Post Your Mushroom Finds Here!

[Kurr]

I know I aint the only one gonna be huntin wild mushrooms this spring am I?

I prefer the morels my self, but people around here also eat puffballs, foxcomb and a few others. Morels sell around here for about $20 a pound. So far we aint got none, waitin for the rain and weather to come together, but we hit the woods regularly to look.

If you are a mushroom hunter and want to share stories or pictures of your finds, tips on hunting, or recipies to try, here is the thread for that.

On top of adding a new variety of flavors for cooking, this is a great way to practice skills, hone observation and fieldcraft, test gear, and have a lot of fun.

And as I said earlier, you would be surprised what folks will pay for something that just can not be found on any store shelf. Not that I ever had any left to sell.

Sorry if this is "too out there". I got the cravin and haven't found any, it's just on my mind atm.

[John_doe]

Morels are great, havent had them in years though. There are certain trees they grow under right? I need to go find some.

[Rodebaugh]

No way this is "too out there".

I LOVE morels.......just wish I could find them. My dad is heading to "mushroom hollow" friday. fingers crossed.

On another note I did dig a bushel of Ramps yesterday with the family. You have any of them Kurr? They sell for $5 per pound uncleaned and I know a place so thick with them you stand on some as you dig the others.

[Kurr]

Never had em, had to look it up for a picture. We have wild onions here, but the leaves look like regular green onions and the smell is one of the only nice things about mowing day!

I'd be willing to try em, they more like an onion or garlic in flavor?

[Rodebaugh]

Wanta trade?

How to cook them:

Fry some bacon. Drain a little of the grease off and remove the bacon. But ramps into the skilet and cook until tender like spinach.
Serve with Bacon, Scrambled eggs, fried taters, and brown beans. Don't make them as a side.....they are the main item.....should take up the most room on your plate.

[Rodebaugh]

oh and, neither garlic or onion. something completely it's own.

[alpacafarmer]

It is a little early here for the morels but I still look. I expect them to be up in a week to 10 days. Last year my wife took a picture of some very pretty and colorful mushroom that she found while walking in the woods and posted them on facebook. It got a lot of response, mostly where exactly are these? They where the tripping kind.

[Rodebaugh]

Guess what I just found outside my office. I was wheeling out a groggy sedation patient to the car looking down watching my step, and low and behold. A moral cut off half way by the mower boy. It was dried out and no good for eating. He mowed last week!

Folks get out there.....nows the time.

[frugi]

i love mushrooms......being i live in missouri, I have it lucky we have a company here by the name of Ozark Forest Mushrooms, that is located in the "sinks" which is an area that was worn away by an ancient ocean, that left deep crevices of limestone, that eventually got covered with forests and rivers, it is a very fertile forest with plenty of trees. Ozark Forest Mushrooms owns 2000+ acres where they cut down trees, and then harvest every year the natural fungi the trees produce, then they sell it at the local farmers markets around town, and here in saint louis, so when you buy it, you know it was just picked a few days earlier............I have 4 favorites, they are in order of most favorite: 1st. Chicken of the Woods, 2nd. Hen of the Woods, 3rd. Lobster mushrooms, 4th. Bright Yellow Oyster mushrooms........and obviously everyone loves truffles, they have those too, but the best is the truffle oil they sell, it goes great on french fries, YUM, YUM, YUM!!!! The sinks just happen to be my bug out area as well, so WSHTF that is where I am heading, it is about 200 miles southwest of my current location......natural springs abound and there are thousands of acres of the Mark Twain National Forest which surround the sinks, which is somewhat mountanious, and very secluded.

[alpacafarmer]

35 morels yesterday.

[Treetop]

The only type of mushrooms Ive found here yet, were growing on cowpies during a rarish wet spring a few years back...

Back in ohio when I was growing up though, I funded a few parties and filled gas tanks hunting morels for others. my grandpa had pretty good luck semi cultivating them in his woods. He would cut a certain type of tree, and a few years later when it was decomposing hed shake a bag of morels over it, in a netted bag. They didnt always take, but eventually they would and youd have a new patch.

[plus1hdcp]

Wanta trade?

How to cook them:

Fry some bacon. Drain a little of the grease off and remove the bacon. But ramps into the skilet and cook until tender like spinach.
Serve with Bacon, Scrambled eggs, fried taters, and brown beans. Don't make them as a side.....they are the main item.....should take up the most room on your plate.

Aahhh, ramps!!! That takes me back and it's that time of year. It takes me about 11 hours to get back to the center of WV so am I invited over for breakfast this weekend?

It's your loss for those who have never had a breakfast like Rodebaugh described.

[Rodebaugh]

You show up and I'll fix you a mess and provide room for the evening.....then put a musky rod in your hands the next morning.

Thats a promise.

[sageshopper]

I have been keeping my eye on a patch of wild ginger for the last few years, and as I was looking for the ginger flower, I stepped on a morel! Am I blind? Ginger-interesting, morel-delicious! Found twelve ready to harvest, fried some last night in butter with onion and asparagus from the garden. Haven't seen morels in years, probably because I wasn't looking....well, the hunt is on! I'm in the far north, zone 4, the oak leaves and lilacs are just out, perfect timing for mushroom hunting!

