My wife and I both love morel mushrooms. In the past we’ve been lucky to find many in our own backyard. One spring after a giant Elm free died and we had it cut down, we found literally hundreds of morels in the area around where the tree had been. The following Spring we had maybe a tenth the amount in the same area, then almost none the spring after that. They like feeding off the roots of trees that have recently died-- when an old apple tree died on our front yard and we had it cut down, a ring of morels sprang up the next Spring around where the tree had been.
The last couple Springs we’ve lucked out finding morels in a patch of woods in our neighborhood that we pass going for walks. This spring my wife has been showing me pics on social media of people in our state of Michigan who’ve been finding hundreds of morels for the past couple weeks, which seems early for morel season in Michigan, usually early-mid May. But we’ve had some unseasonably warm weather. We went looking in a nearby wooded park last weekend, but no luck. Our backyard this year has only produced one small morel so far. I’m afraid we may go without this Spring. My wife sent me a link to a DNR map that shows likely morel spots up north in Michigan that have had recent wildfires, because morels flourish in those conditions apparently. There must be some morel moral about deliciousness springing up from death and devastation. So we might be taking a trip up north soon… 
As for cooking and eating, probably my favorite way is the simplest-- I cut them in half and soak them in salt water for a little while. Then I dry them off, brush with a little olive oil, and cook them directly on the grill along with some nice steaks and asparagus. I’ve also made outstanding mushroom risottos with them.
How about you guys-- any luck hunting for them so far? Any finding tips? How do you like to cook and serve your morels?
