Wednesday, December 29, 2010

Treasure Hunting for Morel Mushrooms

Hunting for morel mushrooms typically runs from early April and runs through June depending on your geographical location. The Great Lakes region in the United States is the most popular hunting grounds for morel mushrooms but they have also been found in almost all of the lower 48 states.

Most hunters will agree that the weather has the most effect on the availability and quality of these elusive mushrooms. Typically the day time temperature around 60 to 70 degrees, night time temperatures not less than 40 degrees and the soil temperatures of about 50 to 60 degrees with good ground moisture levels are ideal for moral growing.

Moral mushrooms are found in small patches under dead or dying elms, ash, apple and even pine trees. The seem to like to hide under or near thickets or other plant small plants growing in the area but since the ground cover varies a lot each patch of mushrooms you come upon may be growing in totally different conditions. Once you find a good spot you will need to check it year after year.

After a forest fire the moral mushroom seems to grow abundantly for the next two or three years and a lot of commercial pickers will follow the forest fire reports and first hunt in these recently burned areas.

Morel mushrooms can last for about two weeks before it starts to decay if the weather is good. Morels have been known to grow as much as one half of an inch in 24 hours. Since the shrooms do not have a use-by-date on them it is necessary that you examine each one collected for any decay. Look under the caps for any signs of decay. Many collectors will use the 50 percent rule when dealing with these mushrooms; if 50 percent is still good then bag it. It is also recommended that you do not keep them for more than three or four days before eating.

To harvest simply pinch or twist of the mushroom at ground level. It is recommended that your collection bag be a large open weave design. Some hunters believe that the open bag will facilitate the spoors falling to the ground, during your travels, allowing for a crop next year. Others think this is an old wives tell but at the very least the open weave design will allow tiny nasty forest critters to fall off the mushroom.

After harvesting, take them to a sink and rinse them in cold water to remove any foreign particles which include bugs. Then cut then lengthwise and rinse them again. Sore the clean mushrooms in a bowl with a cloth draped over them.

If this is your first time hunting, you should always go with someone who has several years shroom hunting experience. They can show you how and where to hunt successfully and in addition they can show you what a good moral looks like. Never eat a mushroom before you check to see if it is poisonous or not. Many good web sites exist that have very good pictures and description of the edible and poisonous verities of mushrooms.

Attending a Moral Mushroom Festival are excellent sources of information for the newbie and seasoned hunter alike. Muscoda, Wisconsin is the self-styled Morel Mushroom Capital of Wisconsin and this may be a good place to start.

Some of the other festivals are:
Mansfield, Indiana
April 28-29, 2007
Irvine, Kentucky
April 28-29, 2007
May 4, 5, 6, 2007
Richmond, Missouri
May 4-5, 2007
Magnolia, Illinois
Mesick, Michigan
May 11 thru May 13, 2007
Lewiston, Michigan
May 12th, 2007
Boyne City, Michigan
May 17 - 20 2007

Happy Treasure Hunting.

David Cowley has created numerous articles on Treasure Hunting. He has also created a Web Site dedicated to Treasure Hunting. Visit Treasure Hunting

Friday, December 24, 2010

Distinguishing Morel Mushrooms From the Deadly False Morels

While morels are considered to be one of the most distinguishable fungi in North America, and are thought to be almost universally non-toxic, each year there are reported incidents of allergic, toxic and fatal incidents involving these mushroom-like delicacies. However, in most cases, reactions are not from morels, but from the morel's evil cousins.

Many members of the mushroom family have relations that look like safe, edible mushrooms, but are deadly or disagreeable. Morel look-alikes are almost non-existent. However, there are a few fungi with which you should exercise caution. Unfortunately, these second cousins, known as "false morels," tend to grow near, and in the same conditions as morels.

Perhaps the most frequently encountered morel imitator is the "brain mushroom." The brain mushroom has a wrinkled, rather than pitted or honeycombed surface. Its dark brown stout body and bulbous, brain shape make it relatively easy to distinguish from true morels. It tends to "slime" quicker than morels due to its interior spore makeup, and does not have the same nutty taste as the morel. But if it is toxic, how will you know what it tastes like? In past centuries, many brain mushrooms were sold in marketplaces, cooked and consumed with little ill effect. However, for many people, there is no toxic or allergic reaction. Unfortunately, what was edible yesterday has been known to kill people the next day. For many, the symptoms are no worse than mild diarrhea or upset stomach.

