In May through June 2023 the forests near Joy’s place in Southern Oregon were sprouting both the early Blonde Morels (Morchella americana) and later Black Morels (Morchella elata.) I had never seen so many and many so large. Joy cooked them up to make a Creamy Morel Mushroom Pasta, which was a big hit with Joy’s nephew Dan and his wife Larah (who drove down from Portland to hunt for Morels.
Later in June and early July we found the Spring King Bolete (Boletus rex-varis) sprouting in sunnier clearings, where the morels were sprouting in the shadier areas. We sautéd these and their texture was more like a potato.
Spring King Boletes (Boletus rex-veris) with a couple of morels were very tasty when sautéed in lots of butter
Larah finds her first black morels.