IN SEARCH OF THE TASTIEST MUSHROOM

Naturalist Larry "Tree" Lonik developed a taste for morel mushrooms from his dad, who took him mushroom hunting when he was only 6. He liked the thrill of the hunt and the taste, which he compares to sirloin steak.

Now Lonik, whose nickname comes from his 6-foot-7-inch height, is a morel expert who has written a book titled "The Curious Morel," tours the country in the spring talking about them and has his own Web site. It has become a business but is more like fun, he says. "It's still a giant Easter egg hunt."

Beginning Saturday, Lonik will lead the first of five consecutive Morel Heaven Weekends at the Trail of Tears Lodge & Sports Resort off Highway 3 near Ware, Ill. Lonik will conduct seminars and take groups on guided mushroom hunts in the Shawnee National Forest.

In addition, those who have paid $159 per person receive accommodations at the lodge for two nights, meals and an autographed copy of Lonik's book.

Morels are among the easiest mushrooms to identify, Lonik said in an interview from his home in Detroit, Mich., because none of the 10,000 other species of mushrooms in North America looks like it. "If you have a spongy cap and a hollow white stem, you pretty much have a morel."

Southern Illinois is a happy hunting ground because of the variety of terrain. No special clothing or equipment is required, though a license may be someday. Illinois is considering requiring a license to harvest morels just as a license is needed to pick ginseng, Lonik said.

"They want to educate people to pick responsibly."

One way that can be done is to put picked mushrooms in a mesh bag which allows the spores to be spread and grow into future crops.

This is the third year Lonik has conducted morel weekends at the lodge. On his first visit he found morels 27 days in a row. "It struck me we have such a wonderful resource in Southern Illinois," he said, "and not just in the Shawnee National Forest."

Among his tips on finding the prizes are a suggestion to gaze 15-20 feet in the distance instead of at your feet and to look for the mushroom's distinctive shape. Some people claim you should look near elm trees, cottonwoods, southfacing slopes and the tops of hills, Lonik says, "but I've seen them in very unusual places."

In past years, people have come from as far away as New York and Texas to participate in the morel weekends. Last year, the event was documented in a story on CBS's "Sunday Morning."

But last year was not a good one for finding morels, in part because of weather conditions. Morels grow in five-year cycles, Lonik says, so 2005 should be a good crop.

On Lonik's Web site, www.morelheaven.com, he answers questions about morels and offers recipes that include cream of morel soup, morel quiche, morel pilaf and his own favorite, bacon and morels.

He has heard of a recipe for carmelizing morels and putting them on ice cream.

"Most people's favorite recipes tend to be the simplest," he says, "the fastest to get the mushrooms in your mouth."