When I was working as a chef, it almost seems like a past life now, I would become overawed when faced with a new ingredient. Mushrooms were no exception. As soon as you learnt to deal with field mushrooms along came shiitakes, enokis, oysters and salmon mushrooms. Then it was onto ceps, swiss browns and then the elusive Perigord truffle. What I wish I could have tried though were morel mushrooms.

This delicacy from the fungus world is all the rage in the US during middle to late spring as people engage in the hunting of morel mushrooms. Finding morel mushrooms and picking them is a major attraction and hunting tours and competitions spring up all over America.

If you want to grow your own morels one option would be to purchase a morel mushroom kit. These kits arrive including the spawn needed to procure the morels and create a micro climate for them to grow. While they’re not cheap if you compared it to spending a day hunting for them in the wild and finding nothing it can be well worth the money you parted with.

If you plan to grow them from your own morels then prepare for a lesson in biology. This site has a great step by step guide for how to grow your own morel mushrooms. While it may look incredibly complex the procedure is quite simple and after some trial and error you will become proficient in growing them and be able to produce a harvest more than just in spring.