Ari's first black morel of 2011
I am wandering through the spring woods, the soggy ground squishing beneath my feet. Out of the corner of my eye, I spot the unmistakable honeycombed cap of a morel. Bending down to take a closer look, I realize this morel is not alone. A second morel pops into my vision, followed by a third. My morel eyes are on now, and hundreds, perhaps thousands, begin to spring up as if to announce, “We are here!”
Suddenly, my reverie is interrupted. Like Miss Clavel from Madeline, I have a subtle but unmistakable feeling that, “Something is not right!” Within seconds, I am lying awake in bed, eons away from the holy grail of morels and sorely disappointed.
This recurring dream has been haunting me ever since the last of the snow melted in Ithaca. While the dream has yet to come true, I can finally say I feel satisfied. After weeks of tirelessly searching for morels, Monday around dusk I found a lone, juicy black morel when I was least expecting it. I don’t think a full second was able to pass before I let out a reflexive yelp, immediately followed by a howl. The mushroom was so pristine and beautiful that the idea of eating it sounded akin to consuming a rare orchid.
Ari gazes lovingly at his black morel
I could not help but wonder if my mind was playing tricks on me again, and I scanned the adjacent ground to check for the veritable flood of morels that had fooled me so many times in my dreams. For the first time in my life, I was relieved to see that there were no more mushrooms in sight, and I began to come to terms with the fact that this morel might be for real. Nervously, I plucked the mushroom out of the ground and raised it to my nose. The cool flesh, intricately webbed texture and earthy aroma confirmed that my find existed in the firm realm of consensual reality.
I did not come prepared with a mushroom collecting basket, so I unzipped my coat pocket and gingerly placed the morel inside. I spent a few more minutes looking for morels to no avail; then, as the sky grew dark, I proudly marched back to my car, past a territorial mother Canada Goose who scowled at my barking dog. A few times on the walk back, I felt my pocket – just to make sure the morel was really there.
Howdy,
My name is Armin Rosic. I live in the New Hartford area, and I am a college student. I stumbled on your prose while checking for news of morel finds in my area, and I really enjoyed your writing as it spoke so close to my experience as well. I am originally from Bosnia and I come from two families of avid outdoorsmen. Last summer, while visiting family in Bosnia, my (now late) uncle and I spent every morsel of free time searching for the King Bolete, or Porcini, (Boletus Edulis) and the ever elusive Ceaser’s Mushroom (Amanita Caesarea). I have recently discovered that I have been foolish to abandon my shrooming ways in the States, as there is much to explore and learn. I was introduced to the morel by a family friend at the end of last years season, and I was very excited to discover such a fine species.
I look forward to hearing from you, and I, being a begginer at the morel, welcome advice and tips.
Sincerely,
Armin Rosic
that’s a BLACK morel? the one Ari is holding? that’s HUGE. looks much more like a yellow, simply from the size. nice find & blog
Great article. I have been having some of the same type of dreams. I am also driving my GF and co-workers crazy, because all I can talk about is Morels!
I have been keeping a map of all the NY sightings and it is starting to fill in around Central New York, FINALLY!
Found my first ones within site of my house near Syracuse on May 3. I believe they are the Half-Frees. I found 6 of the Half-Frees in one spot, and a Grey on the way to my front door…
Went to the spot this morning and found twice as many.
I have posted pic of all of them on the Morels.com Facebook page.
Good Luck & Happy Hunting!
Morels have been seen in Albany county yesterday 5/5/11,happy hunting.
Nice find Ari! That is the biggest black I have ever seen. It looks like you pulled it out of the ground. I highly recommend cutting or pinching them off as it will increase the chances of you finding them in that spot in the future. Happy Hunting.
Thank you all for the wonderful comments. We love hearing from you!
Armin Rosic – I’m so glad you’ve been enjoying my writing and it’s great to hear you’ve rediscovered your love of mushroom foraging in the States. Morels are notoriously difficult to find in the Northeast. Look near old apple orchards and dying elms, but morels can fruit just about anywhere.
ny2011 – Yes, the mushroom is indeed a black morel. You’re right – huge!
TomAroundTheWorld – We’ll look forward to checking out your photos of your foraging finds on Morels.com. That’s amazing to hear you’ve been having morel dreams too!
