If you live in Logan County, it’s a mortal lock that you know one, have a relative that is one or that you are one yourself.

We are talking about fungus lovers.

Spring has sprung and the delicious morel mushrooms are making their brief, annual appearance throughout Logan County.

Morels are a particular fungus that are unlike the kind that nest in your toenails or build condos on the green bean casserole that has been in the back of your fridge since Thanksgiving. 

Morels make their home outside in the undergrowth that comes with spring, are masters of the “hide” part of hide-and-seek, and refuse to be grown commercially, meaning that should you want a panful (or truckload) of the tasty morels, you have to hit the woods and look for them yourself. 

The annual seasons for morels in Ohio are short, varied and unpredictable, so mushroom harvests in Logan County tend to fluctuate wildly from year-to-year. This is a fungus that has a mind of its own. 

The exact taxonomy of the morel has been under dispute for the last 225 years, hence a following partial citation of the Morchella (aka morel/sponge) mushroom which can be found on Wikipedia:

“Current molecular phylogenetics suggest there might be over 70 species of Morchella worldwide, most of them exhibiting high continental endemism and provincialism.”

 Uh...Ok. 

We here in Ohio just think they taste great. We’re so provincial.

By all accounts, it’s been a good year for the morel here in Logan County. Not that any self-respecting mushroom hunter would admit to exactly where these delicacies were or could be found. Every mushroom hunter has a favorite “honey hole”, but would rather clip their nails with a weed trimmer than tell you where it is. They will happily rub your nose in their bounty, but will never let slip precisely where that bounty was found. It’s like “the one that got away” story in reverse. 

While telling anyone exactly where to find morels borders on mushroom hunting heresy, all ‘shroomers do a one-eighty and quickly turn into Gordon Ramsey on the subject of preparing the delicacy.

As for cooking the tasty morels, there is but one true, definitive, perfect recipe. Ask any mushroom hunter what that recipe is. They’ll quickly give you the cooking technique – at length, step-by-step – with the understanding that every one of the other thousands of recipes for cooking morels is wrong. This is the way Grandpa did it, by God, and Grandpa got it right.

Should you be a first-timer and want to go look for a few of your own morels this season (they are still out there), some guidelines:

– Get permission from the landowner. Don’t cross the line from “mushroom hunting” to “trespassing.”

– Go with an experienced mushroom hunter at first. The great thing about morels is that they are very distinctive in shape and are hard to mistake for other less tasty (and downright dangerous) fungus as photos of the little buggers on social media or a Google search will affirm. But rookies need to get a few good looks at morels in their native habitat before seeking them out on their own.

– Limit your search party to two or three people. Should you get permission to look for morels and the property owner watches you pull up in an SUV with your in-laws, Aunt Karen, three toddlers and a dog, don’t expect to be be allowed back next year. 

– Take nothing except photos and morels. Leave nothing other than footprints. 

As a beneficiary of a pound of morels Monday (shout out to Jordan), I have them resting comfortably in the fridge as this is being written. While I have my own recipe for morels – I could do it the way Grandpa did, but he had been drinking – I would entertain any fresh ideas on how to prepare my bounty.

Post your recipes for my sponges in the comments section of our social media accounts and I’ll give one of them a try.

Happy hunting!