Harder to distinguish are look-alikes for the half-cap morel, whose tapered cap is held to the stem only by a band at the top of the stem, half-way up the cap. Again, though, this false morel has a wrinkled surface, rather than honeycombed.

The "Big Red" false morel is generally found in south eastern USA, and is distinguished by its bright colors. Most morels tend to be colored similarly to the leafy carpets in which they are found, which will help to distinguish "Big Red" from true morels.

Generally, even the imitators do not produce a severe reaction in most consumers of morels. Unlike many mushrooms with their extreme and deadly toxicity, false morels are more likely to cause upset, rather than intense reaction. Many people are spooked by the possibility of poisoning, and will shy away from any wild fungi. Some avoid any variation in size or coloration. But morels in poor conditions, or varying soil types, or even climatic conditions, will produce varying results. Some yellow morels, found growing in gravelly trailside soils in Manitoba, are of a gray color, while some growing in the willowy drainage ditch sites in Minnesota are tall and spindly, with an elfin morel (false morel) look. Classic black morels growing in the rich red soils of the Dakotas have taken on a reddish tinge like the "Big Red." Yet, all are true, edible morels.

The key is to exercise both caution in picking, and moderation in consumption. Aside from a very few imitators, there is no need to fear morels.

Morel mushrooms have a rich, creamy flavor that is deliciously earthy, nutty, steak-like- and it's this awesome taste that makes the morel mushroom No.1 with wild mushroom hunters worldwide. Visit http://www.morelmushroom.info for tips on hunting, finding, and enjoying morels.

Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Finding Morels

Finding Morels

How to Hunt, Cook and Enjoy More.. Wild Morel Mushrooms

40 page PDF report now available for free on Scribd.

In this unique Morel Mushroom Report, you will learn:

Why millions are obsessed with morel madness
How to identify morels – and tell them apart from the dangerous “false morels”
The best time to begin looking for morels
The signs pointing to a great morel mushroom season
The spring plants that signal that it’s time for morels to appear
What trees that are the key to locating morels?
Orchards that often contain motherlodes
Morel Hot Spots
Where to look – list of locations identified in surveys of morel mushroom hunters
Equipment you need to take with you
How to look and harvest – (since morels are masters of camouflage) – techniques that help you to see them better
Hunting methods that work well
What is the best time of day?
Where should you start?
Back woods etiquette top ten list
And Wa-La! You’ve found a morel – what do you do once you’ve found this tasty little morsel?
Why you can’t eat it raw!
How to protect and preserve your morels
Recipes – The Master roon approved method of enjoying fresh morels in the woods and the best of down-home cooking and gourmet recipes
Stories – some real whoppers.
Hunting tips from Carl Robinson, The Mushroom King of Mesick, Michigan (the Mushroom Capitol of the World) who has been hunting morels for 79 years.


This book also points the way to the best Morel Resources:
Discussion boards– where the morel maniacs post their finds, share their tips and just plain talk morels on internet discussion boards. (Frequenting morel discussion boards is a great way to keep up with how morel season is advancing your way.)
Web sites – Your one-stop morel web site shop! Complete with a chart of what information the listed web sites contain.
Fire burn morel resources
Books
Videos
Festivals and Contests
Morel Paraphenalia – Where to buy morel decoys, t-shirts
Download links to morel mushroom hunting pdfs

Saturday, April 24, 2010

Shawnee man finds large Morel mushroom - Shawnee, OK - The Shawnee News-Star

Shawnee man finds large Morel mushroom - Shawnee, OK - The Shawnee News-Star

SHAWNEE, Okla. —

A Shawnee man whose hobby is hunting for Morel mushrooms had a rare find this week when he stumbled across a large, one-foot-long version.
Bud Mullens said he’s been hunting Morels for quite some time, but he’s never harvested one of this size.
“It was like sawing a tree with a little knife,” he said.

May is morel season - Michigan morel festivals and where to find these tasty mushrooms - AnnArbor.com

May is morel season - Michigan morel festivals and where to find these tasty mushrooms - AnnArbor.com
May is morel month in Michigan. Any good morel hunter who loves their mushrooms has a secret spot, which they won't tell you about; what they will share happily is the habitat and seasons when these fungi are ready to go.

