The Boyne City National Morel Mushroom Festival takes place May 14-17, 2009. This year is the 49th annual*, and the 4 day celebration of the morel mushroom includes a morel seminar and guided mushroom hunt on Friday and of course the Boyne Valley Lions National Mushroom Hunt on on Saturday (be sure to display your finds on the Mushroom Pole too!). In addition to the Taste of Morel event where you get to try all manner of morel dishes, there is a seminar on foraging & cooking with wild food guru John Sheets and another on hunting with local expert Tony Williams, concerts with Michigan Blues legend Larry McCray and others, there's a carnival, euchre & poker tournaments, zany car race and plenty of fun for kids.
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e of the highlights of the weekend is the "Morel Taste of Boyne" featuring a Chef's Challenge along with the area's finest restaurants in the big tent on Saturday afternoon serving different morel dishes and also presenting morel cooking demonstrations. This is the largest morel cooking (and eating) event in the world!
You can grab your sweetie and get warmed up with The Mushroomers Waltz and if you're hungry,Lake Magazine has a recipe for morel & hazelnut soup that looks very simple but very tasty! Chef Eric Villegas of the TV show Fork in the Road offers a recipe for midwestern risotto of carnaroli and minnesota wild rice, morel mushrooms and white truffle oil that looks more complex but every bit as tasty.
MichiganMorels.com reminds you that you can eat any mushroom ... once. They offer tips to help keep you safe, but the biggest tip is to hunt with someone who knows what they're doing! 
Speaking of hunting, here's a video interview of morel expert Tom Nauman that gives you a couple useful tips for morel hunting.
If you can't attend the Mushroom Festival and can't get to any morel-filled woods, you can still get morels (and leeks and other tasty treasures) courtesy of Michigan-based Earthy Delights.
Visitors will want to visit the Boyne City Chamber of Commerce and/or try Absolute Michigan keyword "Boyne" for lodging and other information. I thought it was pretty funny that the best article online about the Boyne City Mushroom Festival is from a Pittsburgh, PA newspaper. It's from May of 2003 but has great background on the festival with a focus on the National Mushroom Hunting Championship. Check out Boyne City mushroom championship has no lack of morels.
* Next year the 50th annual takes place May 13 - 16, 2010 - they are seeking recipes for a commemorative cookbook, so send them if you have them!
25 Comments
My MORELS & MORE weekend outings have taken place every year, 3-4 weekends, for almost 30 years. They are ideal for experienced and novice morel hunters alike. Everyone leaves feeling like a "morel pro" after the weekend of information, guided hunting, some fine Leelanau Peninsula wines and various morel dishes.
I'm sure your viewers would enjoy knowing this opportunity exists.
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I'm from Boyne City, and I was wondering, Who are the guys in the picture?
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That's a good question - we got the photo from the folks at the Boyne City Mushroom Festival. They might know!
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Can anyone please tell me where I can order the mushroom bags called schroom bags. Thank!
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Maybe you mean the Shroom Sack from Morel Mania??
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I make pin on buttons for festivals If you need any plese e-mail me Thank You Steve The Button Man Company
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I prefer the blonde morels. Can you ship me a couple pounds. Respond please with revelant information where I can purchase. I thank you.
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April 20, 2008My wife and I had a mess of morels about 4 days ago!! Boy!! They were good!! No kidding! This early in the season already!! Last year, as every year, we halved them, rinsed, shook all the water off, froze them on cookie sheets, put in ziplocks for the freezer. 4 days ago we took them out, DID NOT wash them, DID NOT thaw them, just room thawed PARTIALLY, dipped them in Bisquick with garlic powder, fried them in hot buttered skillet....they were just like we picked them that morning!!
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Donna (wife) and i are planning on going to the moral fest this year at Boyne.
Since we have never hunted moral on the west side of MI we need maps of public lands,where morals are found.
Any help whould be greatly appricated.
Thank You.
Carl & Donna Craft
Leslie,MI
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Hey Carl, they definitely will point you at places to find morels if you go to the Morel Fest.
Here's some maps of Michigan public lands from the State of Michigan.
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I am from around the Indian River area. Can i expect the morels to be across the state to the east of Boyne or are they concentrated on the west side?
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You can expect them on both sides of the state (and the UP)!
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IS THERE PLENTY OF LODGING,WHEN THE FEST. IS GOING ON? HOW ABOUT SOME PHONE NUMBERS TO THE MOTELS. THANK YOU VERY MUCH JIM
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Starting to see queries in my search logs for the 2009 morel season
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My 2009 morel posting is up
http://vielmetti.typepad.com/vacuum/2009/04/michigan-morel-festivals-for-2009-and-how-to-find-morels.html
with a book entitled simply "How to find morels" from the U of Michigan Press:
"While many morel fans remain tight lipped about their favorite subject, in How to Find Morels author Milan Pelouch freely shares everything he's learned during his years of morel hunting. The book covers all aspects of finding and eating morels: identification of true and false morels; what to wear (and not to wear) and take with you on mushroom hunts; when to search for morels; the best places to look for them; cleaning and preservation methods; and, of course, delicious recipes using morels in dozens of different dishes, from soups to entrées. Although the author's preferred hunting area is northern Michigan, his tips can be used in any location in the United States."
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Hey Bill, Bisquick and garlic powder???
Sorry, but how do you taste the morel?
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I'm all ready to prepare my Morel Mushroom Soufflé for dinner tonight...those delicate masters of camouflage make this soufflé taste like a dream.
I'm also looking forward to being a judge at the "Taste of Morels" on Saturday, May 16th from 12:00-3:00 in Veterans Park, Boyne City MI.
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I would like to know where to find morel mushrooms and then how to make the souffle
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Kathleen:
Next weekend should be great up North for picking Morels. And, check out the fabulous Mushroom Festival held the Weekend of May 15th in Boyne City, MI.
If you want them via a retailer - contact Earthy Delights.
Go to my website and see my Blog - lots of info. http://feedmeheartfully.com/blog/?p=3
There will also be t-shirts available with the artwork of Nationally known artist, David McCall Johnston with a recipe on the back. 3 different recipes, one per shirt.
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Hi,
Looking to pay a guide to take me and my wife Morel hunting and to hopefully get some. Is there anyone out there. I live north of Grand Rapids Mi.
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Hi,
Looking to pay a guide to take my wife and to teach me to hopefully get some. Is there anyone out there. I live north of Grand Rapids Mi.
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Next weekend we have guides that spend the day discussing, learning about and hunting morels at one of our MORELS & MORE outings. Also good food and lots of fun.
Check it out.
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I live in ishpeming michigan, and i am having a hard time finding morels...i found 3 in a field but i need more than that. Can anyone please give me some hints on where to look, and if you are familiar with the area tell me a specific place to look? thank you very much. please email me at veterinarian_animals@hotmail.com with any information.
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We're looking for a Morel festival for May. We live east of Cleveland and years ago we attended Travers Citys festival but their claming a dry spell and not good picking. Boyne City sounds a bit more up beat but We're not well schooled on finding good pickings. The time at Traverse City we took 2nd place with a find of one morel, that was a dry season as well So I don't want to drive there for another 2nd place. Any suggested festavils would be greatly appreciated. Paul
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Any morels available for sale at the festivale. Thanks and regards, john johnluchsinger@gmail.com
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