Morel mushrooms have finally popped up in N.W.T.

Last year's wildfire burn sites are this year's morel hunting grounds, but this year the prized mushrooms are having a late season start.

Morel picking in N.W.T. is usually in full swing by the end of May, but this year the favoured fungi are only popping up now, in late June.

Some South Slave residents say cold weather is to blame. They were expecting to see commercial pickers along the highways by now, but so far it's just locals taking advantage of the harvest.

Louise Beaulieu grew up on the land and is a seasoned expert in harvesting local plants and other food sources. She said the cooler spring temperatures and erratic weather patterns have kept the mushrooms underground until now.

"Mushrooms of any sort will have to have that really hot, super, almost tropical weather for them to come out of the ground," she said. "The ground is very dry, and the top surface is a little damp."

In Kakisa, N.WT. Chief Lloyd Chicot was also expecting harvesters to be flooding into the community. In 2015, the community of about 36 residents — located just south Great Slave Lake — saw more than 300 people arrive to harvest mushrooms after the 2014 wildfire season.

"We haven't experienced anything yet," he said "It's cool yet, so once it starts getting warmer, [the pickers] they'll most likely start coming up," he said.

If it happens, he said Kakisa should be ready for them. After the 2015 season, the community realized they needed to have a plan in place to avoid some of the issues, such trespassing and theft, they had to deal with that year.

But for now, Chicot said they are focused on getting ready for wildfires.

"We've been doing fire smarting," he said. "Work so we don't get evacuated, like with the low water. And making sure that our roads are open to the lake and that kind of thing."

Commercial season uncertain

Jason Schlosser, of Wildside Ventures Foraged Foods, said he's not certain there will be a vibrant commercial season of morel picking in the Yukon or N.W.T. this year.

"I think a lot of it has to do with just the sheer number of fires that there was last year in B.C.," he said.

As a result, there seem to be enough morels in B.C. to satisfy market demands, he said, although he noted that there also seems to be fewer commercial buyers operating in the province this year.

In previous years, when B.C. didn't have quite so many burn patches, some commercial buyers would travel north to the territories where there was less competition, Schlosser said. But, he added, with an abundance of mushrooms and pickers in B.C., it may not be worth the cost for buyers to travel so far north.

"There's a lot of areas [in B.C.] that the buyers are either overloaded on mushrooms and they're shutting down or there's not enough buyers in the area," Schlosser said.

A harvester's dream

Despite the delay in the growing season in N.W.T., Beaulieu said there is an abundance of mushrooms to be picked. She's eager for local youth to learn about foraging as a means toward community food security.

"You want the younger generation to know how to live the old lifestyle. Well, this is a part of it," she said. "We can teach them there's a sustainable lifestyle, and easier lifestyle that they can live."

This year, the morels in N.W.T. are all growing in the new burn sites. This is unusual, Beaulieu said, as you typically don't see them pop up until the second year after a fire.

"I find it very strange that this fire went through last year and it's already here," she said. "The morel mushrooms are all over the place."

The importance of harvesting morel mushrooms goes beyond just the local economy. Beaulieu emphasized the cultural and sustainable lifestyle aspects. She figures she's harvested enough morels to get her through the winter.

"I was brought up in the bush, you understand the natural harvesting and the natural way of life," she said. "We had a big disaster with fires. But on the other hand, you get all these resources coming up."

For those venturing out to pick morel mushrooms, Beaulieu advises caution and respect for the environment. Bringing animals and small children can lead to mushroom patches being trampled, and pets can attract wild animals, she said.

"And make sure you're using what you pick and not wasting it," she said. "My favourite [recipe] is moose meat and morel mushrooms with a little bit of garlic salt and salted butter. It makes one heck of a good meal."