Thursday, April 22, 2010

Morel Mushroom Festival May 1st

Morel Mushroom Festival May 1st The Stark County Morel Mushroom Festival will be held Saturday, May 1, in Wyoming, Illinois, 40 miles northwest of Peoria. The Festival will feature food, crafts, music, family activities, and a morel mushroom auction that will start at 1 pm. The festival will run from 9 am until 5 pm.

The Forager's Wild Mushroom Recipes

The Forager's Wild Mushroom Recipes
Creamed Morels and Potatoes
Fresh Morels in Caraway Sauce
Morel Soup
French Onion and Morel Soup
Hen of the Woods Salad
Calabrese Mushroom Chili
Shiitake and Pea Pods
Salmon with Black Trumpets and Horseradish Sauce
Linguine with Chanterelles and Leeks
Char-grilled Field Mushroom Avocado, and Chicken Salad
Monkey's Head Fungus Chicken and Pea Soup
Puffball Soup
Puffball Escargots
Grilled Oyster Mushroom
Oyster Mushrooms Mornay
Fairy Ring Mushrooms with Wild Asparagus
Parsley, Lemon and Garlic Mushrooms on Toast
Hummus and Herb Stuffed Mushrooms
Pheasant's Back Jambalaya
Orange Roughy with Platterfuls

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Don Jordan's Inside Outdoors

Don Jordan's Inside Outdoors Audio: Listen to morel hunter
for morel hunting tips.

Tuesday, April 20, 2010

Jerry's Thoughts, Musings, and Rants!: Venison with Morel Sauce and Ramps

Jerry's Thoughts, Musings, and Rants!: Venison with Morel Sauce and Ramps I had mentioned last week that I picked up some morel mushrooms and ramps last Friday. I didn't know what I wanted them for but since their appearance int eh shops is so fleeting I grabbed them immediately. Not unlike the psychosis the overtakers shoppers who see an amazing deal on an item they don't need. reason is tossed aside and you grab what you can!

Which is what I did. There would be time enough to figure out what to do later.

After putting everything away I turned to the largest cookbook on the planet - the internet - to find a recipe that might combine these two spring beauties. I found many risotto and pasta recipes but I was craving something more. Then I found this recipe for venison with morel mushroom sauce and thought that the ramps would pair brilliantly with it.

2010 Minnesota morel update

2010 Minnesota morel update

It sure looks like morel mushroom time. Lilac bushes are blooming, apple trees are blossoming, and dandelions have taken over everywhere. For the most part, temperatures have been right where they need to be. There has been some cool nights, but not too bad. Ground temperature have been great too, especially on south facing slopes. We are missing just one key element. Rain! The majority of Minnesota is really dry, and if we could just get some rain the morels would explode.

Woods about to fill up with morel hunters - Cheboygan, MI - Cheboygan Daily Tribune

Woods about to fill up with morel hunters - Cheboygan, MI - Cheboygan Daily Tribune
Cheboygan, Mich. —

The warm weather forecast for this week could bring with it an early morel season.
Mushroom hunting draws people to Northern Michigan in droves, but if the right precautions aren’t taken during the harvest, the future of mushroom picking could be bleak.

Plat du Jour: Baked Wild Mushroom Risotto | Red Room

Plat du Jour: Baked Wild Mushroom Risotto | Red Room

As I'd never eaten risotto before this evening, and I've never been overly fond of mushrooms, I thought kicking off with a mushroom risotto would be an adventurous start to this culinary quest. This turned out to be incredibly easy to make and made the flat smell incredible. It also made me a bit tipsy. Admittedly, this might be because the Madeira made its way to the measuring jug via a stop off at my wine glass.

Monday, April 19, 2010

The Morels are Coming!! « Autonomy Acres

The Morels are Coming!! « Autonomy Acres

What a great day it has been. We were down at my in-laws visiting and loading up on rotted horse manure, and talking about the weather, a very Minnesotan topic to talk about. So far this spring everything seems to be happening about two weeks early. The garlic is four inches tall, the hops are up, dandelions are already flowering, there are flower buds on the apple trees, the asparagus is popping up, and I found the first morel of the season.

Dick Martin: Mushroom time nears in this area | mansfieldnewsjournal.com | Mansfield News Journal

Dick Martin: Mushroom time nears in this area | mansfieldnewsjournal.com | Mansfield News Journal

It's been a strange spring so far, first snow and cold, then a long series of warm, almost hot days with plenty of rain.

With that kind of situation, I'm wondering if the spring morel mushroom season might be starting a couple of weeks early this year?

