Morels are out
General Topic
Was out “Social Distancing” today and found these.........will taste good for dinner with elk tonight!
We need a good shot of rain here. Pretty dry right now.
Been finding a few myself.
Where is the best place to look ? Never hunted them before.
Some guys say around Ash or Elm trees. I’ve found them everywhere. Today was on east facing slopes. Who knows.
Around large cedar trees on field edges.
Dave.... I would split them in two, lengthwise, and soak them in salt water for a few hours. That seems to help get rid of any bugs. Then rinse them with fresh water. If you don’t cook them right away, I would put them in the fridge with a couple of wet paper towels over the top of them.
My favorite way to prepare them is to dip them in egg wash, roll them in crushed saltine cracker crumbs, then fry them in butter. I throw some Tony Chachere’s Cajun seasoning in the crumbs as well.
LB.......I find most of mine around dying elm trees. A mostly live tree, with some dead limbs seem to produce best for me.
Dying elm trees are killer locations. Here in CO we'll find them around riverbottom cottonwoods in a couple weeks. Then the black morels pop at the end of May in the mountains where there is a mix of standing dead beetlekill pine (or recent fires) and live aspens. Morels like to feed on decaying tree roots.
If you find some, DON'T EVER TELL ANYONE where they are. That person will promise to keep it secret, and will only tell one other person. And that person.. Your spot will be ruined forever.
Under fresh dead elms, recent logged areas, old railroad lines through wooded areas. South facing well drained slopes.
Talking about your mushroom hot spot is worse than tell about you elk honey hole! Mums the word!
Found a few in northern illinois but the next week should be better as we are having a warm weekend. Also found some "Ramps or Leaks". I dont have much experience with these. Anybody else pick them and what do you do with them.
Hey Ken.......where in northern Illinois do you live? I’m in Crystal Lake.
Dave, we've found way too many this year also. Over the years, I've tried various ways to store them. Drying works pretty well, but the morels will be quite "limp" when you re-hydrate them later. Ok for soups or stews. But if you want fried morels later, the best method for me has been to prepare them as if you're about to fry (i.e., roll the halves in a light coating of flour or whatever batter you prefer, and shake off the excess). Then spread them out on a large cookie sheet covered in wax paper, and freeze. Once frozen hard, slide them into a zip lock bag and place back in the freezer for later use. The beauty of this technique is that when you're ready to use them, they can be dropped directly from the bag, still frozen, into hot oil. They'll last a few months in the freezer.
Use the greens in salads or cook with them they go great with steak.Taste is a cross between garlic and onion.We generally don’t dig up the roots that way they will be there for years to come good luck and stay safe Lewis
Something else you might consider doing with the excess mushrooms (you may have already done this, too) is to give some batches to some older folks that can no longer get out to hunt them any longer. 2-3 big messes of shrooms is about all I want to eat in the spring. I had several elderly people that I’d give a package or 2 of cleaned mushrooms to every spring. They were very appreciative of the small gesture. Unfortunately, a couple of them have passed away recently.
My dad picked 586 this morning. I'm headed over to get my share in just a few minutes. My dad keeps me in them every year. As I couldn't find one tied to a pink elephant it seems. But, he spots them with some kind of paranormal radar.
It will be a few weeks till we see them up here, can't wait!
fastflight,
You got ramps and morels! Dirty dog you!
You can flash the ramps in something like bacon grease to kill the wild taste in them. I think that’s ridiculous, but people have been known to do it.
You can eat every bit of that - head to tail. Chop them up with taters and fry, or go raw with eggs and steak. Those are my two faves.
My oldest brother ate enough ramps that the school called mom and dad to come get him the next day. They said he stunk too bad. Lol
Also, when digging the ramps, it’s a myth that you have to leave the roots behind on all of them.
Just don’t dig more than half your patch any given year. That’s how we’ve always done it, to play it safe. I’ve seen patches we dug for years get hit hard by other “finders” and they still came back, too, though. We just always dig conservatively.
fastflight for the win!!!!!!!!
