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Mushroom hunting

blackradio

By blackradio,
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blackradio Apprentice

blackradio

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Started looking today for some promising spots for morels as I was shed hunting. Can't friggen wait to start looking and getting some! Last year was the first year I looked and I found more than 10 pounds of them at my job. Does anyone sell these to restaurants or private sellers? Seems like they go for a pretty penny but not sure of the legality of it in NY. Last year I vacuum sealed the ones I wanted to save and they turned kinda bitter. I will definitely dry them this year. Getting pumped!

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PREDATE
PREDATE

Hiked in deep today and scored about 80 morels. Dug some ramps too. Sent from my LGMP260 using Tapatalk

blackradio
blackradio

Found morels the last 6 days. This is best year I've had since 2012. Anyone else experiencing similar?

Elmo
Elmo

For a moment I thought so too but the purple elephant told me I should be okay before flying away and I believe him. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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PREDATE Newbie

PREDATE

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I'm right there with you!

They're delicious with fresh wild turkey! I spent most of last turkey season scouring the ground, but I did manage to bag 2 longbeards!

After morel season I get just as excited for chantrells and trumpets!

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PREDATE Newbie

PREDATE

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At the very least you should have a field guide(book or human lol). It's not a good idea to put all your trust in photos. That can be dangerous as most edibles have some look alikes.There are tests you can do. Such as spore tests. This is where you place the mushroom on a piece of paper so you can see the color of the spores. Some tests call for white paper and some are better with colored paper. When trying a certain fungi for the first time, always consume just a small piece to determine if you'll have any adverse reactions. Some edibles don't agree with everyone, some can cause belly distress. There are tons of mushrooms that I won't even consider eating. The "woodstock" type that you're talking about is in the catergory of LBM(little brown mushroom). There are many mushrooms in this catergory and I wont even touch them!

Back to morels, they are good at hiding and there arent boatloads out there, but they are welcome on my plate anytime! They are very particular about soil temp, moisture, so when you find some keep that spot in your memory because they will most likely be back(if conditions favor growth). Never pull fungi out of the ground as this can pull the "root" and will ruin chances for future growth. Either cut or pinch the stem above the ground.

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PREDATE Newbie

PREDATE

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Fiance told me today that my turkey hot spot is also probably a good morel spot lol guess scouting and hunting now means morels too!

Turkeys also like to eat morels. Like I mentioned before, remember where you find morels and check the spot often because when they pop through the leaf litter, they won't last long!

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PREDATE Newbie

PREDATE

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ive wanted to do this for a while, any advice for a newbie in terms of good sports to start?

Aah, the ever popular question. Honestly, morel spots are comparable to your secret hunting/fishing spot. Would you announce it? Prolly not.

 I will say this. First be sure that you can properly distinguish the difference between "true morels" and "false morels". Then it's alot of footwork. In early spring I will search well drained, southern facing slopes because the soil in these spots warms up faster. Then as morel season progresses you may want to do the opposite because like I said before, they are very particular of when/where they will grow in refrence to temp and moisture.

 There's alot of info on the web and BTW there are 3 main species of morels(black, yellow, and gray).

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Woodsman20 Newbie

Woodsman20

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Last year was my first year looking for them, I found quite a few and didn't think much of it until we cooked them up ... wheww  definitely hooked now!!

I carry a zip lock bag with me now when turkey hunting and scour the ground for them - hopefully I find as many or more as last year. 

 

Really good smokey flavour .... I second great with some wild turkey on the grill.

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PREDATE Newbie

PREDATE

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In general, most seem to be found in close proximity to Elm, Ash, and abandoned apple orchards. I haven't found enough to really narrow down a specific elevation. They're particular to certain air/soil temps. They like moisture, but not soggy terrain, which is why I look on slopes just above wet ground. 

Some more experienced morel hunters say that it's better to look for species of trees rather than for the fungi itself.

Never transport them in plastic bags. Try an onion bag or similar mesh. Reason being is that they drop spores which are like their seeds and the mesh lets these spores fall to the ground and hopefully grow more morels! I know one state ( i think Michigan) has a law prohibiting plastic bags for harvesting morels!

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Doc Experienced

Doc

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I come across mushrooms all the time but Im too paranoid to take them home and eat them.

Whats the safest way to know you're not getting the Woodstock & tie died mushrooms??

I also am a bit paranoid about mushroom identification. Some of those things are absolutely deadly, and I don't trust myself enough to absolutely know one from another.

 

How about those white puffballs that grow to as big as a basketball. I've heard that they are edible also. I have no idea what they taste like, but I have heard of slicing them up and frying them in butter. I'm still leary about trying them. We have a lot of those around.

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Cabin Fever Mentor

Cabin Fever

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For years, I use to eat morels by the skillet full! Loved them!! Then one time, got violently ill, I'm talking severe stomach cramps and projectile vomiting! Couldn't understand it, as I'm eaten a ton of them in other years and figured it was just a fluke. The next year, I couldn't resist making a skillet full, and again puked my guts out! WTH?? Still couldn't accept the thought that it was the morels causing this, so I decided to only fry 3, just to test the waters. Again, barfed my guts out!! Did some research and found out that you can develop an allergy to them, that causes stomach cramps and puking! GREAT! To this day, I still look for them, but don't pick them, unless I know someone that wants them. Sure as hell miss eating them too!!  

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Cabin Fever Mentor

Cabin Fever

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Took a walk today to my old morel hunting area. Looked for at least an hour, but never found any. Considering it's been cooler than usual for April, maybe they will be a little late this year.

 

Grabbed a few leeks though, to cook up with some venison for dinner! B)

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