Any other Morel/wild mushrooms hunters on the MRMB? - Modern Radio Messageboard

Any other Morel/wild mushrooms hunters on the MRMB? - Modern Radio Messageboard

Any other Morel/wild mushroom hunters on the MRMB? Just wondering because the Morels are starting to pop so heads up, I found some little ones by 9 Mile Creek in Bloomington that were the size of a penny so not full grown but it has rained so maybe they will be full grown in a week or so. On the other hand it is still kind of cold. I've always found them to be ready to pick at exactly the same time as Lilacs bloom, which is always right towards the end of April. Dead/dying elms are the best places to look but they are harder than all get out to see initially, poke around under leaf cover and stuff.

Panera Bread › Recipes › Wild Mushroom Stuffing

Panera Bread › Recipes › Wild Mushroom Stuffing

Morel mushrooms | Ingredients | Food & Wine

Morel mushrooms | Ingredients | Food & Wine

Morel mushrooms
18 Recipes with Morel mushrooms
1
Asparagus Soup with Roasted Shallots and Morels

2
Asparagus-Morel Risotto

3
Chicken with Morels and Tarragon Cream Sauce

4
Creamed Wild Mushrooms on Toast with Thyme

5
Farfalle with Morels and Fresh Pea Sauce

6
Foshee's Striped Bass with Caramelized Onion Sauce

7
Goodell's Roasted Pork Belly with Asparagus, Morels and Peas

8
Green Asparagus with Morel Hollandaise Sauce

9
Hazelnut-Crusted Pork Chops With Morel Sauce

10
Lemony Chicken Fricassee with Shallots and Morels

11
Morel and Sweet Pea Risotto

12
Morel Cream Sauce

13
Morel, Shiitake and Yellowfoot Mushroom Ragout with Okra, Ramps and Rosemary

14
Pan-Roasted Pork Chops with Madeira Sauce

15
Roast Beef Tenderloin with Morel Cream Sauce

16
Roasted Turkey with Foie Gras and Prune Gravy

17
Siegel's Lamb Chops with Fava Beans and Potato Gnocchi

18
Spring Vegetable Potpies

Friday, April 16, 2010

How to make Wild Mushroom Risotto | eHow.com

How to make Wild Mushroom Risotto | eHow.com This is a great traditional mushroom risotto. It's not too complicated and a good first risotto recipe to try if you haven't made it before. Try it and Enjoy!

Too Much Information: SWB Community Table delights

Too Much Information: SWB Community Table delightsWild mushroom raviolis served with a morel sauce.

How to Find Morel Mushrooms in Ohio State Parks | Travel Tips - USATODAY.com

How to Find Morel Mushrooms in Ohio State Parks | Travel Tips - USATODAY.com

According to Ohio State University Extension, there are more than 2,000 kinds of wild mushrooms that grow in the state. Of these, the morel is one of the first that you can collect in spring. The morel, which is also called the sponge mushroom because of its spongy cap, are most abundant from the first part of April to the first part of May in many Ohio State Parks. You must take great care when hunting morels, because there are some poisonous mushrooms, such as the false morel, that grow in the same conditions and look similar.

Audio: Morel Mushroom Hunting – On The Prowl For Elusive Sponge Mushrooms @SpokenWord.org

Audio: Morel Mushroom Hunting – On The Prowl For Elusive Sponge Mushrooms @SpokenWord.org
As morel hunting season approaches, Earth Eats talks with expert Ron Kerner about how to hunt, identify and prepare morel mushrooms

bcrnews.com | Morel Mushroom Festival May 1

bcrnews.com | Morel Mushroom Festival May 1

WYOMING, Ill. — The Stark County Morel Mushroom Festival will be May 1 in Wyoming, Ill., 40 miles northwest of Peoria.

The festival will feature food, crafts, music, family activities and a morel mushroom auction that will start at 1 p.m. The festival will run from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Mushroom sellers are to register for the auction from 9 to 11 a.m. Morels to be auctioned must be in clear 8-ounce bags, cleaned, but not washed. A $2 fee will be charged per bag. A drawing will be held after 11 a.m. to determine selling positions.

A Liar’s Contest will be featured in two sessions, at 10 a.m. and noon. Liars will vie with their best tall tale for cash prizes. Pre-registration ($10 entry fee) is recommended since the number of contestants will be limited.

