Morel Mushroom Identification

A Morel is a lot different than other mushrooms and with a few tips on what to look for you will be able to identify a Morel Mushroom with ease, leaving no chance of getting a false or different mushroom when hunting for them. The first Morels too grow are typically the small grays, whites, and yellows, which I believe are the best tasting. A week later the larger grays start to show up, then a few days after that you will start to find the large yellows. The season for Morels is in the Spring and depending on where you live in States you can find Morels anywhere from the first of April to Mid June or later. In the Mid-West we find them from the second week of April to the fist week of June.

What A Morel Looks Like

Morels are unique as they are one continuous mushroom from the base of the stem to the tip of the cap and are hollow for the entire length. The Morel has a very distinct cap (fairly uniform, ridged and pitted inwards), which is typically longer than the stem section. The cap can be light gray (almost white), gray, dark gray (almost black), light yellow and dark yellow, while the stem is a white to ivory color.

The small Gray, Black, and Yellow Morels (Good Morels).

The Large Gray and Yellow Morels (Good Morels)

The cap does not hang over the stem like an umbrella because of what we mentioned above, the mushroom from stem to tip is continuous and will not fall off or come off without you intentionally tearing the mushroom apart. Here is a picture of a False Morel and the only picture of a False Morel I will use in this article. I have been hunting and picking the Morel Mushroom for over 40 years and I have never found a false Morel Mushroom in the Spring. I have found then in the Fall, which we know the Morel is a Spring Mushroom.