Hunting for Mushrooms in Morel Season

[Magictofu]

We don't have the prince around here but we do have other nice mushrooms... here's a few pictures in anticipation of the next season (sorry no morels)...

Mostly Yellow Chanterelles and Black Trumpets

Lobster mushrooms

Hedgehogs

King boletes

And a mix of sauteed mushrooms, including hedgehogs, chanterelles, oyster mushrooms and lobster mushrooms.

(edited to fix the pictures)

Edited April 7, 2007 by Magictofu (log)

[Magictofu]

I finally found a picture of morels in my collection. These dried morels were added in our Valentine's day diner along with a brocolli and pea flan, lobster and a morel beurre blanc.

We still have some morels to finish before the beginning of the new season... any ideas? We mostly eat them in cream sauces but I would really like to see what other people are doing with morels.

[Timh]

Just to add a little 'fo shizzle" to your excursions, I just recently paid 60.00/lb for morrels that came from Bulgaria. they were nice, but really, ... I was asked if they were lycergic, and I realized they must have been for me to pay that.

[Luckylies]

Anybody in New york want to take me mushroom hunting? Please?

[hummingbirdkiss]

We don't have the prince around here but we do have other nice mushrooms... here's a few pictures in anticipation of the next season (sorry no morels)...

the problem with the prince here is they are usually found in public areas where people walk their dogs ...when I do find a patch of them away from public traffic and not infested with maggots ...they are one of my favorites to cook

Mostly Yellow Chanterelles and Black Trumpets

I am loving your pictures!!! we get lots of the both white and yellow chanterelles here but I have yet to find and taste any black trumpets!!!

Lobster mushrooms

Beautiful I do find these sometimes here!!!

Hedgehogs

these are so cute to find in the woods ..we have them here as well!!

King boletes

Ok I do have a "secret" spot where I go every fall and pick these king boletes! they are fantastic here ..we get tons and they grown HUGE!!! one year my kids and I  picked 50lbs of them in a day!

And a mix of sauteed mushrooms, including hedgehogs, chanterelles, oyster mushrooms and lobster mushrooms.

YUM!!!! thanks for these wonderful pics...there is something so insanely and wonderfully addictive about finding and picking mushrooms ...they are just amazing!!!

Edited April 7, 2007 by hummingbirdkiss (log)

[Magictofu]

Anybody in New york want to take me mushroom hunting? Please?   

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Most mushroom hunters tend to be quite secretive about their favorite spots but love sharing their passion with others... The best way to convince someone to join you is to propose to go in a specific forest. In late summer and early fall, you can find mushrooms almost everywhere in the North East but mixed forests with both Oak and Pine trees often have the most mushrooms.

You might find mushroom hunting clubs in your area too. It is a great way to learn.

[Magictofu]

50 pounds of kings in a single day!

I am jealous!

The problem here is that most of the land around here is private which is a pitty because the forest is quite productive and no-one but the deers benefit from the bounty. This greatly limit the amount of mushroom you can get in single day... and since kings tend to be infested with magots, I rarely come back home with more than 10 good ones (which is good considering the size of these mushrooms). I have seen a nice recipe in one of the El-Bulli books where kings were confited in olive oil and then sliced thinly into some sort of carpaccio... I will definitly try this recipe in the fall.

[hummingbirdkiss]

we have limits here as well and private land makes it hard to get to the primo places for picking...we had a 10 lb limit each and there were five of us hunting it was not just one person getting 50lbs but the 50lbs were used by one family! mine ...we were camping so we sliced and dried them over the alder smokey camp fire right away so they would not get all maggoty ....those were the best dried mushrooms ever...nice subtle smokey flavor...we have lots of boletes here ..all types ...but you have to drive quite a way to get to them and the public land to hunt on..

50 pounds of kings in a single day! 

I am jealous!

