FML Outdoors.com

I’m so glad we went south for this years annual canoe trip. With all the research I’ve done, I knew this area was good for Morel mushrooms.

As we pulled out of the river Saturday, I noticed a red pickup truck parked next to mine. We proceeded to load our canoes. I heard someone in the woods. A young college kid carrying what I hoped were mushrooms. It was exactly what I had hoped — Wild Morel mushrooms!

Morel Mushrooms — As beautiful as the day my daughter was born!

I talked to him for a little bit and tried to get some inside (or shall I say, outside) tips. He said, “Look for the tree with the bark falling off.”

I read about this but didn’t realize how important that information was — until later.

The following day was so windy that we didn’t dare go canoeing, so I asked my buddy Tom to go Morel mushroom hunting. He seemed intrigued by the prospect, having heard legends of the wonderful flavor of Morels.

We drove away from our campsite where I saw the beginnings of a housing development. The lots were sectioned-off but the trees had not been removed. I figured this would a save place to park without trespassing.

Once in the woods, I quickly started looking for trees without bark. I was gone for quite awhile and soon lost sight of Tom. As Abby (my dog) and I headed deeper into the woods, I started to find larger trees without bark.

My eyes focused intensely on the ground. All of a sudden my pupils went blurry — and then clear. As I concentrated my vision to the bright yellow spot against the green undergrowth. “Could it be?” I thought to myself. Sure enough, as I lifted the leaves I could see two Morel mushrooms! The only way I can explain my feelings at that moment was like a child being born! It was beautiful! (Pictured above is that exact moment) I quickly found a stick and began looking around the nearby trees. There’s one! — There’s another! All together, I found fifteen Morels!

As soon as I got home, I grabbed a venison tenderloin and wrapped it in bacon. I then dipped the Morels in buttermilk and tossed them in a mixture of cornflake crumbs and pancake mix. With the deep fryer hot and the steaks almost done…I submersed the mushrooms for a few seconds and out they came — looking as beautiful as the day my daughter was born.