Mushroom hunting

[PREDATE]

They are definitely boletes, but boletes can be difficult to ID. So while I say they look to me like bi-colors, they could be a number of other kinds with a reddish cap and yellow spore tubes. Please make sure you have it properly ID'd it before consuming. There are tests you can do. Chemical tests, cutting them to see how fast or slowly they turn blue, spore prints,Etc.

Be careful and always save part of the specimens that you do eat so that it can be tested if you do get ill. "If in doubt, throw the mushroom out"

Edited July 23, 2013 by PREDATE

[blackradio]

Spotted some more Chicken of the Woods today while I was at work. There's a dirt road lined with a bunch of big old maples and about 20' up in one of them I spotted the chicken. I'll have to be careful getting it because it is absolutely covered in poison ivy.

[PREDATE]

Sounds good and I hear ya on the poison ivy. I found out years ago that it doesn't like me!

 

With the chicken, are you cooking the whole thing? Usually only the active growing edges of the caps are tender enough but,  slow, wet simmering can tender up the more fibrous parts. Also, with Sulphur Shelf(chicken of the woods) you should make certain that you don't eat them if they're growing on any conifer tree (pine, spruce, hemlock, fir, larch tamarack, Etc.)

 Have you ever tried the Black Trumpets or the Horn of Plenty? They are delicious and usually grow in good sized patches. 

 

[blackradio]

I haven't eaten the chicken of the woods at all yet. In the pic I posted, the stump it's growing out of is so old that I can't tell what type of tree it is. Maybe I'll leave that one. I read that when they are young like I posted, that pretty much the whole mushroom is edible. Only one way to find out!

[blackradio]

I've been keeping my eye out for black trumpets but haven't any luck yet. I've never tried them either but I keep hearing great things.

[PREDATE]

Yep the young chickens are pretty much good to go, but huge specimens are often found.

 

Think of a nice rib-eye or T-bone cooked to perfection, trumpets are a perfect match! Some people even toss one in a nice vintage wine to add a little "apricot" flavor. They can be easily dried or frozen, which is good because I've literally come out of the woods with sacks full of them.

Being so busy with work is making me feel like mushroom season is passing me by, but chances for a bow and/or predator gun upgrade are looking good!

[PREDATE]

I finally got to get in the woods tonight just before dark. My chanterelle spots were LOADED! I didn't even pick 1/3 of them and most of them were past prime. I was able to get a handful of trumpets too. These were all picked in about 20 minutes and I was frantically running around because the woods were getting dark. In my haste to get to my spot I forgot a bag and ended up using my shirt to tote them out. I grabbed a few buttons like you asked too.

[blackradio]

damn man, nice. I haven't been able to find any yet. I just keep seeing those fleecy milk caps and some of those bolets. I'll have to try a different spot next time I go. Thanks for posting.

[blackradio]

hey fellas, anyone finding anything good? I got a new job so I have no time to screw off and find mushrooms at work. I was finding many chicken of the woods just driving down the road the past month or so but I have yet to eat them.

[blackradio]

Hey guys.

 

I found a ton of oyster mushrooms over the fall and winter and now I am chomping at the bit to find some morels (and leeks too)

 

Just a few weeks away!

[blackradio]

Got word that my friends are finding a bunch of morels.

 

Excited to get out there.

[wooly]

I've never found a morel in my life until about an hour ago when I found two. I accidently broke one off before the pic.

That is what this is... isn't it?  

[PREDATE]

Yep yellow morels. Nice find, they are deeeeelicious!

Remember that spot. They could return every year. Just don't pull the "root" out. Always cut the stem

 

Would you care to divulge any info about the terrain, elevation, and what direction the hillside faces? Most morel hunters in the northeast focus on looking around ash, elm and old apple trees. Were any of those trees nearby?

[crappyice]

Geez wooly, now you're gonna start finding these...I know who I am calling when I loose my needle in a haystack .... Nice!

[wooly]

Yep yellow morels. Nice find, they are deeeeelicious!

Remember that spot. They could return every year. Just don't pull the "root" out. Always cut the stem

 

Would you care to divulge any info about the terrain, elevation, and what direction the hillside faces? Most morel hunters in the northeast focus on looking around ash, elm and old apple trees. Were any of those trees nearby?

Cool- you guys take this stuff pretty seriously.

These were in a creek bottom about 30yds from the waters edge. More of a flatland between two hillsides so no direction really applies.

The trees seem to be all wrong too. There is an edge created by some mature pines that opens up into young maple, poplar, a few random apples, and cherry mix. They were just off  that edge on the broadleaf side..

 

Geez wooly, now you're gonna start finding these...I know who I am calling when I loose my needle in a haystack .... Nice!

You know, I was really excited when I found it but I didn't know why,lol

I've never even tried one before. I guess I just like finding things!

I almost left them there because there was a slug on one, but he must have just started snacking. Anyhow, looking forward to trying these for the first time, and I'll be on the lookout for more if my taste buds approve!

[blackradio]

Had a pretty good morel season.

[blackradio]

more...

[Elmo]

Holy moly.  I didn't know that's how big they get.

[PREDATE]

Wow! Good stuff!

How did you preserve them?

 

I wasn't able to make it out, but I heard this was a good year for them.

I'll definitely be making time once my chanterelle / deer scouting season arrives

[blackradio]

I ate some and dried the rest. Have a bunch of jars filled. I want to find chants, never have before.

[EspressoBuzz]

Guess it's that time of the year again. This baby grew overnight, soaking rain yesterday, chill sunny weather today. I thought to myself let me check that old oak stump. Way more than I can eat so I'm gonna try pickling the rest after tonight's mushroom saute.

Edited October 5, 2014 by EspressoBuzz

[PREDATE]

My brother told me about a few hens he found today. I'm gonna try them one more time and see if they all taste as bad as the first ones I tried.

[blackradio]

Still never found a hen but I found a bunch of young oysters last week as I was setting up a blind.

 

 

[PREDATE]

Still never found a hen but I found a bunch of young oysters last week as I was setting up a blind.

Quick tip on hens, just drive around and look around the base of big oak trees. We often find them in peoples front lawns. Edited October 7, 2014 by PREDATE

[blackradio]

Hey guys, anyone finding morels yet? Looked in my usual spots and nothing so far. Cold, long winter and now no rain, maybe that will make them late this year. Found most of mine last year between May 18-25.