Mushroom season is here!

[mrs.puff]

Time to start hunting your morels! I've heard they're already out in arkansas and missouri. We in Iowa don't have them yet, but they'll be out by next week.

I heard a horrible spot of misinformation on NPR the other day. I guess they had a story on morels, and some "toxicologist" sent them a message warning about poisonous mushrooms and said that "most wild mushrooms are inedible and poisonous." !!!!!!!!

 

[me&thegals]

Can't wait for morels! We start looking right before the first weekend in May. Could use a little rain first, though.

 

[dacjohns]

They're coming up here, not a lot or big but they are starting.

The half morels are pretty plentiful though.

 

[ticks]

I have always stayed away from eating mushrooms. I'm sure with a guide book and identification bok I could get safe ones. But I don't want to risk it.

 

[mrs.puff]

Hey Ticks-- Morels are really easy to identify, and the ones that are kinda similar are easy to distiguish as long as you use your eyes and brain. Morels are not really easy to find though, if you haven't tried it, but once you've got your mushroom goggles on you'll be seeing them everywhere.

SO DON'T FEAR!! There are lots of good guidebooks out there. If you can tell the difference between a pheasant and a chicken, you can identify a morel.

 

[me&thegals]

Yep--They're the ones that look like pointy brains

 

[miss_thenorth]

The only mushrooms I pick are morels and boletes. They are the only ones I am comfortable with. I learned to pick them from an experienced 'shroomer, and I also have a guide book.

I love wild foraging!

 

[mrs.puff]

We don't have any good boletes in our area. We do morels, puffballs, oysters, chicken of the woods (sulfur shelf), hen of the woods, meadow mushrooms, and shaggy manes. Those are the main ones we can find.

 

[miss_thenorth]

I really haven't mushroom hunted since we have lived down here, but I picked boletes and morels up north when we lived there. I have officially dug out my mushroom feild guide, and going out with the kids this weekend to see if we can find some morels. I used to love going mushroom hunting when we lived up north. i was always a little paranoid about meeting a bear while we were about, but never saw one up close. Its such a great way to enjoy nature, a beautiful day, time with my kids (or on occasion by myself or with a friend), and bring home shrooms too! We used to wild forage alot when we lived up north.

 

[me&thegals]

I think FarmerChick had a thread on this a while back.

I would LOVE to have an experienced shroomer teach me ther other edibles I am sure are in the woods around here. I've been taught morels, so I feel confident in eating those. I really don't feel good about learning the rest from a book, though. Have you ever seen one of those? It seems like there are about 50 poisonous mushrooms that look JUST LIKE the one edible variety. I'm sure I exaggerate...

There's really nothing like being taught by someone who really knows their stuff. Especially if they're old, since they have proven their ability to pick out edibles for many years

My parents still won't touch my morels even though I have been picking and eating them for 14 years of marriage. They don't care much for the wild asparagus, either. I'm tellin' ya! Does life get any better than fresh morels and asparagus fried in butter and garlic?!?