The problem here is that most of the land around here is private which is a pitty because the forest is quite productive and no-one but the deers benefit from the bounty. This greatly limit the amount of mushroom you can get in single day... and since kings tend to be infested with magots, I rarely come back home with more than 10 good ones (which is good considering the size of these mushrooms). I have seen a nice recipe in one of the El-Bulli books where kings were confited in olive oil and then sliced thinly into some sort of carpaccio... I will definitly try this recipe in the fall.

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[Magictofu]

we have limits here as well and private land makes it hard to get to the primo places for picking...we had a 10 lb limit each and there were five of us hunting it was not just one person getting 50lbs but the 50lbs were used by one family! mine ...we were camping so we sliced and dried them over the alder smokey  camp fire right away so they would not get all maggoty ....those were the best dried mushrooms ever...nice subtle smokey flavor...we have lots of boletes here ..all types ...but you have to drive quite a way to get to them and the public land to hunt on..

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Smoked boletes... this sounds very interesting. How did you used them?

I guess we are lucky not to have limits around here... mushroom picking is not a very popular activity in this part of Canada so I guess there is no need for such limits.

Right now we still have a few flurries so my guess is that the morel season will start a bit late.

[mattwick]

i didn't find any morels in ct AT ALL last year.

hopefully this season will be a little better. anybody in the northeast project when they might start showing up? It is still cold here now so im assuming late april even mid-may.

i did find some excellent spots for yellowfoot chanterelle and hedgehogs last year though.

happy hunting folks.

[Magictofu]

In my area (Ottawa, Canada) we generally do not get anything before the very end of April (mostly black morels). Mid May is the time for yellow morels... we even get a few late ones in early June. Both types grow in different habitat so one has to adapt his strategy depending on the season.

Around here, I mostly find black morels under fir and spruce trees and particularly in disturbed areas (along trails for instances). Yellow morels tend to grow around poplars and a few other trees (people talk a lot about helms but never had luck with these). In all cases, I never find morels in densely forested areas.

And I love the yellow foot chanterelles you mentioned! Their taste is not necessarily the best but their look is stunning... they are great as garnishes in consommés. The great thing with these is that once you know where and when they grow, you have a very reliable harvest every year.

[hummingbirdkiss]

I just rehydrated them and used them as I would regular boletes (I love fresh boletes but when you dry and rehydrate them the flavor is so much more intense!) ..in sauces, stews, soups, and the best ever pasta sauce!!! Omg when I rehydrated them the smell of the woods and the mushrooms gave me such a wonderful feeling!!!

I live for the next big score in the woods I can not imagine a more wonderful thing to do than hunt wild mushrooms!!!

I have been known to leap out of my car on the way to work and grab an arm full of mushrooms I spy ....growing off the side of the road (way off so they are not exposed to exaust or pee) ..then in our break room (there is actually a stove in one of the clinics I work in) saute them up in some butter I always have on hand.. and scarf them for lunch...I am a nurse and my coworkers freak out waiting for me to die of some horrbile mushroom poisoning....some will taste them ..but usually they watch me waiting for me go gasp my last breath!

let's see today is Monday I began my work binge yesterday that means I have 9 more days until I can go morel hunting!!!!

you guys I am stoked!!! even if I find nothing it is all good out there!!!

Smoked boletes... this sounds very interesting. How did you used them?

I guess we are lucky not to have limits around here... mushroom picking is not a very popular activity in this part of Canada so I guess there is no need for such limits.

Right now we still have a few flurries so my guess is that the morel season will start a bit late.

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Edited April 9, 2007 by hummingbirdkiss (log)

[coquus]

you guys I am stoked!!!  even if I find nothing it is all good out there!!!

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My sentiments exactly, mushroom season is so close I can feel it. I'm thinking there is a chance that some mycell-whatever I can't spell today got started here in the warm days we had before the last five cold ones here, so if god gives us a few warm ones here soon, who knows, I'm going to find out, I was so busy last spring, I always told myself the frost last whenever probably killed anything that may have started growing this year I plan to see if I was lying to myself as I suspect I was.

[hummingbirdkiss]

I find even when I think it is "a perfect" year the best years are the ones that surprise me

I am curious ...what books do you guys carry?

