This time last year our morel mushroom season was starting, but we haven't had enough rain so far this year. Have any of you started foraging in your neck of the woods?

-- cowgirlone in ok (cowgirlone47@hotmail.com), April 09, 2002

Answers

We're just getting our crocuses to open. Is this when morels come out?

-- Paul Wheaton (paul@javaranch.com), April 09, 2002.

I went last week and found one, took the kids this morning but didn't find anything...it's still a little too cold at night here, but give it a week or so and they'll be poppin up! My mouth waters at the thought!

-- Tracy (IN) (tconklin@ncci.net), April 09, 2002.

Around here, westcentral Indiana, it's the last week in April/first week in May. We like to dry them and use them in soups in mid- winter. Besides the fried fresh eating!

-- Gailann Schrader (gtschrader@aol.com), April 09, 2002.

Usually it is the last week of April through the first few weeks of May. This week should give them a nice start. Rainy and it is supposed to get warm which usually means lots of mushrooms.

-- Melissa in SE Ohio (me@home.net), April 09, 2002.

I was out hunting my lost pup in the national forest that joins our place this morning (she's an incurable rambler who will be permanently fenced as soon as we finish that project this weekend!) and thought about morels. It's certainly been a wet year here - couldn't get much wetter - but the nights can't seem to make up their minds to be warm or not. Anyway, I didn't find any in the usual places, but will try again in a day or two. They seem to come up with the Mayapples here. (Some old timers say to look for them when the oak leaves reach the size of a mouses' ear.)

-- Deborah Stephenson (wonkaandgypsy@hotmail.com), April 09, 2002.

Ditto on the non-rain, we have only had one of our famous 12 inch rains, that’s 12 inches between drops.

-- BC (desertdweller44@yahoo.com), April 09, 2002.

I've been hearing reports of people finding them around here but I haven't had any luck finding any. Talking to a friend of mine a couple of hours ago and he said a guy at his work place was suppose to have found about 100 yesterday. The friend of mine walked through the woods this evening and said he didn't find anything either.

-- r.h. in okla. (rhays@sstelco.com), April 09, 2002.

I was in the woods yesterday looking for bloodroot and the ground was still frozen in the woods. Rain today, Halleluja! Maybe mushrooms in three weeks would be normal here.

-- John in Mn. (nospam@mywork.com), April 10, 2002.

Found 6 yesterday and 6 more this morning. They were the small grey varitey. Suppose to get rain tonight, so hopefully they will really start popping. The little ones are good...but bring on the big ones!!

In the Mo Ozarks....Lynette

-- Lynette (fear_the_bear@webtv.net), April 11, 2002.

Actually the little ones have the potential to become quite a bit bigger. Let some grow and you'll see what I mean...

-- Gailann Schrader (gtschrader@aol.com), April 12, 2002.