Identification: Wild Morel

These morel type mushrooms appear every spring at our home near Bolingbroke, Ontario, just west of Perth in the Rideau Lakes Region. They grow under conifer trees among fallen pine needles. They range between 2-8 inches in height.
I love Morels in cooking, and would love to try these out, but am concerned they are false Morels.
Are these edible Morels, and how should I proceed to be sure? Any help appreciated. Attached are a few photos.

 

Hey Cal.

They look delicious. Do they smell good?

 

True Morels (Morcella sp.) have pits instead of convolutions and are hollow all the way through when you cut them in half. Once you see a Gyromitra in the flesh, you'll find it easy to tell them apart. Some of the Verpas look more like morels, but still just keep in mind you are looking for pits.

-frog

 

Calvin, the mushrooms in the photos are clearly true morels, perfectly safe to eat and very tasty. Some people have allergic reactions to various mushrooms; so you should start with a small amount.

 

Thank you for your replies.
They do smell fresh and earthy, comparable to edible Morels I've used.
When cut, they are hollow all the way through.
From what I can gather they are most definitely not Gyromitra. How am I sure they are not Verpas? The difference between pits and ridges is a little difficult.
It also seems from the pictures, there are different pits and colours. Is this indicative of black, gray/white, yellow morels? Do they often grow close together, and are they all edible?
Thanks again. I am close to sampling.
Calvin

 

Here is a picture of some of them cut in half.
Calvin

 

They are definitely not Verpas, which have a cap that is only attached to the stem at the very top. Verpas also have cotton-like material filling the stems, at least in younger specimens. Look for photos of Verpas on the Web; you will see that their caps are very different. The caps on your mushrooms are attached to the stem at the bottom of the cap; they are unmistakably true morels. But, of course, you should never believe everything you read on the Web; so pick up a good mushroom book at the library to verify it.

 

For follow up.
We were informed from a local exotic mushroom distributor here in Ottawa that they were termed "Blonde Morels", and were edible.
We took the plunge, lightly fried them with butter, and they were delicious.
Thanks for your replies.
Calvin