Anton Doneff has a special relationship with the land. It began as he grew up working on a farm in Manitowoc.
“I’m into outdoor activities, particularly when I can provide my own meal — pressing apples for cider, cooking up a venison loin, harvesting wild asparagus,” says Doneff, president of property management and development firm Doneff Companies in Manitowoc. “Having a whole meal off the same property is pretty remarkable and a special thing in Wisconsin.”
But nowhere is Doneff’s reciprocal land philosophy more evident than in the woods, where mushroom foraging has become a favorite hobby. It’s one he literally stumbled across 15 years ago when he discovered morel mushrooms growing on his property. Foraging quickly became a family activity he shares with his wife and three children.
Doneff has hunted mushrooms throughout Wisconsin and states such as Montana and Pennsylvania. The morel season is short, lasting mere weeks, but morels can start popping up as early as late April in some regions.
“From about Mother’s Day to Memorial Day is the real heart of the season, but it’s so weather dependent,” Doneff says. “It’s a neat time of year when we’re kind of in between seasons and the spring growth is starting to occur — the trilliums and ferns are coming up and you can see it change from week to week or day to day.”
Part of the appeal of foraging is the thrill of discovery. “Mushroom hunters are pretty tight lipped,” Doneff says. “They’re not going to tell you where they find their mushrooms, especially the morels, which are such a prized delicacy.”
If you are fortunate enough to spot a morel, Doneff says to stop, mark it and do a slow 360‑degree search in the same area.
“Oftentimes you’ll start to see more,” he says. “It’s like they’re camouflaged and you stumble across one, then all of a sudden you see a dozen or two dozen.”
Back in the kitchen, Doneff simply fries his morels in butter to serve alongside steak or chicken. In a bountiful season, he will dehydrate any excess mushrooms to enjoy throughout the year.
Foraging has taught Doneff patience, persistence and deepened his respect for the land — all things he says have impacted his development work.
“I find it particularly rewarding to harvest from the land. It’s a gift from God, a gift from the earth,” he says. “It’s neat to be able to take something directly from the soil and enjoy it.”
