Spring is back in the country and that is the start of the morel season. A good knife and a sharp eye are all it takes to harvest delicious morels.

The morels are mushrooms that grow in the spring. Morels have a spongy, pointed hat that is reminiscent of a honeycomb. Raw morels are poisonous and only edible after heating. The taste of the morels is spicy. Morels are full of fiber and minerals and are therefore also good for your health.

If you plan to do your own research, read carefully so that you don't pick a poisonous species. When collecting morels use a flat box, basket or net bag. Don't use plastic bags as the morels will start to spoil before you bring them home. Another reason is that the spores must be able to fall back to the ground so that new morels will grow again next year. Morels are often found around dead and dying trees. Think of oak, ash and elm. But an old apple orchard is also a good hunting ground.

There are many ways to cook morels, but baking them in butter brings out their rich, almost meaty flavor. You can make it a real springtime celebration by serving them with asparagus during this time of year.

Morel mushrooms are packed with unique fragrance, complete functions and evident effect to food therapy. This kind of mushroom holds the efficacy of tonifying kidney and brain, refreshing while it shows good auxiliary therapeutic effects on dizziness insomnia, weakness of the spleen and the stomach, indigestion and poor appetite. Besides, Morel mushroom also helps prevent and fight with cancer, ward off colds, enhance the immune system and hence it medically shows crucial development value.

Now, in China, market price of dried Morel mushroom is at 1600-2000 CNY per kg. In western European countries, Morels are extremely in tight supply and high price.

Unlike other mushrooms, Morel mushrooms hold poor adaptability, and poor stability in the case of alien cultivation. Therefore, strains isolated by local Morel variety match local surrounding, eliminate the regional differences and influences resulted from long-distance purchasing or the course of mailing.

Wild Morels could be largely foraged during March to May after the rain while they occasionally pop in during August to September in small quantities.

Morel mushrooms hold long growth period, apart from low temperature, they also require large temperature difference that stimulates the differentiation of mycelia.

When water content of soil is lower than 40%, growth of Morel mushroom would be affected. As fruiting bodies substantially occur, relative air humidity in forest is at 80% and general water content of soil is at a range of 40%-50%. Besides, suitable PH Value that fits for growth of Morel mushroom is 7-8, weak scattered light also impels the growth of fruiting bodies.

However, strong direct sunlight does adverse impact to the growth of More;s. In early spring, growers could timely spray water in dry circumstance, and keep soil moist, or growth of fruiting bodies would be restricted. In a word, in early spring, temperature and humidity of growing environment are key elements that guarantee the success of Morels cultivation.

In recent days, farmers working in Hebei Longtai Mushroom Base owned by Hebei Longtai Agricultural Technology Co., LTD are engaged with picking, packing and marketing of Morel mushroom.

“At present, fresh Morel mushrooms could be sold at 130-160 CNY per kg. And, price of dried Morel mushroom could hit 2000 CNY per kg. In each shed, picking volume reaches 200 kg while profits come to at least 5000 CNY,” introduces Mr. Zhao Wanhui, general manager of Longtai Company, adding that the purpose of growing this kind of rare mushroom is to let the land produce more benefits. As a kind of high-end fungus food, Morel mushroom holds high economic benefits, bright market prospect, and it is worthy to be developed.