Do you know about morels?

I mean, you’ve probably heard of them.

But do you know about the secret society of utter magic and fun that’s a part of foraging for these elusive forest treasures each spring?

Before moving to State College, these wild mushrooms weren’t on my radar at all.

And even after having the opportunity to try one for the first time, (sautéed in butter… the best!), I still didn’t get just how special they were.

But over time, I heard people talking. They mysteriously alluded to “their spots”, while remaining purposefully tight-lipped about where those spots might actually be. And they excitedly told stories of the huge harvests they’d found in the past that would give anyone a serious case of FOMO.

This under-the-radar but clearly beloved world was fascinating to me. It felt like a true privilege to find an “in”.

So I was completely delighted when my brother-in-law Sam generously offered to take my husband and me to a couple of his spots.

In addition to knowing his way around the woods, Sam can grow or raise anything. (Vegetable gardens and thriving coral tanks. Bee hives and peacocks. Two emus named Fred and Wilma currently live in his backyard and over the years, I’ve met black swan cygnets, bearded dragons, poison dart frogs, and Poppy and Rye, the cutest little rats, who’ve all claimed resident status inside his house.)

Sam pursues all of these interests in his free time, when he’s not working his full-time gig managing the greenhouses at Penn State.

(On that note? Remind me to write a post about how a multi-dimensional life, one in which there’s time for things beyond just commuting, working, and basic life-sustaining errands like grocery shopping, is actually a thing here.)

Anyway.

Looking back on it, that afternoon spent morel hunting several years ago was the beginning of an ever-deepening fascination with the edible and medicinal gifts that can be found in the woods.

Before I moved to State College, I could only identify the basics. Queen Ann’s Lace, maple leaves, dandelions. 

But a couple of weeks ago, I walked through Hartley Wood with my friend Joann and picked a whole bunch of garlic mustard, an invasive, super nutritious “weed” that is growing everywhere right now. 

It’s a plant I didn’t even know existed before this spring. 

I then proceeded to go into my kitchen and turn that garlic mustard into a pesto, which topped some pasta and became our dinner.

Over the years, I’ve met mountain laurel and fiddlehead ferns in the Central PA woods. Chickweed and comfrey growing in a friend’s yard. Wild garlic and sumac along a trail.

And without this area’s prevalent access to the outdoors and a generous local community of plant enthusiasts to teach and share their knowledge, I don’t know that I would have given much of that a second look.

So. Morel season is soon upon us! And our woods are filling up with flowers, medicine, and food.

If you’re visiting this spring, don’t forget to get out there and introduce yourself to something green that you may never have noticed before!