Mushroom Hunting Season is drawing nigh!

[Chimera]

Around here, it's Morels, which like others said, appear in spring. That'd be April and May in this location.

One the subject of Morels... I see 1 ounce packages of dried Morels in the upscale grocery store. Walked by them all the time before deciding that I had to go get some. I grab a package and find that they're not marked. Look around a bit and finally find the price sticker.

$16.95

For one freaking OUNCE of dried Morels.



Um....no. At that price, I'll wait until next spring and make the effort to go out and find some, thank you.

 

[Mycanid]

Folks have been trying to perform "controlled growths" of many types of mushrooms for a LONG time ... including the highly respectable and elegant morel. Most of the time it has been a crashing failure. This is part of the reason why they are so expensive. The other is simply that they are a delectable delicacy!

Morels seem to be especially love to grow in grounds that have been burned. In France, for example, they deliberately go out and "control burn" certain areas DELIBERATELY to grow the morels. Nearby where I live where I have found some of these critters - black ones that look like pine cones at a distance and so are hard to spot - was in a place where there had been a lightning strike fire some years before.

When I cooked it up my guests RAVED over it ... but to me it tasted like I was eating sand. Go figure.

 

[crystal]

I forgive your remark as I remember that you live in Texas ... not particularly known as a thriving field for hunting fungus eh? Would I be right in guessing that an experienced mycophile has never brought you along on a hunt?

By the way ... some excellent books on the subject (especially for those from Cali) are:

Mushrooms Demystified http://www.amazon.com/Mushrooms-Demystified-Comprehensive-Guide-Fleshy/dp/0898151694

and

All that the Rain Promises and More
http://www.amazon.com/That-Rain-Pro...83/ref=pd_sim_b_1/002-9597066-0332845?ie=UTF8

Both are by David Arora, a West Coast authority and teacher of mycology. He has a wonderful sense of humor and has a genuine love for the subject.

lol, I am from Texas also. I know what toadstools are and what tha trippy kinds are...I really dont think you can eat many around here unless you want to see pretty colors....lol.....

 

[Jdvn1]

I forgive your remark as I remember that you live in Texas ... not particularly known as a thriving field for hunting fungus eh?

Definitely not. We do have mushrooms that grow around this time of year, but hunting them? Hardly. I imagine it's akin to birdwatching, but over here it sounds more like grasswatching.

Would I be right in guessing that an experienced mycophile has never brought you along on a hunt?

Yep. You'd even be right in guessing that I've never heard of a mycophile.

By the way ... some excellent books on the subject (especially for those from Cali) are:

Mushrooms Demystified http://www.amazon.com/Mushrooms-Demystified-Comprehensive-Guide-Fleshy/dp/0898151694

and

All that the Rain Promises and More
http://www.amazon.com/That-Rain-Pro...83/ref=pd_sim_b_1/002-9597066-0332845?ie=UTF8

Both are by David Arora, a West Coast authority and teacher of mycology. He has a wonderful sense of humor and has a genuine love for the subject.

Out of sheer curiosity, I will more than likely look for these books.

 

[Mycanid]

Well JDVN - I must admit that I found it kinda hard to get really into mushroom hunting unless there were immediate specimens nearby.

But, all this aside the books ARE quite enjoyable (and funny - although I guess you have to have a certain kind of a sense of humor) and their identification tables are the best I have found anywhere. The pictures are beautiful too.

And by the way - it is absolutel NOTHING like birdwatching. I do that too - although nowhere near as much as mushroom hunting. The two are as different as mangos and asparagus!

A mycophile is someone who is a friend or "fan" (phile from the Greek "philia") to or of mushrooms (myco being the latin root word for it I think). Ergo, the DnD beastie "myconid" is simply latin for "fungus man".

Crystal - yes. Generally a good idea to avoid the toadstools and the hallucinagenic versions. More people in here from Texas! I have a friend who just visited the other day from Texas and, come to think of it, I don't ever remember her saying anything about Texas being the "happy hunting grounds" of mushroom hunters....

 

[jaerdaph]

Well, Italian white truffles have arrived in NYC, so I'm a happy fungo-phile.

 

[Mycanid]

Holy smokes!

Yesterday I harvested the first 1/4 of the first find and this morning I cooked it up in oil liberally seasoned with salt, pepper and garlic.... WOW! I am not a very consistent mushroom cooker, but this tasted like ... like ... well, AMAZING.

What a pity I could not send some of it to all of you! Teleportation devices not forthcoming any time soon though (as far as I know) all I can do is rant and rave about it here in the forums. I haven't tasted a mushroom that good in a really lng time. I'll try again this evening with the 2/4 of the first find.

 

[Mycanid]

Aaannnnndddddd ... today we had out first real rain. More like a continuous light mist. I live a little less than 3000 feet above sea level, and so often wake up in the morning to find myself awash in a sea of clouds. It makes the ground smell lovely.

One of my favorite things to do is go for a walk in the clouds and just breathe and smell deeply! I LOVE the smell of earth that has been newly rained on. And in the mist and clouds I find that I can actually BREATHE clearly for a change.

All this aside, this is ideal weather for mushroom growth ... I will have to be patient and continue to keep my eyes peeled.

 

[dragonhead]

three words.

Badger
Badger
Badger

for those who dont get it,

www.badgerbadgerbadger.com

 

[Mycanid]

Errr ... :\ ... yeah.

Strange.