Ohio Morel - April 14, 2010 : Morels Blog - Morels and Mushroom Hunting

Ohio Morel - April 14, 2010 : Morels Blog - Morels and Mushroom Hunting Ohio Morel - April 14, 2010 - East Liberty, 4-14-10 Photo with comments from other shroomers.

How to find Morel Mushrooms | iPhone-Fun

How to find Morel Mushrooms | iPhone-Fun ONe of the best videos on hunting for morels.

Mid Missouri Morels and Mushrooms: Give and Ye Shall Receive - The Morel Hunters Retirement Plan



Mid Missouri Morels and Mushrooms: Give and Ye Shall Receive - The Morel Hunters Retirement Plan. This blog is dedicated to hunting edible wild mushroom in Mid-Missouri. Excellent Missouri Season Report Map.

Fungus Among Us « Carman's Crossings

Fungus Among Us « Carman's Crossings

Spring marks the commencement of a favorite pastime for many Midwesterners—mushroom hunting. About this time of year, hordes of folks grab their plastic bags and pit their wits against that delicacy of delicacies–the illusive morel mushroom. What possesses people to walk around in the woods in search of a pockmarked fungus that lives an all-too-brief life on the forest floor? Well, if you’ve ever participated in a feast of battered and fried morel mushrooms, you already know the answer.

Festival mushrooms with more than morels | mushroom, festival, newton - Entertainment - The Telegraph

Festival mushrooms with more than morels | mushroom, festival, newton - Entertainment - The Telegraph
GRAFTON - Piasa Winery and Pub knows a good thing when it pops up - such as mushrooms.

The seventh annual Piasa Winery Mushroom Festival brings many gourmet mushroom-seeking visitors to the tourist town every year. The festival is from 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday, April 25, at Piasa Winery and Pub at 225 W. Main St.

Music starts at noon for the Mushroom Festival with Tim Buck Two and Resonation Station. When the festival officially starts at 1 p.m., regional chefs will prepare mushroom dishes containing all kinds of mushroom varieties for the Mushroom Cook-Off. Visitors get to taste the chefs' best mushroom dishes and have a glass of wine in the tasting tent for $10. Visitors vote for the chef of their choice in determining the winner of the Cook-Off. There also will be a Biggest and Smallest Mushroom Contest and vendors.

Thursday, April 15, 2010

Indicator Trees for Finding Morel Mushrooms

Indicator Trees for Finding Morel Mushrooms Print out this pdf page of trees associated with morel mushrooms.

Wild Mushroom Duxelles – Tasty Kitchen

Wild Mushroom Duxelles – Tasty Kitchen A classic culinary method that combines mushrooms and shallots into an intensely flavoured stuffing, sauce, spread, pizza topping, pasta filling, etc. Ideas anyone?

Wild Leek and Mushroom Risotto « Living locally, one place at a time…

Wild Leek and Mushroom Risotto « Living locally, one place at a time… What we did with all the wild leeks we found, including photos.

Amy's Quest to Skinny: Easy Wild Mushroom Tortellini

Amy's Quest to Skinny: Easy Wild Mushroom Tortellini

My girlfriend Amie and I had a sleepover last weekend, and she whipped up this amazing dish. I replicated it over the weekend, and its definitely worth sharing!

The Great Morel - Morel Mushroom Links



The Great Morel - Morel Mushroom Links

Morel and other recipes related to morel



Morel and other recipes related to morel mushrooms, with great photos.

Morel Recipes, food pairings, morels with scallops

Morel Recipes From the Nibble, gourmet food magazine:
* Cooking With Morels
* Food Pairings
* Recipe: Morels With Scallops & Asparagus
* Recipe: Mushroom, Ramp & Spinach Tart

Morels

Morels Part i of an article on morel mushrooms: overview of morels. a popular ingredient in soups and sauces...

Morel Mushroom Sauce and Fresh Egg Tagliatelle- Adventures in Shaw

Morel Mushroom Sauce and Fresh Egg Tagliatelle- Adventures in Shaw ..... Oh my god! I am almost at a complete loss for words (notice I said almost) and it’s all because of these earthy, hearty beauties! I know you were wondering when I was going to get around to cooking with my coveted morel prize and I can tell you, it’s been worth the wait!....

Wild mushroom soups and sauces with morel mushrooms and more by Forest to Fork Wild Mushroom Products



Wild mushroom soups and sauces with morel mushrooms and more by Forest to Fork Wild Mushroom Products
Shipped to anywhere in the world. Soups, chutneys, seasonings, dried mushroom powders.

