A memorable morel season

May 21, 2008 at 06:13 AM

Well, another morel season is coming to a close. Sadly. But many have of you have enjoyed several mushroom meals as did Photo Joe Egli of South Pekin, who submitted the above picture.

And while not everyone found enough morels to keep them satisfied, most agree this was at least a decent season. For several, this was an excellent season. That includes Dodee Ledbetter, a southern Illinois resident who found numerous large morels back on April 25, 2008. Ledbetter would say only that she found her morels “in the woods.” That and that “It was an unbelievable season! Can’t wait till next year!” Why was she so excited? Check out these pictures she submitted.

Illinois Outdoors

Another family that enjoyed a good time in the woods was the Amans, Carol, Jimmy and Terry (from left to right). They hunted morels on May 14 in Peoria County along with Todd Adam (son of Carol and Terry, father of Jimmy) and the three generations located a niec mess of morels. Grandma had the biggest though, found near a dying elm. Wrote Todd Aman: “Mushroom fever seems to hit a lot of people in Central Illinois this time of the year. Plus it is priceless to spend time in the woods with your grandparents.”

Illinois Outdoors

Kevin Phillips of Farmington wondered where he could find a contest for the smallest morel. Wrote Phillips: “I’ve never seen one this small. I walked for about four hours Sunday (May 4, 2008) afternoon and found 150 shrooms. The biggest was about two and a half inches tall the rest were that and smaller. I found 9 by one tree and the other 141 in an area about 20’ x 20’. Very sporadic.”

Illinois Outdoors

One day earlier, Beth Emhoff (pictured below) from Mapleton braved the cold temperatures on May 3, 2008 with her husband Brian in Peoria County, but they were rewarded with 128 mushrooms. They also left quite a few that had just came through the leaves for a later hunt!

Illinois Outdoors

Thanks for all the mushroom pictures and stories. We’ll have more next spring.

Comments :: Terms :: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

Hey! The season isn’t over yet! We’re still picking in Putnam County. Three pounds on Monday, 05/19/08. Some of them are spoiling. But since we’ve had no rain lately, a lot of them are just dry and will be perfect after soaking. Remember, if you soak them, you should eat them within three days. And also, if they are starting to dry, finish the drying process in a dehydrator or, set them out in the sun and wind. You should dry them until they are crisp, like a potato chip. If you do plan to dehydrate them, Do Not wash or soak them. Cut away any bad parts. Store them in a paper sack in the cupboard to keep them dry and when you’re ready to consume, just soak them in water for about three to four hours. They keep indefinitely as long as you don’t let them get near moisture.
The ones we’re finding are near the bottom of north-facing slopes where they don’t get a lot of sun and plenty of shade. I expect the season to continue for at least another four to five days. It was, and still is, a great year for morel lovers.

Posted by Tom Nauman on 05/22 at 01:17 AM

I was surprised to see my 4 year old come out with a dozens shrooms on Tuesday. While I was working on food plots he was scouring inside the treeline. He said “dad I found some mushrooms” and low and behold he found some gigantic yellows. So there are still a few popping in Peoria county too.

Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on 05/22 at 09:28 AM