It’s already morel hunting season in several Iowa counties, as foodies who crave the taste of the elusive mushrooms — battered in bread crumbs, butter and garlic — hike to their closely guarded locations in the woods in hopes of finding a coveted crop.
Dr. Benjamin Orozco, an emergency physician with Gundersen Health, says there are also “false morels” starting to sprout across Iowa, and they can be dangerous.
Dr. Benjamin Orozco (Gundersen photo)
“With just a little bit of knowledge, you can avoid mistaking the two. The morel mushroom that is enjoyed by many is delicious, very safe, should be cooked and eaten,” Orozco says. “The false morel, on the other hand, is actually poisonous, and if you consume enough of it, it can cause seizures and even death.”
Morel hunting can be a thrilling challenge that gets you out exercising in the sunshine, but Orozco says you absolutely need to know what you’re looking for — and what to pass by. While newbies may be fooled, he says a seasoned hunter can easily identify a false morel.
“The cap is kind of misshapen. Sometimes it can be saddle-shaped or kind of brain-like in its appearance. And if you cut that false morel in half, the stalk is filled with kind of a fibrous material like the rest of the mushroom. So if that stalk is solid, or if there’s material within the mushroom, then that’s not a morel,” he says. “A morel should have a continuous stalk that goes right into the cap, and that interior should be hollow.”
Every spring, Iowa State University Extension and Outreach offers classes for anyone interested in being certified to sell wild-harvested mushrooms within Iowa. The extension also offers Wild-Harvested Mushroom Certification Workshops during the wintertime. The dates for next year will be posted in January 2026.
“I recommend anyone who wants to get into mushroom foraging to look at your local clubs and consult a reference guide,” Orozco says, “and the most useful thing is to be out in the woods with someone knowledgeable who has experience and expertise with the identification of wild mushrooms.”
Gundersen Health System has clinics in Calmar, Decorah, Fayette, Lansing, Postville and Waukon, and a hospital in West Union.