Summer Sourcing: What's Wild and In-Season in Michigan

Summer is the most generous season for Michigan wild-foods sourcing — the longest window, the widest variety, and generally the most forgiving in terms of how far ahead a restaurant needs to plan compared to the tighter spring morel season.

What's available

Chanterelles are the summer signature, typically available from early summer into fall. Lobster mushrooms and chicken of the woods both fruit through the warmer months as well, alongside fresh culinary herbs like holy basil, lemon basil, and Blue Spice basil, which are at their best during the Michigan growing season.

Planning for a longer season

Because summer's wild-mushroom window runs considerably longer than spring's, restaurants have more flexibility to plan a rotating series of features rather than a single short-run special — though supply is still weather-dependent and finite, so a standing seasonal order is still the most reliable way to guarantee quantity for a planned menu run.

The start of fall crossover

Late summer often overlaps with the beginning of fall's wild-mushroom season, giving kitchens a natural transition point to plan a menu shift around rather than an abrupt seasonal cutoff.