(WWJ) Attention amateur mushroom hunters: It's morel season in the state, and the Michigan Department of Natural Resources wants to help you find them.
The cone-like shaped wild morel (Morchella exhuberens) -- appreciated by foodies for its honeycomb texture and rich, nutty flavor -- often shows up the next spring on ground burned after a fire, the DNR says, especially where pine and jack pines have burned and the soil is sterile and filled with nutrients like carbon that mushrooms love. Morels also like to grow near living or downed elm, ash and tulip poplar.
While this scarce fungi is notoriously hard to find, a freshly updated Mi-Morels map shows where prescribed burns were conducted in 2018, giving mushroom hunters a leg up in finding them.
"Sorry die-hard mushroom hunters, we're giving away the secrets," the DNR said.
**INTERACTIVE MAP (click here)**
Some additional tips: Experts say temperature matters. Morels like it when it starts to get around 60 degrees and up during the day, and night temperatures are around 40. A great place to look is a side of a hill, especially on south-facing slopes, which tend to see more sun. Also, you may have more luck when it's wet. They say more morels tend to appear after a warm spring rain.
Not sure what to do with these tasty shrooms once you find them? Seriouseats.com offers tips on how to clean and prepare morels at this link.