Morel Mushroom Foraging in the Catskills: A Short, Wild Season

THE MOREL

Morel season is short, unpredictable, and addictive — and it’s one of the most rewarding foraging traditions in the Catskills. These wild mushrooms pop up for just a few weeks each spring, with their hollow stems and honeycomb caps standing out to the trained eye. They range from thumb-sized to nearly five inches tall, and despite decades of research, no one’s cracked the code on farming them quite yet. Which means, every morel is wild and every one is a find.

Here in the Catskills, morels show up sometime between early April and mid-June, starting in the lower Hudson Valley and climbing in elevation as the soil warms. A few signs you’re getting close: apple blossoms, your neighbor firing up their lawnmower, and ground temps hitting 50–55°F. Foragers often head to aging apple orchards, old elms with bark falling off, tulip poplar groves, and rich, loamy hardwood forests.

You’ll usually see three types around here: black morels (Morchella angusticeps) show up first with their dark ridges and longer shape, followed by yellow morels (Morchella americana), and then half-free morels (Morchella punctipes), which have caps that dangle off the stem like a little skirt. All true morels are hollow inside and have deep pits in their caps. False morels are wrinkled, weirdly shaped (I guess they are all weirdly shaped though), and often toxic — so know your ID.

When you find one, stop and scan the area — they usually grow in clusters. Snip them at the base to preserve the mycelium network, carry them in a mesh bag so spores can spread, and don’t take them all. Morels aren’t for eating raw, but when sautéed, their deep, earthy flavor is pure spring. And like anything seasonal in the Catskills, the joy isn’t just in the harvest — it’s in the search, so happy hunting my friends.

GREEN LIGHT

V2 of the puzzle has been completed, it’s been tested, and it has most certainly been approved. This process ended up taking longer than expected — I’m just really bad at half-assing anything. I’ve gone ahead and hit go on a limited production run of these beauties. Not sure on the timeframe, but as soon as I know more, I’ll let you all know.

RESULTS

Last week’s vote was the closest ever — 55% approval to change things up in the Happening section. While that is technically a passing vote, it’s a bit too close for comfort. For now, the format will stay as-is, and if I get any ideas we can test them out.

THE BULLETIN

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THE REPORT

Sunrise 5:47 AM
Sunset 8:03 PM
Fire Danger [Low]
Air Quality [Good]
Moon Phase [Waxing Gibbous]
Eta Aquariids peak on May 6th-7th with an avg of 12 meteors per hour

Adopt Pets starting off with Sensitive Andy a Siberian Husky, Bloom a young Siamese cat, and Argentina a bay Morgan mare.

Land of the week is a quirky off grid compound

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The Catskills Charmed Circle Fly Classic is a collaboration between Housefly Fishing  and West Kill Brewing. Over the course of two days, individual anglers or teams of two will fish for the chance to win some great prizes! All proceeds (after costs) will go toward Theodore Gordon Flyfishers and their conservation efforts in the area.
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The first Film & Trivia Industry Night at the Phoenicia Playhouse goes down on May 13th. Check it out.

TUESDAY 6TH

Cornell Cooperative Extension, Acra - Small Berry, Elderberry and Blueberry 101 tix

Colony, Woodstock - Major Mayhem Karaoke at 6:30pm have fun

Salt Box, Kingston - C.U.Next.Tuesday queer hangs with Yeah Dawg from 6pm onwards deets

Tubby's, Kingston - Performance by Carl Stone/Akaihirume and Midnight Dental from 7-11pm cool cool

WEDNESDAY 7TH

The Rosendale Theatre, Rosendale - Movie Night: The Doors at 7pm grab a ticket

Avalon Lounge, Catskill - Upstairs Wednesdays with D. Schwartz + S. Lisabeth + Will McEvoy from 7-8pm no cover along with an Open Mic Night from 7-9pm info

The Half Moon, Hudson - Half Moon Karaoke from 8-11pm enjoy

The Pines, Mount Tremper - Music Night with Sasha Dobson and Friends from 7-9pm smash burgs

Unicorn Bar, Kingston - Queer Trivia along with performances by Don't Let's Start & Andrew H. Smith at 7pm details