Living, Learning and Loving my Life: Morel Mushroom hunting

Living, Learning and Loving my Life: Mushroom hunting

...I guess the mushrooms we were hunting were called Morel Mushrooms. Suppose to be really good eatin' if you enjoy that kind of thing. I found the first mushroom and I found the most mushrooms!! And I was the newbie!!...

Slow Food in a Fast Food World: It's Mushroom Season!

Slow Food in a Fast Food World: It's Mushroom Season!

It's morel mushroom season! For a few weeks every spring, these little gifts grow in the woods. I'm lucky enough to have a small mushroom patch on my property. Morels are rare and many mushroom hunters keep their hunting grounds secret. Morels, like many wild mushrooms, cannot be cultivated....

UIUC Urban Planners: Mushroom hunting this Saturday?

UIUC Urban Planners: Mushroom hunting this Saturday?

Mushroom hunting is a big deal in Iowa, Indiana, Kentucky, Missouri, and, of course, Illinois. People have their secret spots, known to produce a ton of mushrooms, about which they won't even tell their spouses or children. Someone who can find a grocery bag full is a saint in their household.

I'm thinking about heading up the state forest east of Ludlow on Friday afternoon, weather permitting.....

Morel Mushroom Hunting

Morel Mushroom Hunting

LINCOLN, Neb. – A spring ritual that many Nebraskans look forward to is fast-approaching – morel mushroom hunting.

Morels begin to appear in mid- to late-April. They are not only delicious to eat, they are easy to find. The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission has a few simple pointers that may result in a bucketful in no time ... read more at link above...

Morel Season Means Great Northern Michigan Getaways - My North - April 2010 - Northern Michigan

Morel Season Means Great Northern Michigan Getaways - My North - April 2010 - Northern Michigan A great listing of morel mushroom events planned in Michigan - guided tours, mushroom festivals in Mesick and Boyne

Tuesday, April 13, 2010

Tell me about morel mushroom hunting - The Something Awful Forums

Tell me about morel mushroom hunting - The Something Awful Forums

Edible Wild Mushrooms – Morels, Puffballs, Chanterelles and More

There are several varieties of easily distinguishable, edible mushrooms, with none more well-known than the morel -- a fungus, rather than a mushroom. While each has a distinct growing season and distinct locale, they all form a family of delectable wild foods that re much sought after, like the French truffle.

The most distinguishable of the edible mushrooms is the puffball – a globe-shaped mushroom that can grow to soccer ball size, and has a delightfully woody flavour. The favourite growing site of this mushroom is on dung heaps, in wood chips and rotting tree mulch, and near sunlit pastures. It is best eaten before the interior begins to turn from solid white to brown to black. Be sure that your pick is truly a puffball, and has no stalk growing inside. It should be firm and light-colored inside. Puffballs begin to develop in late spring & early summer, producing into the early fall.

The next morel cousin is the shaggy mane, a morel-shaped mushroom with upward-turning scales and a dusty brown color. It grows from spring until summer, to a height of 4-6”, preferring open air and meadows to the mottled lighting of a woodland. Shaggy manes are distinguishable by their tendency to break easily when handled.

Chanterelles are another delicacy with a flavour not unlike morels. Although found in summer and fall, they like similar soil conditions. Imagine a trumpet with its mouth facing skyward, and you’ll have an image of the beige to brown chanterelle mushroom.

One of the most unusually shaped fungi is the hen-of-the-woods, a growth found at the base of decaying trees that looks almost identical to a reddish hen with ruffled tail feathers. This delightful mushroom can be found in late spring and early summer. Catch it early and young, though, to ensure that it has not developed a woody texture.

Of course, one of the earliest edible mushrooms is the oyster mushroom which can often be found even as the snows just begin to melt. Growing on the sides of dead trees, these beautiful white clusters offer an early taste of the mushroom harvests to follow.

Other mushrooms and fungi can be edible, including shelf mushrooms, often found growing on decaying trees in shaded woodlands. However, many of the standard umbrella-type mushrooms have deadly sisters, while others (such as the shelf mushroom) may be edible, yet have bland taste, or tough textures.

Without a doubt, the many varieties of morels, though, are the most sought-after, during their mid-spring harvest season. Alongside them you will find a variety of fungi, most of which are not toxic, but are not the equal of the morel as a spring wild harvest treat.

