Mushroom Hunters Look for Certification to Sell Morels

By Dave Franzman, Reporter

The afternoon sun highlights a morel growing Wednesday, April 28, 2010, in a Buchanan County timber. (Orlan Love/The Gazette)

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By Dave Franzman

Story Created: May 3, 2010 at 3:47 PM CST

Story Updated: May 3, 2010 at 6:49 PM CST

CEDAR RAPIDS - A federal food safety rule last year made it nearly impossible to buy wild morel mushrooms. Nothing prevented anyone from going into the woods finding their own and cooking them. But selling morels to someone else legally almost required a degree as a plant pathologist.

But wild mushroom fanciers can soon buy and sell at all sorts of outlets. That’s because Iowa lawmakers have created a morel inspector certification program to allow the sale safely.

Winifred’s chef David Meyer knows his wild mushroom from years of experience—both cooking and searching in the woods. But the change in federal food safety rules took morels off his menu last year. He couldn’t legally buy from someone who didn’t have an expert certification.

Meyer said diners felt deprived. “People show up at the door kind of expecting it and we had to tell them unfortunately because of the law change we can’t (serve them),” Meyer added.

But in the space of three hours, for a $45-dollar fee, the first group of mushroom hunters, restaurant owners and others got the chance to legally buy and sell morels. As of April 1st, Iowa lawmakers created a certification class on how to identify true and false morels. The first class, taught by an Iowa State University Plant Pathologist, took place at a Cedar Rapids restaurant Monday morning. Once participants show they know the good morels from the bad wild mushrooms, and pass the test, they’ll get a license.

ISU Plant Pathologist Mark Gleason said the simplified process should make things easier for buyers and sellers. “I think this is the first step down the road for people to have confidence when they’re out in the woods, or buying from somebody, that they’re buying the right thing.”

Right now, mushroom hunters who successfully locate morels in the woods can get up to $30.00 a pound selling them to restaurants, farmers markets and even some stores. Marv Kraus, who distributed morels before the federal law change, said the price for morels right now is a powerful incentive to pass the test. “This will open it up to have restaurants serve them—that’s why we’re here getting our mushrooms certified too,” Kraus said.

While many consider morels a tasty spring treat, other false morels or mushrooms can cause several stomach problems or even worse. The morel season in Iowa runs only from April through May—so you have to get them while you can. And with certified inspectors, you’ll soon get them at restaurants and markets and not just in the woods.

The second workshop to certify morel inspectors in Iowa will take place Wednesday in Ames.

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