THURSDAY 8TH

Mountain Top Arboretum, Tannersville - Round the Bend Theatre Presents "Renewal" by Mike Power from 7:30-9:30pm details

Bearsville Theatre, Woodstock - Performance by Kishi Bashi with Oshima Brothers at 8pm tix

Angry Orchard, Walden - Pups & Pints from 4-8pm info

Headwaters Arts Center, Stamford - Creative Spark for the kiddos from 11am-12:30pm for children under two

Senate Garage, Kingston - Kirtan Night with live music, mantra, and meditation from 6:30-8pm zen out

Tubby's, Kingston - Performances by Takaat and History Dog from 7-11pm check it out

FRIDAY 9TH

Lil' Deb's Oasis, Hudson - 9th Anniversary Party at 6pm giddy up

Two Farms Brewing, Bloomingburg - Craft Brews & Comedy Night with Next Stop Comedy at 6pm tix

Ommegang Brewery, Cooperstown - 2025 Patio Opening Party from 6-10pm
my doctor said beer is good for you

Colony,  Woodstock - Lez Zeppelin and DJ Tryst at 10pm info

Tinker Street Cinema, Woodstock - The Surfer at 7pm i’ll watch anything nicholas cage is in

Tubby's, Kingston - Baltimore-based polyrhythmic instrument band Crying Laughing from 7-11pm tix

Unicorn Bar, Kingston - Pop Tart: A Quintessential Pop Dance Party at 9pm check it out

SATURDAY 10TH

Catskill Brewery, Livingston Manor - Ramp & Forage Festival with Barkaboom Native Plants from 1-4pm get some pollinators 

Catskill Fly Fishing Museum, Livingston Manor - Saturday Fly Tyers Series from 11am-3pm tight lines

Blue Fox Motel, Narrowsburg - Line Dancing at 6pm rip it up

White Feather Farm, Saugerties - Bird Walk with Larry Federman from 8:30-10:00am dig it

The Sketchbook Gallery, Saugerties - Closing Reception of “Pin Up”: A Sketch Club Drawing Show from 4-6pm create more

The Local, Saugerties - A Zig Zag Zydeco Zoo Party: Le Winston Band at 8pm tix

Historic Catskill Point, Catskill - Rip Van Winkle Wine, Brew & Beverage Festival tickets

West Kortright Center, East Meredith - Performance by the Saharan rock band Etran de L'Aïr from 7-10pm these guys shred

Catskill Center, Mount Tremper - Preserve the Path: Ashokan Rail Trail Invasive Pull from 9-12pm love it

Catskill Fungi, Pine Hill - Plant and Fungi Foraging Walk including a Foraged Dinner at Peekamoose from 4:30-7pm morels

Mountain Top Arboretum, Tannersville - Catskills Mountain Club's Inaugural Catskills Roundtable from 2-4pm more info

Hunter / Tannersville - Catskills Mudders 5K Run (9:30am registration-5pm) get it

Bearsville Theatre, Woodstock - Performance by Evan Honer with Winyah at 8pm tix

City of Kingston, - The 11th annual Kingston Earth Fair at the T.R. Gallo Park from 11am-5pm details

Full Circle, Gardiner - Dance Party from 7-10pm tix

The Common Good, Ellenville - Live Music with Kate Prascher from 8-10pm enjoy

Belvedere Inn, Stamford - Bingo Benefit deets

Lost Book Shop, Delhi - Poems on Mothers and Mothering: Reading with The Teapot Poets from 6-7:30pm check it out

SUNDAY 11TH

West Kortright Center, East Meredith - Second Sundays at 2pm learn more

West Kill Brewing, West Kill - Catskill Mountain Nature Walk with Wild Hudson Valley 10:30am-12pm info

Ommegang Brewery, Cooperstown - Mothers Day Bingo Brunch and Dinner from 10:15am-5pm happy mothers day

Julia's Local, Round Top - Mother's Day Menu from 1-6pm take a gander

Callicoon Hills, Callicoon Center - Mother's Day Lunch & Dinner at 1pm resy

MONDAY 12TH

White Feather Farm, Saugerties - Full Moon Kundalini Yoga, Meditation + Gong Immersion with HariPrakaash from 6-7:30pm more info

Scramble Answer: WOODPECKER