[frugi]

I found a "Morel" growing in my front yard. I was so excited. I was going to eat it, but then I realized after a bit of research it was a False Morel, and probably poisonous. It had a black, shiny, short cap, with a long stem....here is a picture it took of it, because it is still pretty I think....

[Catfish4u]

i love mushrooms......being i live in missouri, I have it lucky we have a company here by the name of Ozark Forest Mushrooms, that is located in the "sinks" which is an area that was worn away by an ancient ocean, that left deep crevices of limestone, that eventually got covered with forests and rivers, it is a very fertile forest with plenty of trees. Ozark Forest Mushrooms owns 2000+ acres where they cut down trees, and then harvest every year the natural fungi the trees produce, then they sell it at the local farmers markets around town, and here in saint louis, so when you buy it, you know it was just picked a few days earlier............I have 4 favorites, they are in order of most favorite: 1st. Chicken of the Woods, 2nd. Hen of the Woods, 3rd. Lobster mushrooms, 4th. Bright Yellow Oyster mushrooms........and obviously everyone loves truffles, they have those too, but the best is the truffle oil they sell, it goes great on french fries, YUM, YUM, YUM!!!! The sinks just happen to be my bug out area as well, so WSHTF that is where I am heading, it is about 200 miles southwest of my current location......natural springs abound and there are thousands of acres of the Mark Twain National Forest which surround the sinks, which is somewhat mountanious, and very secluded.

We do float trips around there quite often. Is that close to the current river?

[frugi]

kind of. I live about 60 minutes away from the current. it is about half of the way there, however the current might flow through the sinks, I know several rivers do. I float the current myself. I love float trips. it seems to be a missouri thing. not too many other places do folks get in rafts and spend a whole day getting drunk and floating several miles down the river apparently, at least not that I have found. I prefer canoes. But, lately many people I go with want rafts.....for me that just means ultra drunkiness, and bad sunburns. I like to canoe, and fish a bit and be able to steer my boat. The current river rocks.

[frugi]

last summer I went on a "float trip" in Virginia with abunch of folks.....they looked at me like I was nuts when I showed up with 2 coolers full of beer, and a watermelon filled up with vodka, they said, "you are going to drink while on the river"....then i looked at them like they were nuts. all too funny. smae thing in Tennessee, and same thing happened in Colorado.....I guess I just dont get to all the right places around the country.....that is why Missouri is sooooo awesome!

[Rodebaugh]

What Missouri rivers want to be when they grow up....... WV rivers.

[frugi]

awesome! believe me I have done those before in Colorado & North Carolina. But these days, i like to just sit back drink some brews and take my time, fish a little, but there was a time when I would raft just about anywhere, and anything. I tried white water kyaking once....that was pretty intense. I also tried ocean kyaking. but great pics!

[Rodebaugh]

Thanks Frugi, they are all of the same guide. A family friend my brother went to High School with. And I understand the chill floats........so your watermelon is welcome on my raft any day.

[Dalsuh]

Great thread Kurr!
Morels are marvelous.
My recipe:
-Butter and olive oil
-Brunoise(1/6 inch dice) shallots
-Morels (rinse in cold water bath)
-Merlot(optional)
-Veal glace de viande(veal stock reduction), beef stock reduction is okay also if it is gelatinous(thick/gooey) and tastes good
-Salt and White Pepper (to taste)
-Heavy Cream
-Chervil or Parsley. Some people even like tarragon, adds a different dimension.

Saute the shallots in butter and olive oil, add the morels. Season with salt and w. pepper. Add more oil if needed but do not add to much because the mushrooms soak up the oil initially and then releases it later. OPTIONAL: Now add some merlot to deglaze your pan, make sure you cook off the alcohol. Add your stock reduction and cook until desired consistency(like a sauce consistency, add water if needed). Add Heavy cream Taste and season with salt and w. pepper if needed. Garnish with herb of choice.

I usually enjoy this with a nice steak and some pomme puree .
I've also topped this over roasted bone marrows that are cut lengthwise. This is my original recipe that I served at some restaurants in L.A. when I worked in the industry. So shhhh.

[Dalsuh]

If anyone has a good deal on bulk morels, I'll buy!

I can sell to so many people/restaurants out here.

[John_doe]

picked these up dehydrated off of amazon, they are quite good if soaked for 24 hours.


Prepared: 12 hours soaked in water, 12 hours marinated in Greek olive oil(bought pitted olives and poured some of the juice on), red muscadine wine, and a dash of Lea and parons and soy sauce. Light sautee in butter for 5-10 minutes.


Served with a medium rare filet minon (tenderized and marinated over 24 hrs.), and a glass of red muscadine wine.

[beauanderos]

I see mushrooms all the time on my walks... but I don't know how to identify the safe ones so I just pass them by. But there's usually ten or twelve in clusters in a couple different spots.


probably similar to these