Organized clubs in many cities stage weekend '' forays'' into the woods where prized locations are jealously guarded. May. There is a fall season in October. The Spokane Mushroom Club in Washington just celebrated its 35th birthday. Mushroom hunters are aided by the U.S. Forest Service, which provides maps of recently burned areas to guide them to the best potential sites. It's unclear exactly why morels thrive in burned portions of forests, but there is no question that is where the best pickings are.
Morels can grow in much of the nation, except for the coastal plains of the southeast.
They are generally picked by recreational 'shroomers in the East and Midwest. Commercial picking primarily occurs in the huge forests of the West, where mushrooms can be concentrated enough to justify hiring pickers. Keith Blatner, a Washington State University scientist, produced the best-known report on the impact of wild mushroom hunting in the Northwest. The mushrooms, which have heads that resemble honeycombed peach pits, are sold for much more to restaurants, specialty stores and for export. But for many people, mushroom hunting is more about having a good time in nature. ''Part of the fun is going out and finding them.