Question about morels

[CathyA]

Anyone hunt these? We have 33 acres, but I've never seen any. I'm not sure I even know any of the tricks of the trade.
Could we possibly buy some to inoculate our property with them??
Tons of mushrooms grow here, but definitely not the edible ones! rrrrr

[mattj]

Anyone hunt these? We have 33 acres, but I've never seen any. I'm not sure I even know any of the tricks of the trade.
Could we possibly buy some to inoculate our property with them??
Tons of mushrooms grow here, but definitely not the edible ones! rrrrr

We hunted one year for mother's day (my wife is really into mushrooms). My oldest son found 1. It was delicious. We have gone a few other times but the hunting grounds are right next to our neighborhood and everyone knows about it so it's always picked over. There are supposed to be kits to get them going at your place but I haven't tried.

Morels are consider one of the "foolproof four" and great for new hunters. Good luck... great time of year. If you can find a morel forum that's based in your area you can get an idea of how far north they are starting to flush as other hunters post their haul. I use the following site. http://www.morels.com/

[Gina]

We get occasional morels around here, but not really enough to take the time to hunt. Also chantrelles, which a few people hunt and sell locally. There are also porcinis too, but there are several other Boletus types here too, so you'd have to know what you are doing.

My mom used to pick and freeze a particular kind of mushroom almost every year. I never much liked them - they were not a texture I liked so I always passed. But my parents and sib ate them for years, so they were safe. I liked to look for them every year as a kid.

I've keyed some mushrooms, but don't trust my skills enough to eat anything I myself identified. Except for morelles which are so distinctive.

A man in town died 2-3 years ago after eating some mushrooms he had found.

We had a family story of a 'woman who lived next door' when I was very tiny. She would pick and cook lawn mushrooms, cover a few with cream, feed them to the cat. If the cat was ok, she would feed some to her husband. If he was ok, she would then eat them herself.

[iris lily]

As always, at this time of the year, I would like to extend my offer to the SL community to be the official identification pro for morels. Send them to me and I will let you know if you've found the real thing. I usually need about 1/4 lb to make an accurate identification. Sometimes I need 1/2 lb. It can be such difficult, trying work.

:D

[Mrs-M]

Morels tend to be abundant in areas ravaged by fire. DH is the mushroom expert in the family and no matter what mushroom gathering trip we go on, he goes through all picked mushrooms one by one once we arrive back home again. Mushroom picking is risky and dangerous business if you aren't knowledgeable.

[puglogic]

As always, at this time of the year, I would like to extend my offer to the SL community to be the official identification pro for morels. Send them to me and I will let you know if you've found the real thing. I usually need about 1/4 lb to make an accurate identification. Sometimes I need 1/2 lb. It can be such difficult, trying work.

:D

Yeah, I'll get right on that, I.L. ;)

[Mrs-M]

As always, at this time of the year, I would like to extend my offer to the SL community to be the official identification pro for morels. Send them to me and I will let you know if you've found the real thing. I usually need about 1/4 lb to make an accurate identification. Sometimes I need 1/2 lb. It can be such difficult, trying work.

Thing is Iris, does your identification process include a dash of seasoning salt with fresh garlic and real butter? I ask because if it doesn't, then your method isn't nearly as thorough or accurate as mine is! :laff:

[leslieann]

Oh, you guys!

I plead total ignorance. I was taught to be fearful of fungi in the forest (hehehe) due to ignorance, of course. So if the mushrooms aren't from the market I'm afraid of them. But reading IrisLily and Mrs. M, I think perhaps I've been missing out on something seriously delicious. Where's that photo of the morels?

[peggy]

google a photo of morels. they really are easy to identify. Plus, use the guide 'if it's hollow, you can swallow' Morels are hollow.

[iris lily]

That is a true test, I will agree with you. We roll ours in cracker crumbs.

[Mrs-M]

Originally posted by Iris Lily.
We roll ours in cracker crumbs. That sounds delicious!