How to Find Morel Mushrooms

I recently posted a picture of morels on social media and mentioned I make them into a sauce. I had a few requests for the recipe, so here it is. I hope your family enjoys it as much as mine!

I love a springtime walk through the woods to look for morel mushrooms. I love cooking with morel mushrooms.

But there’s something else I love too: the hunt.

Walking slowly, scanning the ground: It takes intense focus. And I find that time spend in the woods, focusing on what I’m seeing, is a beautiful time for me.

When I spot a morel, I stop in my tracks and then scan the ground all around it — because where there is one there are often more. And I don’t want to step on any of them!

When the lilacs bloom, I figure it’s time to look for morels. Some years I get lots; some years not as many. Either way, it’s a spring ritual I love.

morel mushroom in the woods — Morel mushrooms can be difficult to spot. But once you see one, look all around, as there will often be more in the area.

A Great Family Activity

My wife, Shelley, and I started mushroom hunting before we had kids. And once we had kids, we kept on mushrooming.

I’d carry babies on my back…though it’s harder to bend over to pick the mushrooms! Or we’d choose locations where we could pull along a wagon.

For small children, a basket makes morel hunting fun. Maybe they’ll find morels — maybe leaves or pine cones or snail shells.

One thing is for certain: Kids are lower to the ground, and they can be very observant. We’ve had many trips to the woods where the kids spot mushrooms before we do.

Morel Sauce Recipe

This sauce is great for lubricating crepes filled with ham and steamed asparagus (make sure to put some sauce inside the crepe before you wrap it up, and then put more sauce over the top of the crepe once it’s all wrapped up!)

It’s nice on grilled poultry. Or, use it spooned over a fried egg. (And…you might just want to taste a couple of spoonfuls of sauce on its own, just don’t let anyone see you do it!)

crepes with morel mushroom sauce — Crepes with morel sauce, inside and out. Don’t be stingy with the sauce!

This recipe uses the trinity of mushrooms, cream, and white wine. It’s not adulterated with lots of herbs, so the mushroom flavour shines through.

Depending on the time of year, you can use dry or fresh morels. (Of course, you can use other mushrooms too…but the morels are my favourite.)

Ingredients:

10 morels, coarsely chopped
1 shallot, minced*
½ cup white wine
3 cups stock (chicken or veg both work well)
1 cup heavy cream (don’t wimp out with light cream – you want good, heavy cream…this isn’t supposed to be a low-fat sauce)
1 tbsp butter
Salt and pepper to taste

*Don’t worry if you don’t have a shallot…use a cooking onion instead and it will be fine.

If using dried morels:

Start by reconstituting them in ½ cup of water for about 30 minutes before chopping
Reserve the liquid (strain if needed)

Instructions

Cook shallots in butter until translucent
Add morels, salt, and pepper and cook another 2-3 minutes
Add wine and stock (and reserved liquid, if using dry morels) – and cook until reduced by about 2/3
Add cream and simmer about 20 minutes, until the sauce will coat the back of a spoon

A tray of freshly picked morel mushrooms — I love morels. And I love the hunt for morels!

A Final Note on Morels and Mushroom Hunting

Don’t eat what you can’t identify. Full stop.

Neither Shelley or I grew up with morels. We didn’t know where to look for them or how to identify them. But experienced friends took us out mushroom hunting.

Then we joined a local mycological society (the fancy term for a mushroom club) which had forays to nearby woods. The forays were a great way to be around people who were knowledgeable about mushrooms and could help us identify what to eat — and what not to eat.