Within the foraging community, people often promote rules of thumb.
• “When in doubt, throw it out.”
• “Collect no more than 10% of a particular species in an area to avoid overharvesting.”
• “It’s better to cut mushrooms with a knife than to pull them out of the ground with your hands.”
Generally speaking, I’m not the biggest fan of pithy guidelines such as those listed above. Some of them are helpful, but most require elaboration.
Here’s another example of a commonly promoted rule of thumb: “To find morel mushrooms, look under elm trees.”
I actually like this rule of thumb, but I don’t think it’s helpful for those of us who can’t identify elms. Some of us have trouble recognizing the ridges and furrows of elm bark. Some of us don’t notice the double serration of elm leaves.
Fortunately, a seasonal feature can help us identify elms right now. This feature will disappear in a few weeks, but if you look for it today, you will drastically increase your chances of finding elms.
What is this feature? Check out the video to learn what it is!