When we lived in on our Wisconsin farm, my two uncles also had farms and lived close by.  I knew it was morel mushroom hunting time when they would show up at our farm wearing their boots and holding their buckets. Off we would drive on the tractor to the woods.  I seem to remember that hunting season was in the later spring when temperatures warmed enough for the mushrooms to sprout from the ground.  As farmers we liked drier weather for planting, but rain to get the seeds to emerge as plants and the crops to mature.  The mushroom however, likes damp weather and damp locations.  I was usually directed to search out the areas around places with downed trees, downed big tree branches and places with lots of leaves clumped together.

A successful hunt meant we would all return with a good amount of morels.  Someone always received bragging rights for the most filled bucket, or the largest morel found.  We had several ways of taking care of our mushrooms.  Some, of course, would end up on the dinner table for the next few days.  Mashed potatoes and mushroom gravy would usually be on that table for several days following a good hunting session.  My mother and aunts had a method of canning the morels.  We would also spread them out on a large tray of some sort and put them up in the second floor of the grain shed to dry out.  The dried morels would last quite a while.

Today the mushroom fits prominently in several Czech festivals.  The International Houby Festival has been in existence for 50 years.  Cicero and Berwyn, Illinois continue the tradition, which has taken place in October.  Not to be outdone, Czech Village, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, also hosts a festival.  The city website is a useful link to this: http://homegrowniowan.com/ .

While we Czechs may have a good claim to the morel and other mushrooms as part of our heritage and diet, the morel fascination continues to grow outside the boundaries of our communities.

If we just use the morel as an example, YouTube videos abound on hunting, preparing and preserving the morel mushroom.  Websites, too numerous to list, even including one www.morels.com are available for those interested in the morel.  There is a Facebook page related to the Illinois morel mushroom - https://www.facebook.com/IllinoisMorelMushrooms/ . Another Facebook site, a closed group (must join) lists 23,475 members - https://www.facebook.com/groups/morelmushroomhunting/?source_id=269396733153863 .

YOUTUBE - Good Morel Hunting Video on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0TOLXyweTpk

I am more interested in actually eating the morel or other mushrooms, so I have several favorite cooking websites that I have used in their preparation.  These include: www.thegreatmorel.com , http://www.midwestliving.com/food/fruits-veggies/morel-mushroom-recipes/. www.czechcooking.com, www.czechcuisine.net, and www.alittlebitofczech.com .

A number of years ago, our society published a small cook book, “Czech Cuisine”, which included these recipes:  (Listed Below)