Morels

[KegRiver]

Originally Posted by panic

Not really sure where I'd even start looking for wild mushrooms. I hike woodland trails regularly and never see any fungi that look edible.

How do you guys even tell what's what?

I think most of us learned from others who knew what to look for. It is the best way.

And, it takes years to become proficient at identifying the local edible varieties.

A few people I know, learned mostly by reading everything the could find on the subject and then experimenting.
I don't recommend that method. There are too many wild mushrooms that look like or similar to edible species.

One mistake can make a person so ill they wish they could die, or in a few instances, can cause death.

Most larger centers have a Mythological society whose members conduct field training outings.
If a person does not have a freind to learn from, these groups can be an exultant option.

[mattpreat]

Found a bunch of these yesterday on my lunch break from work! Completely new to mushroom picking and this would be my first time finding morels. these seem to be the good kind of morel but also seem to be a bit old. What do you guys think, should they be good to eat?



Close up of the inside of one:

[Jim Blake]

Now we have finally got some heat they are starting to pop out.

[calgarychef]

I found a hatful on the weekend. I also found some nice young nettles and combining the two foraged items with some elkmsteak and a bottle of red wine made for a fantastic supper.

[Dmay]

We've been finding mostly Verpas around here. Here's a pic of couple Morels and Verpas.....but does anybody know the story on the two smooth little guys? Just a weird Verpa with no wrinkles, or something altogether different? Don't recall ever seeing these before.


[IMG][/IMG]

[KegRiver]

My books list a number of Verpa species.

Many mushroom pickers recognize the False Morel and think it is a Verpa but the false Morel is in fact a Gyromitra. gyromitra infula or gyromitra esculenta to be exact.

What you have, besides the Black Morels, is most likely a verpa conica or Thimble Mushroom.

My books say they are edible but with caution. It also says some people are sensitive to these.

[KegRiver]

So I tried the Black Morels I picked the other day. I was not impressed.
I simply fried them in butter like I do all the mushrooms I like.

Now the question is, did I cook them wrong or are they an acquired taste?

I guess it doesn't matter really. I won't be picking any more anyhow. The fire has cut off access to my picking spot.

For a person who like Morels, this would have been a gold mine. Where I found them, there was every indication they were just starting to come up yet I had no trouble finding a quart or so in less then two hours. And I've never picked them before. So learning where to look and how to spot them.

[livinthedream]

Originally Posted by KegRiver

So I tried the Black Morels I picked the other day. I was not impressed.
I simply fried them in butter like I do all the mushrooms I like.

Now the question is, did I cook them wrong or are they an acquired taste?

I guess it doesn't matter really. I won't be picking any more anyhow. The fire has cut off access to my picking spot.

For a person who like Morels, this would have been a gold mine. Where I found them, there was every indication they were just starting to come up yet I had no trouble finding a quart or so in less then two hours. And I've never picked them before. So learning where to look and how to spot them.

I'm with you on this Keg. Love wild mushrooms but when I tried Morels I didn't know what the fuss was all about. I cooked them in butter as well. Perhaps someone can weigh in on cooking preparation.

[Red Bullets]

Originally Posted by KegRiver

So I tried the Black Morels I picked the other day. I was not impressed.
I simply fried them in butter like I do all the mushrooms I like.

Now the question is, did I cook them wrong or are they an acquired taste?

I guess it doesn't matter really. I won't be picking any more anyhow. The fire has cut off access to my picking spot.

For a person who like Morels, this would have been a gold mine. Where I found them, there was every indication they were just starting to come up yet I had no trouble finding a quart or so in less then two hours. And I've never picked them before. So learning where to look and how to spot them.

If you didn't like them fried by themselves try adding them to your stews and soups. Morels add a nice earthy flavour.

And you could pick them just to make some extra cash. A dried pound of morels are worth 300 + bucks. Or 20 dollars a fresh pound. Put them on kijiji and someone will be calling. Talk to a local chef and odds are he will buy them too.

[sns2]

I was dog training and saw hundreds of these... are they drying up verpas?



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[Red Bullets]

Originally Posted by sns2

I was dog training and saw hundreds of these... are they drying up verpas?



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Does not look like verpas to me. Looked thru my book and could not find what kind of fungus they are. The stems seem to have remnants of veils. Most mushrooms with veils are poisonous.

[KegRiver]

Originally Posted by sns2

I was dog training and saw hundreds of these... are they drying up verpas?



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What you have there is not a mushroom, it's a fern.

To be more precise, they are emerging Common Horsetail Fern, or what some folks call Pot Scrubber Ferns.

[NKP]

Has anyone found any around Ft McMurray yet?

[sns2]

Originally Posted by KegRiver

What you have there is not a mushroom, it's a fern.

To be more precise, they are emerging Common Horsetail Fern, or what some folks call Pot Scrubber Ferns.

Thank you kindly, sir!

[KegRiver]

Originally Posted by sns2

Thank you kindly, sir!

Glad to help. Nature can be confusing yet infinitely interesting.

As John Acorn used to say, " I'm a nature nut. I'm not afraid to admit I'm wild about the wild things. And I'm proud of it. I'm just a simple case of open and shut. No doubt about it I'm a nature nut."

[Jim Blake]

Picked about a gallon of nice black morels today. Now we have the heat a few showers would be great to bring some more on.

We make a cream sauce with the morels. Begin frying them in butter then add some chopped garlic and cream. Thicken and one bite of AAA Beef and one bite of sauce. FANTASTIC!!

[cheese&quackers]

Originally Posted by NKP

Has anyone found any around Ft McMurray yet?

My parents are up in Fort Mac and my dad went out today and only found a handful. He said he thinks it is too dry

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[timbertom]

My son and I picked 205 blacks today east of saskatoon. If no rain in next couple days that well be end of season for us.well post pics from home computer

[NKP]

Originally Posted by cheese&quackers

My parents are up in Fort Mac and my dad went out today and only found a handful. He said he thinks it is too dry

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Thanks, I'll have to agree. I posted here asking before I drove up, and the drive up certainly showed the area to be dry compared to LLB. Many wetland areas appear to have dropping water levels.

[KegRiver]

It's dangerously dry here.

At 5;00 pm today the county issued an evacuation alert for everyone north of Manning all the way to Twin Lakes and east to the Notikewin River. That includes us.

RCMP and county workers went around and made sure we got the alert and took down our phone numbers. They will call if we have to bug out.

I drove out to the highway to have a look at the fire. It's about six miles from us as of an hour ago, but it's crowning bad and moving fast.
The wind is supposed to change from out of the southwest to out of the north overnight. If that happens we'll be okay. If not, we are directly in the fires path.

The big concern is embers. It is so dry the fire can ignite dozens of new fires five miles or more downwind.

My sister's diary shows only three days without rain in June of 1966.

Thus far we have recorded less then a quarter inch since March this year.