A Mushroom Machine
Hopefully you can enlarge the above photo enough to see the morel mushrooms hidden like easter eggs everywhere. It is what I call a mushroom machine and I probably picked over 30 large yellow mushrooms within the frame of this picture. It is not something I find every year but when I do, I am thankful. This one tree alone filled up both the bags we had brought with us so I had to carry those two bags back to the car about a half mile away and bring to more bags which we filled maybe half way. It was my best year in a LONG time for morel mushroom hunting.
It is hard to show scale of our haul but this is the largest mixing bowl we own and it is full to the top of morel mushrooms, mostly yellow ones this time around. They are soaking for a bit right now and later tonight I'll cut them in half to check for bugs but seeing that it is still a week or before I normally find them, we saw very few bugs and absolutely no ticks which in a typical year can coincide with the latter parts of mushroom hunting season.
This is way more mushrooms than we will be able to eat since only my wife and I eat them so I'll likely give half of them away to make some friends.
We found them at a place I've never hunted before but one I know fairly well. In fact, this is the very field that I helped my father burn maybe a month earlier. See how green it is as the native grasses have started growing!
Below is the same field seconds after burning though I'm at the complete opposite corner that the above picture was taken. The woods you see in far background of the picture below are where I hunted mushrooms this outing. It was full of multiflora rose which is an invasive plant full of razor sharp thorns looking to rip your clothes and skin so it wasn't the easiest hunting but when mushrooms about, one deals with the pain from the thorns.
We ended up wearing out before we searched even half of what is prime habitat for mushrooms on that farm. So we carried our full bags back to the car and drove home. I'm sure there are lots more we left behind but hopefully they spread their spore and multiply for next year.
The morel of the story is probably to get out early. Hey, I’m trying.
ReplyDeleteThe last few years, I've had very few morels when mushroom hunting. So this year is a nice change for my morale.
DeleteHa! Your morel morale has improved! I like that.
DeleteDad jokes are timeless!
DeleteWow Ed! That seems like quite a haul this year.
ReplyDeleteIt was a great year for me. It restores my confidence in mushroom hunting that will likely carry forward another year or two.
DeleteThat is an absolute jackpot! Finding over 30 under one tree really does make it a 'mushroom machine.' It’s great that you beat the ticks and bugs this year, too. Enjoy the feast (and the status of being the most popular friend in town with your mushroom giveaways)!
ReplyDeleteEvery year, I usually pick off a tick or two from my clothes before they become attached and then spend the next two or three days fighting mental issues of feeling like I have ticks on my skin even if I don't. So this year it was nice to not have either of those issues while feasting on fried mushrooms.
DeleteTicks, OMG. I have such an irrational fear of them since I've never (yet) seen one or had one on me. That's quite a mushroom haul. Do you cook them and eat them by themselves or add them to dishes?
DeleteI use tick spray which slows them down when they do get on my clothing and when they are out, I periodically stop and do a sweep and pick them off. Although they are bad here during the summer, through just prudence and the above described procedure, I honestly can't remember the last time I've been bit but it is likely well over a decade, probably closer to two decades. But with all the diseases they carry, it is wise to be fearful and vigilant.
DeleteWe mostly lightly bread and fry them, eating them as a side dish. In years like this one where we have lots, I will sauté some of them and add them to other dishes like an omelet or similar.
Congratulations! I would love to try these but I am also happy enough with my favorite - shiitake mushrooms.
ReplyDeleteShiitake mushrooms are good but nowhere near as flavorful as the morel.
DeleteWow, congratulations! I've never hunted mushrooms, so this is interesting. Also interesting is the controlled burn.
ReplyDeleteI've heard that morels can grow almost anywhere in the U.S. with proper soil and moisture but I think the most likely areas to find them have traditionally been in the Midwest through to the east coast and up through the Northeast.
DeleteI've never had one. They look like inside-out mushrooms. Linda in Kansas
ReplyDeleteThey remind me of brains on stems.
DeleteI see them in the photo! Since I don't think they grow down here, I didn't know what to look for.
ReplyDeleteEnjoy!!
I’ve heard people who have found them in central Arkansas anyway. I’ve tried searching for them down there but have never found any.
DeleteI was back in Michigan last week and did some hikes in likely places. Saw lots of wildflowers and birds, but no morels. But then, it's probably just a bit early for them there.
ReplyDeleteI usually go by Facebook. When friends start posting pictures of finding morels, I know it is time to look!
DeleteWe had a good year. The grandson gives plenty of them to us.
ReplyDeleteI need a grandson like yours so I can have a regular supply!
DeleteHoly smokes! That's amazing! I've heard of them of course, but never had them. Do they have a distinctive taste? Do you eat them raw or in a salad or fried in butter? Wait a minute. I just looked it up. You MUST NOT eat them raw because they can really make you sick? Yikes!
ReplyDeleteI guess I have never heard that eating them raw makes one sick but then, I have never eaten one raw either. Most of the time, we lightly bread them in seasoned flour and fry them as a side dish but in times of plenty such as this year, I have sauteed them with a little butter and added them to various dishes. The flavor is unlike anything I have ever tasted so I can't really describe it for you. They are umami on steroids compared to a typical mushroom you buy in a store.
DeleteOops! I just saw your previous replies on how you prepare them. They must be truly awesome.
ReplyDeleteThey are, enough that I use gallons of gas and countless hours to find them.
DeleteEd, I'm glad for you. I know morel harvesting looked pretty bleak earlier on. So this is a lovely discovery.
ReplyDeleteIt was a very nice year for a change.
DeleteNice!! The green looks great on that previous burned field!
ReplyDeleteIt is always nice to see and makes walking back to my mushroom spots easier.
DeleteWe used to morel hunt when we lived in Wisconsin. While there are reports of some out here, I think it is just too dry to have them in any numbers.
ReplyDeleteThey grow in a lot of states but I’ve only had luck finding them on my home turf.
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