Morel mushrooms have a rich, creamy flavor that is deliciously earthy, nutty, steak-like- and it’s this awesome taste that makes the morel mushroom No.1 with wild mushroom hunters worldwide. Article written by Jim Briggs.

Saturday, April 03, 2010

Edible Mushroom Identification | Garden Guides

Edible Mushroom Identification | Garden Guides

Overview

Edible mushroom identification is risky business. Many mushrooms are similar in appearance; telling a poisonous mushroom from an edible one can be difficult without guidance from an experienced mushroom hunter. Understanding the basics of edible mushrooms and common the pitfalls of edible mushroom identification can help keep you from picking mushrooms that might make you sick.

Tips For Mushroom Hunters

Tips For Mushroom Hunters

Nebraska gives tips to mushroom hunters as the season approaches.

Morel hunters refuse to reveal favorite sites | News-Leader.com | Springfield News-Leader

Morel hunters refuse to reveal favorite sites | News-Leader.com | Springfield News-Leader

Why come on over here, and i will show you the mushroom motherlode....

Distinguishing Morel Mushrooms From the Deadly False Morels

Distinguishing Morel Mushrooms From the Deadly False Morels

While morels are considered to be one of the most distinguishable fungi in North America, and are thought to be almost universally non-toxic, each year there are reported incidents of allergic, toxic and fatal incidents involving these mushroom-like delicacies. However, in most cases, reactions are not from morels, but from the morel's evil cousins.

Many members of the mushroom family have relations that look like safe, edible mushrooms, but are deadly or disagreeable. Morel look-alikes are almost non-existent. However, there are a few fungi with which you should exercise caution. Unfortunately, these second cousins, known as "false morels," tend to grow near, and in the same conditions as morels.

Perhaps the most frequently encountered morel imitator is the "brain mushroom." The brain mushroom has a wrinkled, rather than pitted or honeycombed surface. Its dark brown stout body and bulbous, brain shape make it relatively easy to distinguish from true morels. It tends to "slime" quicker than morels due to its interior spore makeup, and does not have the same nutty taste as the morel. But if it is toxic, how will you know what it tastes like? In past centuries, many brain mushrooms were sold in marketplaces, cooked and consumed with little ill effect. However, for many people, there is no toxic or allergic reaction. Unfortunately, what was edible yesterday has been known to kill people the next day. For many, the symptoms are no worse than mild diarrhea or upset stomach.

Harder to distinguish are look-alikes for the half-cap morel, whose tapered cap is held to the stem only by a band at the top of the stem, half-way up the cap. Again, though, this false morel has a wrinkled surface, rather than honeycombed.

The "Big Red" false morel is generally found in south eastern USA, and is distinguished by its bright colors. Most morels tend to be colored similarly to the leafy carpets in which they are found, which will help to distinguish "Big Red" from true morels.

Generally, even the imitators do not produce a severe reaction in most consumers of morels. Unlike many mushrooms with their extreme and deadly toxicity, false morels are more likely to cause upset, rather than intense reaction. Many people are spooked by the possibility of poisoning, and will shy away from any wild fungi. Some avoid any variation in size or coloration. But morels in poor conditions, or varying soil types, or even climatic conditions, will produce varying results. Some yellow morels, found growing in gravelly trailside soils in Manitoba, are of a gray color, while some growing in the willowy drainage ditch sites in Minnesota are tall and spindly, with an elfin morel (false morel) look. Classic black morels growing in the rich red soils of the Dakotas have taken on a reddish tinge like the "Big Red." Yet, all are true, edible morels.

The key is to exercise both caution in picking, and moderation in consumption. Aside from a very few imitators, there is no need to fear morels.

Morel mushrooms have a rich, creamy flavor that is deliciously earthy, nutty, steak-like- and it's this awesome taste that makes the morel mushroom No.1 with wild mushroom hunters worldwide.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jim_Briggs

Snowmelt has mushroom hunter ready for heat - Nebraska City, NE - Nebraska City News-Press

Snowmelt has mushroom hunter ready for heat - Nebraska City, NE - Nebraska City News-Press

A morel mushroom is plucked from the "morel forest" near Nebraska City in 2006.

Mishmash Melange: scallops with morel sauce

Mishmash Melange: scallops with morel sauce

Yumm, don-t you just love it when morels are in season_