Earlier I posted this pic of a Porcini mushroom, which is arguably a more sought after mushroom than the Morel, and can be found thru-out the Rocky Mountains, but my post was deleted. What's up with that?
I wasn't being confrontational, I was just providing another delicious option for mushroom lovers to look for.
Matt
Thanks for the responses about Ramps. I cut the leaves and added them to a salad. Ate some raw and chopped some up and through in with eggs this morning. I thought they definitely are more like garlic than an onion. That garlicky taste stays for a while. Lol
I have never hunted for them. I live in an oak woods and see lots of mushrooms in the Fall but have been afraid to eat them but the deer love them. They are white. I rains here almost every day. I am getting lots of asparagus from my garden, does that count?
fastflight - You have recipe for ramps?
Zbone, this is the first year I have ever found Ramps so I dont have any recipe's. I just listened to Lewis and Panther Bones advice from earlier in ppst.post
Cut the greens off, chop the bulbs, put them in with any meat you are frying. Great with taters too
Leave the greens on, put them on a cookie sheet, brush with olive oil, sprinkle some salt and pepper on them, place them in oven on broil until the leaves are tender. Eat as a side dish or use them to garnish any meal. They are incredible this way.
Cut the bulbs off the greens, stuff canning jars with them, make or buy a packet of dill pickle brine, pour the jars full, seal, then open bath can them for 15 minutes. It’ll make you happy.
I did find this guy. In the tall grass it might have been a heart attack moment.
I did find this guy. In the tall grass it might have been a heart attack moment.
I can’t find a freaking morel to save my life. I’m convinced they’re like a Sasquatch, everyone talks about them but they don’t actually exist.
Why I asked about Ramps, when I was working down in WV in the early 80s, those hillbillies went crazy for them, groups of people scouring the woods and fields (the little fields they have in that area) for them back then, kinda like the amish hunting shroons around here... Anyhow, Ramps are everywhere around here, and nobody I know of hunts them here... Then last spring the little market here started selling them for $4 a pound... Heck you could almost make a living off them...8^)
I found snakes AND morels the other day. Enjoyed the latter a little more.
I live in WNY... do Morels grow here?
I really have never sought them till reading the Spring threads... plenty of Leaks though.
Getting some much needed rain here. Started last night and supposed to rain all day.
Grey Ghost: I hope to be in your fine state again this August. I certainly will be spending time, when not fishing, looking for some of those. I have always called them Bolete's. They are very good. I will also hunt Chanterelle's, and what the locals call Hawk's Wing. I believe the real name is Scaly Tooth.
TwoDogs,
The Porchini mushroom has all kinds of different names. Porchini is the Italian name. The French call them the "king bolete". German's call them Steinpliz (or stone mushroom).
I love chanterelles, but rarely find them in the woods I roam. Hawks wing always seems a little bitter, to me.
Matt
You boys can keep the shroom's, its asparagus season! :-)
you can't taste the flavor of anything that's coated in bread crumbs/crackers & then fried, if you really want to taste a morel (or anything for that matter) sautee them in butter w/just a touch of salt and serve over venison/elk steaks, now that's good.
I'm sure all the midwestern and southern boys will crow about this statement, but anything that's coated in breading and fried tastes like, well: fried breading......
MT Livin I couldn’t agree more. That’s the only way I’ve ever dine them.
Asparagus season!!....I can smell it now!
Agreed, MT. We put a splash of white wine in our mushroom sauté. The other key, IMO, is to not overcook them. We like them a bit solid still, instead of mushy.
Matt
I saute the little ones in a little evoo and butter but I love the bigger ones breaded and quickly deep fried in peanut oil. I can most definitely taste the unique flavor of the morel just fine either way.
There sure as hell aren’t any in Colorado! Or at least where I’ve spent the last 3 days looking!!
Some from last year
Some from last year
^^^^^Midwest X2
12yds.....I’d bet they’re not showing up there yet. Friends in southern Iowa have been finding them last week, but none here in central Iowa yet. We’ve been really dry, though. We got a little rain a couple of days ago, so I’m thinking they would start popping here this weekend.
