Identification

Finding Morel Mushrooms:
Morel mushrooms can be found under many types of trees and "litter" on the ground which was mentioned in Habitat. Once you have identified the types of organisms morels can grow around or under (such as an elm tree) you have to be able to identify the morel mushroom apart from other types.

 

 

Here are some other examples of areas morels can be found:

 

Identifying Yellow Morels:
Morel mushrooms have a distinctive honeycomb-like upper portion that is composed of a network of ridges and pits. The ridges do not darken with maturity. The caps of the morel are tightly attached to the stem. Depending on the type of morel, they can either have a pointed cap with vertical ridges or can have larger, but rounder caps with more dense and randomly arranged ridges. Another identification of morels is that the stem has little bumps on both the inside and outside. When looking at both the cap and the stem, the cap is longer than the stem itself. Once picked and cut lengthwise, the mushroom from stem to the top of the cap is hollow. When identifying the morel, it is important to know of its imposter the False Morel (More information on the false morel here). in order to tell the differences between the two. Once you become an expert on identifying morel mushrooms, you'll be cooking up handfuls of tasty morels.