It's morel mushroom season! Here's what to know before you go hunting in Iowa

Des Moines Register Staff Reports
·2 min read
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Steve Roberts and his father, Ron, inspect roughly three pounds of morels on May 1, 2020. Roberts prepares them by halving them, rinsing them, and frying them with eggs and milk, sometimes with onion ring batter. Ron soaks them in saltwater beforehand.

April and May usher in the morel mushroom hunting season in Iowa, which means it's time to get out there to find the sought-after fungi.

If you're planning to go hunting this spring, here's what to know before you try your luck in Iowa.

Where is the best place to find morel mushrooms?

Dead elm trees are a good place to look for morel mushrooms, according to Iowa DNR. Specifically, look for elms that are in the process of dying with few leaves and most of their bark still on.

Along with dead elms, old apple orchards and ash trees could be another place to hunt.

More: What you should know before hunting morel mushrooms in Iowa

How late can you find morel mushrooms in Iowa?

The wild mushrooms with a honeycomb-like pattern on the cap typically grow in April and May. They favor wet conditions and warm temperatures. Soil temperatures in the mid-50s to low 60-degree are ideal for morel growth, Jim Coffey, a forest wildlife biologist with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources told the Des Moines Register in 2022.

Mother's Day is typically the end of morel season, but there can still be morels out there, Steve Roberts, who runs the Iowa Morel Report Facebook Page, told the Iowa City Press-Citizen in 2019.

More: 'A treasure hunt': Iowans of all ages scour the ground in search of morel mushrooms

How to store morel mushrooms

Do not store morel mushrooms in plastic, as the heat and moisture it can create can spoil the mushrooms. Use a paper bag in the fridge and when collecting them use a mesh bag or a basket, according to Iowa DNR.

You can also freeze morel mushrooms, though Iowa DNR advises cooking them for a couple of minutes to kill bacteria first. Roberts recommended prepping them for frying before freezing them, then adding to the fryer directly from the freezer.

Morel mushroom recipes: Magic of morels: 4 mushroom recipes to celebrate a good hunt

Tips for staying safe

Morel mushrooms are not safe to eat raw, according to Iowa DNR.

When you're out hunting, here are some safety tips from the Iowa State Extension Center:

  • Don't search in areas where fish and other animals have died.

  • Don't pick morels located near fecal droppings.

  • Stay away from areas where pesticides, heavy metals or other potential chemical contaminants may be present.

  • Check morel mushrooms for signs of decay, including worms, slime, rotten areas and discoloration. Only pick mushrooms that are healthy and intact.

  • Pack morel mushrooms individually in wax or paper bags. Avoid storing mushrooms in plastic bags or other receptacles that keep in humidity.

  • Harvest above the soil level.

  • Refrigerate morel mushrooms immediately.

  • Thoroughly cook mushrooms.

More: 5 tips for cooking morel mushrooms, with help from Hotel Vandivort's new executive chef

Des Moines Register and Iowa City Press-Citizen reporting contributed to this article.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Morel mushroom season is on in Iowa. Here's what to know when hunting

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