Is this a morel?

[Herky2002]

Went to my go-to morel spot in the metro area yesterday and found a patch of these. I'm thinking they might be half-free morels, but I'm not sure. Anyone able to id this and tell me whether it's edible?

[BryanL]

I don't know, unless you get confirmation from someone you trust I sure wouldn't eat it.

[john.wells]

looks like one, but do some research. This might help: http://www.northerncountrymorels.com/morels.htm

[hunt4food]

Looks like a half free to me too. if you cut it open and there is a white floss like cottony material in there then it probably is. but.....the best advice I ever got from a professional shroomer is..."when it doubt..throw it out!!

[ramjam]

Looks to be a half free. However, half frees do not have any cottony fibers on the inside. They are hollow just like yellow and grey morels. The stems of half frees are attached to the caps not at the bottom, nor at the very top, but somewhere in between. Half frees are said to be edible, but I have never eaten them. Usually enough morels around that I don't need to, and I'm not a fan of experimentation. The cottony fibers are found in the false morels. Their stems are attached to the caps at the very top and they are not edible.

It is amazing to me how much misinformation regarding mushrooms is spewed out on this forum.

[Matt Breuer]

Yep, half-free and verpa look WAY too close to each other to risk it if you don't know what you're looking at. Leave 'em, and wait for the trues....

That does appear to be a half-free, FWIW.

[NoWiser]

That looks like a half-free to me, but without seeing it in person, there is no way to be sure. I have actually found a fair number of half frees in Wisconsin where I pick. They are not too hard to identify, but I usually don't bother picking them as there is nothing left of them but a bunch of crumbs by the end of the day. Definitely throw out if there are fibers inside. I also talked to a farmer out there who ate some "pecker heads" as we call them, and he got pretty sick. He may have ate verpas and not known it, though, I didn't see the actual mushrooms that he ate. I'm content sticking to the yellow and gray morels. Safe, tasty, and I usually find more than I can eat in a spring, anyways. Good luck!

[Herky2002]

Thanks, guys. I envy you guys who find so many morels. My son and I do a lot of looking, but not much finding!

[john.wells]

Looks to be a half free. However, half frees do not have any cottony fibers on the inside. They are hollow just like yellow and grey morels. The stems of half frees are attached to the caps not at the bottom, nor at the very top, but somewhere in between. Half frees are said to be edible, but I have never eaten them. Usually enough morels around that I don't need to, and I'm not a fan of experimentation. The cottony fibers are found in the false morels. Their stems are attached to the caps at the very top and they are not edible.

It is amazing to me how much misinformation regarding mushrooms is spewed out on this forum.

That is why it is good to have people like yourself to keep all others in check.