family, give a few to people who sponsor our local football team and booster club extensively, eat them a couple nights a week, etc. They go pretty quickly.
I use mine in soups a lot so will saute them al dente in butter and garlic salt. I do .5-1.0 lbs per batch. Then place them in a glass bowl with all the juice and freeze it. Once frozen I remove them and vacuum seal the frozen pucks of mushrooms to use later. This will keep all year and much better than drying because you lock all the morel flavor in the juices. Great for wild rice soup and mushroom soup down the road.
Oh my.
Buddy is finding them.
St croix opener….or morels… might have to try to squeeze in both 
Preston mn
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I found a handful today also, up high on the south facing hills for most of them
Oh my.
Buddy is finding them.
St croix opener….or morels… might have to try to squeeze in bothPreston mn
I found a handful today also, up high on the south facing hills for most of them
Did you guys have any rain in the days prior to finding these?
I really don’t think so. Been quite dry.
I’m pretty sure it is his early spot. Goes quick and burns up quicker. I’m hoping to cash in next weekend.
Just a little south of the twin cities we had close to 3/4″ of rain a few days ago. With warm temps right after that I could see a few starting to pop out. I’m going to head out to my parents this afternoon to see if theirs have popped yet. They always seem to grow there 1-2 weeks before all my other spots. Fingers crossed I can be eating fresh morels with a steak tonight!
We’ve had some rain here near Lake City and Reads Landing along the river, but not the amounts that have been reported further North. I plan to sneak out this afternoon after the current rain and do some looking.
We’ve had some rain here near Lake City and Reads Landing along the river, but not the amounts that have been reported further North. I plan to sneak out this afternoon after the current rain and do some looking.
Update…a few south/facing ridges covered this afternoon and a dozen small morels to show for it. When I say ridges, I’m talking SE MN rock faces and some mountain goat territory. We could use more rain here still. I’d put us 5-7 days out from a real good flush. I’m sure there will be reports of morels in the area becoming more common over the weekend. If I were targeting a time, it’d be a week from now though.
What do you think the cold nights next week will do to them up here. It looks to be going into the low thirties and probably high twenties at night . Will this ruin them or can they handle that. I’m going to go take a look around on Sunday as it’s been nice for over a week and it’s raining today.
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