Lou D – Happy hunting to you too! Glad to hear you’ve been finding morels in Albany County.
Jeremy Larson – Yes, quite a large black morel! I appreciate your comment about harvesting method, as I always strive to use the most sustainable method possible.
I was walking a path in Treman park the other day and stumbled across a colony of mushrooms growing on a stump. They looked like incredibly tiny chanterelles, very tiny. I don’t know much about foraging mushrooms, but I am really curious if anyone with go see and tell me what these mushrooms are. To get there you go to lower Treman, drive to the far parking lot. There is a trail to the right that leads up and to the right of the gorge. About 10 or 15 minutes onto the trail on your right there will be a stump, practically on the trail, where the mushrooms are growing.
Michael Kastor – We’ll try to visit Treman sometime this upcoming week, and will look out for the mushrooms growing on the stump! If we’re able to find them, we shall get back to you with an ID.
hello, i live in st lawrence county ny. i am an avid shroomer of recent years (4 yrs and counting). i am simply in love with morels .. i have a go to spot that i highly prize and try to keep a secret … i love it . i am interested in all aspects of harvesting and collecting such treasures. this is first time replying. want to meet others that are as passionate as i … i have collected about 500 morels in my area over the past few seasons … treasures indeed .. i am hooked forever… mmmmm mmmmm mmmmmm
Brian, I am happy you have caught the morel bug! Do you have other species you are confident foraging as well? Morels are definitely one of the best, but their season is so fleeting. I guess that’s part of what makes them so special, though!
i have those same dreams friend. I also live out an incredibly reality every year in may. i live just afew miles outside of canton ny near hermon along the grasse river (approx. 1000ft from river), to my extreme pleasure i share property with yearly morel mushrooms. they appear more or less within 25 yards of the last place i find them each season. I count sometimes 100 and sometimes only a few dozen. I have harvested them now for about 6 yrs. never have been skunked. i love them soooo much. It gives me incredible feelings of satisfaction. I literally hoot and yell, jump about and feel just simply divine, as if i have found a hidden treasure. surely i am not worthy yet i find them every year …on my own land as a bonus. so powerful i feel. i have a secret that shall go to my grave (save for my mate). it is truly wonderful. i forage nearly daily from spring onward. I have found many other natural treasures as well … so lets chat. I would love to share a wonderful morel brunch with friends this spring. wine and shrooms , perhaps omelettea with homemade bread and some fresh goat cheese. mmmm mmmmm mmmmmmm.
p.s i forgot i wrote once before under my real name …. i am brian… cool thanks mushroom forager…i appreciate the reply…. this is my second posting about anything on the web. neat . i do feel fairly confident about other shrooms as well. my uncle was a great woodsman. very knowledgeable. he was a green beret. taught my survival in the forest.
Brian, How lucky you are to have a patch like that on your land! Patches are not usually that reliable, but it sounds like yours is! I agree – there is something surreal about finding a morel – the thrill just never wears off!
I would like to share some info … I have found most of my morels around my white pines ….older ones . facing mostly south , slight hillside … any info other may have … do tell. the morels i have found have mostly been yellow. a few black. most in proximity of eachother . yet i found a lonely black about a thousand ft from others ( about 2 doz). this was last year … none yet this year … is it possible to over pick a place … ? for instance … each of last successive 3 yrs … the population and concentration of morels in “my Patch” have decreaced … 100 3yrs ago … down to about 30 last yr…. hope i havent exhausted my spot … this would be truly devastating … i misss my morels.
Otismoake, thanks for sharing info. I haven’t found morels around white pine before, but I’ll look out for them near white pine this year. Yes, it is certainly possible to over pick a patch, and I recommend leaving at least 1/3 of the morels you find each year in the ground to spread their spores. Also, sometimes morel spots will shrink over the years simply due to natural causes such as an associated ash tree becoming too far gone.
A dreary day of not finding any morels .. nothing at my honey hole . weather is grey , cold , and drizzly. yesterday i found small shiny skinned orange mushrooms poking out of old elm stump … dime sized fungus …. also gilled …. these arent cordys are they .. i didnt touch them …. last year in the same area i found mrels there … surrounding stump. forgive grammar … i ll keep my eye to the fun gi …..