I have a HUGE collection of mushroom books but my tabbed frayed, muddy and most favorite Bible of fungus is Mushrooms Demystified by David Arora and second to that the pocket guide by him as well All The Rain Promises, and More

if you have not used them ...they are the best I think!

Edited April 9, 2007 by hummingbirdkiss (log)

[Magictofu]

I have to agree... even when you don't find anything, mushroom hunting is great... and with a bit of experience and some knowledge of the forest you are visitng, you are almost sure to find something.

My three favourite books are:

1) Roger Phillips' "Mushrooms and other Fungi of North America" for the very detailed pictures.

2) Fisher and Bessette's "Edible Wild Mushrooms of North America" is great for beginners and very helpful for the major edible species... I don't recommend it for its recipes though

3) George Barron's "Mushrooms of Northeast North America" is a great pocket book which I tend to carry with me when mushroom hunting.

I have a few other books but these are really those I use the most.

I also have a few other field guides for edible wild plants too... but I generally tend to favor mushrooms over berries and wild vegetables.

[chappie]

Does anyone here know anything about mushroom hunting on the Delmarva Peninsula, or do you know of any local resources people can check?

I am interested not just in mushroom hunting but in finding a great guide to all wild edibles.

[Magictofu]

Does anyone here know anything about mushroom hunting on the Delmarva Peninsula, or do you know of any local resources people can check?

I am interested not just in mushroom hunting but in finding a great guide to all wild edibles.

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I do not know much about this area but I would really encourage you to try your luck with the simpler guide books first. For mushroom hunting try to focus on a few easy to identify species: morels, chanterelles, oyster mushrooms, shaggy manes and giant puffballs. Some guidebooks are better suited for beginners, as said in a previous post Fisher and Bessette's "Edible Wild Mushrooms of North America" is a great start.

You might be able to find a local mushroom hunting club in your area... this is a great way to learn.

As for other wild edibles, I own "Edible wild plants: a North American Guide" which is alright but I find that the focus is way too large (the whole continent! ). You might find something more appropriate at a local bookstore or outdoor sports store.

Good luck.

[hummingbirdkiss]

I agree with Majictofu

find elder folks who hunt mushrooms in your area...the older they are the better...really if they are old, alive and still picking they know what they are doing!!!!

I grew up with older folks teaching me to hunt ...now I am almost the older folk!!!

[hummingbirdkiss]

check this website out it might help

http://www.namyco.org/

[coquus]

Bessette, Bessette, and Fischer Mushrooms of Northeastern North America

ISBN 0-8156-0388-6

Bessette, Roody, and Bessette North American Boletes: A Color Guide to the Fleshy Pored Mushrooms

ISBN 0-8156-0588-9

I like these two most from what I have seen.

[coquus]

http://www.thegreatmorel.com/2007.html

http://www.greencastonline.com/SoilTempMaps.aspx

Edited April 10, 2007 by coquus (log)

[Magictofu]

Bessette, Bessette, and Fischer Mushrooms of Northeastern North America

ISBN 0-8156-0388-6

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I own this one as well... I find it a bit hardcore

I use this as a last resource when my other more user friendly books fail to identify a rare mushroom or when they do not provide enough details.

[coquus]

Bessette, Bessette, and Fischer Mushrooms of Northeastern North America

ISBN 0-8156-0388-6

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I own this one as well... I find it a bit hardcore

I use this as a last resource when my other more user friendly books fail to identify a rare mushroom or when they do not provide enough details.

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That's a good way to do it, unfortunately for me I don't have any other books. It takes longer to key them out sometimes, but I feel it's worth it because I am learning about lots of other mushrooms in the process.

[hummingbirdkiss]

I am surprised no one loves David Arora!!!

the books are so good ..clear pictures ..easy to read ...easy to carry...

maybe he is regional ...

[coquus]

It's too general for me, I think, I have only seen MD so I don't really know, it looked a little dated as well. I really like the books I have, and if anything I would like a more detailed book for my area so that's in the other direction. I still think he's great, but I have alot to learn.