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Morels are popping up, attracting tourists who taste, hunt and
participate in mushroom festivals.
Morels grow in various areas, but they’re most plentiful in Northern
Michigan, said Phil Tedeschi, president of the Michigan Mushroom
Hunters Club in Southeast Michigan.
“They are found in the spring, which is the major hunting season, and
everyone gets involved,” Tedeschi said. “Restaurants offer recipes,
communities plan festivals and it’s a great way to show off the state’s
locally-grown food.”
According to Tedeschi, many people come to Michigan to hunt for the
mushroom because of its unique taste and ability to be combined in many
of prepared dishes.
“It has a distinct, delicate flavor and is a very easy mushroom to
identify,” Tedeschi said. “The colors of the mushroom change throughout
the season. They are black and gray the majority of the time, but turn
into yellow toward the end.”
Safety is an important issue when hunting, and the morels pose less
risk since it’s easy to identify and there are fewer species in the
spring, Tedeschi said.
The mushrooms grow better in damp, wooded areas, Tedeschi said.
During the festivals, people hunt morels, and there is an award for
whoever finds the most. Local restaurants set up stands to teach people
new dishes that include the mushroom, Tedeschi said.
Tedeschi said festivals boost tourism in the state.
“We have about 150 members in our club and also see a large amount of
Indiana and Ohio residents at the hunts,” Tedeschi said. “All these
people traveling stay at hotels during the hunting season.”
The 51st annual Boyne City Morel Mushroom Festival will take place on
May 13-15, according to Peter Fitzsimons, executive director of the
Petoskey Area Visitors Bureau.
“Hundreds attend the festival to experience the different activities
involving morels,” Fitzsimon said.
According to Fitzsimon, the event includes the Boyne Valley Lion’s
National Morel Mushroom Hunt and the Taste of Morels, where people
search for mushrooms and learn recipes.
“People hunt in public land in the area, like Chandler Hills, and are
rewarded for how many they find,” Fitzsimon said.
“This season is certainly helping the economy because the festivals and
hunts are getting bigger every year by offering tasting tests, music
and cooking ideas,” Fitzsimon said. “It is really helping local
restaurants sell food and also hotels book rooms.”
Mike Norton, media relations officer of the Traverse City Convention
and Visitors Bureau, said the Traverse City area is also known for its
morels.
“The area has many wooded slopes for hunting, and residents refer to
the fungi as the truffle of the North.
“They create new dishes and feature the tasty fungi in them. Some also
feature wine from vineyards in Old Mission and Leelanau peninsulas that
pair well with the mushroom,” Norton said.
There’s also an annual Mesick Mushroom Festival scheduled for the area.
“It has been going on for 52 years and is a three-day event in May 6-8
to celebrate the morel bloom,” Norton said.
Sandy Sheine, of the Michigan Mushroom Hunters Club, said the club does
more hunts than any other club and it has members from Michigan and
out-of-state.
“People have been hunting these for years, and with the world becoming
more environmentally conscious now, more people want to get involved in
fresh food,” Sheine said. “Especially now, younger people are
interested in locally grown food and we see them at more and more of
these types of activities.”