Michigan Mushroom Hunters Should Be Careful When Eating This Fungi

I've always found it to be a little risky to hunt/gather for your own food.

While it's the most economical and safe way to make sure you know exactly where it's been and where it came from, if you're not careful, you could get yourself sick.

I've known a lot of people who love to hunt for these mushrooms seasonally, but I never knew they could be dangerous. If you're a fan of Morel Mushrooms, you already know they're popular and hard to find. In fact, they can cost up to $50 a pound if you're trying to buy them.

But Morel mushrooms which are known for their smooth, buttery flavor could be dangerous if you're not careful.

The native to Michigan mushroom caused an outbreak of illness in Montana at a sushi restaurant recently.

The sushi restaurant saw many customers getting sick after consuming their morel mushroom dish, and The FDA and CDC stood in to help with the local county and state health departments' investigation.

They found that 51 people became sick after eating cultivated morel mushrooms at the restaurant back in March and April of this year. Three of them were hospitalized and unfortunately two people ended up dying due to their illness.

Should I worry about eating Morel Mushrooms?

The simple answer is, it's still probably safe. However, you need to make sure you cook them properly before you serve or eat them.

The investigation in Montana found other restaurants serving the same mushrooms with no issue, but the sushi restaurant that caused the outbreak had undercooked / served them raw, which caused people to get sick.

So if you plan to eat some of natures treats, as you should with anything you find outside- make sure you wash, clean and cook them properly to ensure this doesn't happen to you.