the Walnut Diary

May 14th, 2009:  They’re still popping up through grass and leaves.  A heavy rain and a warm, south wind seems to have encouraged quite a few common morels to make themselves evident.  They’re very hard to see in the grass, but Bet and I have been finding them peeking out from under cover.  Of course it is tempting to move leaves and grass to find the others, but therein lies madness.  Morels only grow where they want.

I read an American newspaper article one guy had on his website.  It suggested confining hunting activities to newly-dead elm trees.  This produced results for me today.  Another point the unidentified author made was that the season continues until three consecutive 80 degree days occur.  I don’t know how well that knowledge travels north.  He further suggested that the season starts in mid-April in his area and moves north at a rate of 100 miles per week.  http://outdoorsportsman.wordpress.com/2008/05/12/how-to-stalk-morels/

Good luck with the hunt.  I think it’s at its peak now in the Eastern Ontario area.

May 5th, 2009: They’re starting!  This morning I found a few tiny black morels in my favourite spot, and by late afternoon I was able to collect the group in the photo.  They’re still quite small, but rain is forecast for the next three days, so they may last until the weekend in Leeds County, Eastern Ontario, Canada.
This is good.

The first pick of the year