Not any in Central MN yet We need a few nights in the mid 50’s then a good rain.
Bam!
Only had an hour to look before dark today but it paid off. Enough to go with elk filets tomorrow.
No warm nights in central MN now for a week or more. Plus we need some moisture as well. So I'm guessing it'll be awhile yet for here. Thanks for the replies.
Found enough to put on my eggs.
Found enough to put on my eggs.
Same spot two days later. Cold snap this weekend will shut it down but after that it’s going to warm way up so they should really be popping.
Two ways I eat Morels Mt livn'. Sauteed in butter with salt and pepper. And baked after being brushed with melted butter or OO and, seasoned with salt and pepper. Any other way masks the absolutely incredible taste of them too much.
Zbone, us hillbillies are dealing with a different ramp from what I've been told by my yankee friends. They have more taste. Seriously, every single one of my friends from Ohio, PA, and New York, who have eaten ramps dug in Southern WV, say the ramps they have are much more bland in taste, after eating ones from these parts. You want good? Brush your ramps, (greens and all) in Olive oil, season with salt and pepper and broil them on high for about 5 minutes. You can't eat enough of them like that.
I’ve read they can be found in the Sierra Nevada range in an area that was burned the year before. I’ve got a couple of spots I’m going to investigate I’m the next week or two. Anyone have any knowledge of this actually being true? Not asking for a spot to look, only asking for confirmation that morels in the Sierra Nevada range is actually a possibility because I’ve never heard anyone talk about morels in my region.
Found some here in NY yesterday. Then it snowed 4-5" last night. Might be a day or two before they pop again.
Anybody in Colorado finding them? I found some oysters yesterday but no morels and I’ve been looking hard
Had a freeze Friday night in northern Illinois and today a little snow was flying. Supposed to start warming up again, so they should be popping up again......hopefully.
Much to my surprise people in Pa have still been getting fresh ones even after a freeze and a bit of snow. Has me scratching my head. I saw some coming out of New York too in the past two days. I’ll be back at it Wednesday through Friday.
UC I have yet to see any in CO while turkey hunting. A lot different than where I grew up in the UP!
Cook mine just like t-roy... if you can't taste the morel flavor when cooked that way I guess it is your problem. Morels aren't used to serve over another dish... that is a waste.
Why you easily can miss them
Why you easily can miss them
Pull back the grass and Wallah!
Pull back the grass and Wallah!
The days catch...
The days catch...
Was out traipsing thru the turkey woods this morning actually looking for asparagus after a less than eventful hunt when lo and behold, I stumbled upon pure gold...never even imagined that I would find them now since I never have this late in the season and the few I had found were old and dry...unfortunately this patch was too, left 3-4 times this many that were no good...Oh to have found them 2-3 days ago! Colorado, approx 4000'
Finally got a nice shot of rain this evening, plus some warm weather scheduled for this weekend. As wkochevar said, they may be harder to find due to the grass and weeds being taller than usual.
When they're old and dry and still on the ground they are usually mostly rotten, not just dehydrated. Plus, they will just crumble in your hand.
I am no expert either but typically the older, drier ones are full of bugs and eaten up as well. Gotta leave a few for seed anyway right?
Still snowing here...no sign of one yet.
"There are old mushroom pickers and there are bold mushroom pickers but there are no old bold mushroom pickers"
So far I have found 4 snakes, some poison oak (didn’t know it grew in Colorado, a tick, and some delicious oysters. I think I’ve given up on morels down low for the year.
Are these things like those Dot’s pretzels y’all talk about so highly?
If so, can’t say I’m missing much. Lol :-)
Finally found a nice little mess. Mushroom fry with some family tomorrow!
Just popped up after the rain
Minneapolis latitude
How do these compare to other Mushrooms like Oyster. They look so good, butter and garlic.
Just received this from friends in Idaho. Looks like a good haul.
"How do these compare to other Mushrooms like Oyster."
There's really no comparison of Morels to any other mushroom. Their flavor is as unique as their shape and texture.
Alive and well in North Dakota
Alive and well in North Dakota
