Commercial Harvest 



Figures — Fresh morel mushrooms ready for weighing. 



In 1 992, wholesale mushroom companies processed $11.8 million dollars worth of 

 mushrooms in the eastern portions of Washington and Oregon, and Idaho. Processors 

 paid about $9.9 million to harvesters for all mushrooms purchased in 1992. This in- 

 cluded 1 .9 million pounds (861 834 kilograms) of wild mushrooms (Schlosser and 

 Blatner 1995). 



Morels are the biggest money 

 maker among the Blue Mountain 

 mushrooms. Nearly 1 million 

 pounds were gathered in Ore- 

 gon in 1 992, most of them from 

 the Blue Mountain region (fig. 3). 

 Pickers earned an average of $6 

 perhour in 1992 (Schlosser and 

 Blatner 1995). Forty percent of 

 morels harvested are sold to 

 Asian and European markets, 

 and 42 percent are sold in the 

 Western United States. In 1995, 

 fresh morels sold for $5 to $6 per pound wholesale and $48 to $60 per pound retail. 

 Until 1996, most morels were dried for packing by large-scale processing plants (fig. 

 4). Beginning in 1996, much of the morel harvest was sold fresh and shipped within 

 24 hours of harvest to the European markets (see footnote 2). 



There is a substantial amount of conflicting information concerning commercial as- 

 pects of mushroom collection. Some claim that reports of pickers earning $300 to 

 $400 per day are exaggerations. They claim also that these exaggerations may be 

 deliberate attempts by buyers and dealers to entice people into collecting. Similarly, 

 the amount reportedly paid is for only the highest grade specimens, whereas most of 

 the mushrooms picked are of lower quality and command a much lower price. 



Mushrooms are bought from 

 pickers by individuals or agents 

 who set up buying stations in 

 nearby towns, communities, and 

 occasionally, in the National For- 

 ests. Most of the freelance 

 buyers in turn sell to established 

 wholesalers and processors. 

 Available records on production 

 and processing are restricted to 

 the established processors and 

 shippers. This has largely been 

 an "underground" business that 

 deals in cash. It is likely that 

 only a small portion of the gener- 

 ated income is reported. 





Figure 4 — Dry morel mushrooms still In the drying tra 



