Morels

When to Find morels

The season for the contiguous 48 states is from February (Deep South states and California) to May (Northernmost states). Elsewhere, in Alaska, they fruit from June to around the end of the current month (at the time of writing this), July. Here morels are April to May. I found my last morel on May 2nd. But they can grow until a week or two after Mother's day up here in Western P.a. and they have a short season. It is July now, so up here I am more likely to find a Chanterelle or a King Bolete (just as sought after as the morel), and also some oyster mushrooms and Chicken of the Woods mushrooms now than a Morel. Chanterelles peak this month. But so far, they are not so good. On July 5th or so, I got 3 pounds of Chanterelles. This year I've only so far had harvests by the ounce. This is because it rained more last summer than this summer. To make things worse, a heatwave is coming, and so far it looks like it is going to be the most brutal and long heatwave I'll have ever experienced. If it doesn't rain at the same time the Chanterelles will dry up. But if it rains at the same time, that is perfect for thw Chanterelles to spike up in bounty per harvest drastically and we could go from a slow season to the most plentiful season ever. July 26th last year, I harvested 14 pounds of Chanterelles. The record was on our first year of finding them, which was cut short from a drought, but we got 14.5 pounds one day that seaaon. This season could be the best of all the past years if this heatwave comes with rain.
The weather says we will have 9 consecutive days in the 90s, from tomorrow to next Friday. Accuweather said it will be 97 on Sunday. Saturday it says rain. So maybe if we can get up early we can go get them before the heat bakes them to a crisp.