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‘Season is a little late’ local buyer reports
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By Charlie Warner
Argus News Editor
“Normally by this time, we’re starting to see some mushrooms coming in. May 1 seems to be the magic date. But because of the dry, cool weather, it’s going to be a little later this spring,” said Jason Wiebke of Wiebke Fur Company, Inc. of Eitzen. Wiebke Fur is one of the largest purchasers of wild morel mushrooms in the tri-state area. In an average year the Houston County-based company purchases about 3,500 pounds of the wild, delicious mushroom, which flourishes in the hardwoods of “The Driftless Area.”
While the area went through a dry spell that lasted nearly four weeks, the 2.5 inches of rain that blessed Houston County the last weekend in April has lifted the spirits of many morel hunters.
What morel hunters need now is some warm sunny weather and the mushrooms will really start popping up, according to Wiebke. “Morels need plenty of rain and then some warm weather.
“It really depends on the weather,” Wiebke continued. “Some years the mushrooms are up by the end of April. Other years it’s mid-May, other years it’s the end of May or even the beginning of June.
“If the weather really cooperates, the mushroom harvest can really be a bumper crop. Four years ago Wiebke said they purchased over 10,000 pounds.
“What works out best is to get plenty of moisture, some warm, sunny weather, and then a cool spell. That keeps the mushrooms fresher, they last longer, and there’s more to harvest,” Wiebke noted.
There are still a lot of persons hunting morels, although the harvests aren’t what they were 25 years ago when Dutch Elm disease was at its peak.
“In the early 1980s, we actually had people coming in here with pick-up loads. That was really something,” Wiebke recalled. “We don’t see that anymore, but there is still a lot of people out mushroom hunting. They usually get enough for themselves to eat and then, if they harvest a lot of them, sell the rest to us.”
At the present time Wiebke Fur is purchasing morels at $12 to $14 a pound. This price is higher for the early mushrooms, which matches the demand. As more mushrooms are harvested, the market becomes somewhat flooded, which drives the price down.
Wiebke said they have morel hunters from up to 80 miles away bringing their mushrooms to Eitzen.
During the mushroom season Wiebke Fur will be open 8 to 6 weekdays, on Saturday from 8 to 1 and again for an hour from 5 to 6 in the evening, and Sunday evening from 5 to 6.
You can contact Charlie Warner at
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