Minnesotans Are Mad About Morels

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- As the month of May winds down, so does the season for a very popular fungus.

Morel mushrooms are hunted all over the state this time of year. The valuable mushrooms are prized by gourmet cooks.

At Saffron Restaurant and Lounge in Minneapolis, customers are mad about morels.

"When we have them, people get excited about them," Sameh Wadi said.

The rare mushrooms have a short season in Minnesota that typically falls around May, making them popular and expensive.

"You're looking at an average of, maybe, retail, $30 to $40 per pound of mushrooms," Wadi said.

But before the mushrooms make it to the dinner table, you have to hunt them down.

Joel Nelson hunts morels every Spring in southern Minnesota.

"When the trees start greening up, my boys know it's time to hit the woods," he said.

The key, Nelson, said, is checking for dead trees, especially elm, pine and aspen. Morels grow under them.

"Good morel hunters look up just as much as they look down, because they're looking for those dead, dying treetops with no leaves on them," Nelson said.

The taste is unique, too.

"Kind of that nice little smokey element," Wadi said.

Saffron will be hosting a morel festival on Saturday. They'll be using 500 pounds of morels in dishes and even in cocktails.

The season for morels is winding down, but if you try it out next year, just don't ask the hunters where their secret spots are.

"If you're fishing, fish move swim all over the place and deer go all over, but morels grow underneath these trees, and it makes them candidates to be taken by somebody else," Nelson said.