I recently went morel mushroom hunting.

My journey began in Clarkston where some family and friends packed a lunch and the usual day-trip supplies. I was given a small booklet on the common mushrooms found in Washington. Most mushrooms were pictured next to captions that read “NOT EDIBLE” in big red letters. So, most mushrooms out there are poisonous, and we were looking for one of the few safe species.

I must admit, I don’t have a taste for mushrooms. Not only do I not like the flavor, but most of them can make you seriously ill and I just don’t understand the way the species functions as a whole. But I thought it would be a good excuse to tromp around in the wilderness for a bit. Besides, it never hurts to learn something new (unless the lesson comes from eating a poisonous mushroom).

From Clarkston we drove up the Snake River to Asotin, and then up the hill to a small town called Anatone. When I say small, I mean 38 people, 20 dogs, 17 cats and 11 horses. This was all illustrated on the town welcome sign.

At the end of Anatone, we took a road to the outskirts of Umatila forest. Unfortunately, we were on private land and there by permission of the owner, so I can’t give out the location.

We stopped along the dirt road near a creek. I was given a plastic bag and a brief description of what to look for. Morels are ground-dwelling mushrooms with a light brown-white cone-shaped top and white stems.

Ready, set, go – I began the hunt. Spring had fully hit the forest, boasting a plethora of wildflowers in beautiful green meadows. I was distracted from hunting because I was busy photographing these flowers, as well as a cool, clear little creek running down the hill.

Going up the hill proved fruitless. Either our group of women didn’t have the eye for it or the ground wasn’t quite right. We went back to home base with bags empty but heard that the boys had found some downhill. We set off following the creek. Finally, two feet from a decaying log, my mom found a small morel sticking from the ground. It looked similar to a pinecone and was roughly the same color, making it hard to pick out from the forest floor.

Soon, we were finding them all over. They didn’t seem so hard to find once we realized what we were looking for. They were mostly in the shade, within six or seven feet of the creek. The ground they seemed partial to was moist but not damp and usually near something decaying, like a log or under dead leaves. One of our party members described the experience as a competitive scavenger hunt. My mom, a self-proclaimed mushroom fan, showed me how to prepare wild morels. She soaked the mushrooms with salt water to clean them. She put them through three good rinses, letting them soak 45 minutes each time, enough to get them clean. Then, the morels were cut in half and coated in flour with salt and pepper. After being well-coated, the morels were finally sautéed in butter until crispy and golden brown on the outside. Morels have a great mild mushroom-ey flavor.

Mushroom hunting is a great activity for both mushroom and outdoor enthusiasts, and there’s plenty to go around as long as you know what you are looking for.