June/July 2024 Morel and Porcini Mushroom Forays
This is a guided mushroom foray where we walk in the forest with you, and you have time to ask questions and learn how to find "burn morel" mushrooms and "Spring King" porcini mushrooms. Max Hunter is a commercial forager, and has scouted the area we're going, he just sent me a report saying, "Both the morels and Porcini are out now"! So, its time to go!!
We are going to the Stanislaus National Forest, which is North of Yosemite, and we will meet in the town of Tuolumne at 10am. From there, it is an hour drive up the hills around 6,000ft-7,000ft elevation. Some of of the trip will be dirt roads, and we will cross 2 shallow creeks. Max has a small car, and has no problem getting through. So it should be fine for everyone, but just wanted folks to know ahead that it will be a fun ride!
This is a beautiful forest area, full of history. I encourage you to spend the night in the area, if you can. Sonora has the most choices for hotels. The mushroom hunting grounds have been under snow all winter, and are around 6000ft - 7000ft. For July, we will be foraging around 8000ft elevation. These June/July forays are in "1st year" fires (from 2023 forest fires), which is when morel mushrooms are the most plentiful. 2-year old and 3-year old fires can be OK too, but the morels usually get about 50% less plentiful each year. This year the winter rain and snow was very good so we're seeing lots of mushrooms in the Sierra mountains. The Porcini mushrooms are usually not in a burned area but are often on the fringes of burned areas where morels are found, the and start a bit later in the season, so we are starting to see overlap of both mushrooms fruiting near each other.
Foray leader: Max Hunter
The exact meet-up location will be emailed to you when you register. We will assemble at 10am in the town of Tuolomne, take the Tuolomne Rd from Hwy 108 in Sonora. Everyone will take their own vehicles (or carpool) together up to the high elevation burn for the afternoon. We usually end the foray around 2pm, but you're welcome to stay as long as you like.
The national forests in CA usually do not require a permit to collect mushrooms as long as you're not selling them.
What you will learn:
- How to recognize the habitat and trees associated with burn morels, porcini, and other edible fungi
- Indicator plants and other fungi that typically signal morels are nearby
- Identifying look-alike's that are NOT morels (Morchella species group), and how to sort out porcini that "bitters" or "butters" (Boletes species group).
- Cooking instructions (Don't eat raw morels!)
- Storage and dehydration tips
- Permits are not necessary as long as you're not selling your mushrooms
Final updates will be emailed to you before the foray. And you can email me questions any time: ken@walkinthewoods.co
Equipment:
Be prepared for moderate hiking, weather changes, and possible rain. Good hiking shoes or boots are highly recommended. Layered clothing is useful too. Bug spray is nice to have if needed. And bring a mushroom basket!
Downloading a GPS app on your phone like GAIA or AllTrails can track your walk in the forest, so you don't get lost or turned around. Other useful apps like iNaturalist can help you identify mushrooms and plants you may find.
Other Mushrooms besides Morels and Porcini: There's often other edible mushrooms, such as Puffball mushrooms (usually Calvatia sculpta). We are starting to find "Spring King" Porcini (Boletus rex-veris) that are usually a few weeks after the morels. If possible, we'll try to recommend other places you might look.
We will also find non-edible mushrooms too. Many mushrooms simply don't taste good, or are just "little brown mushrooms" that are too difficult to ID without a microscope. You should be 100% sure of the species before you eat them. Morels are very easy to identify, and safe for beginners. All mushrooms in North America are safe to touch and pick up. And there is no poison oak at the altitudes and locations where we are going.
Hope you enjoy your mushroom hunt with Max!