Morels - and other free range fungi

[rowdyhillrambler]

Lunch is now! I came home early, honestly thinking about this thread.. I am eating a salad of about 90% stuff grown here. Mesclun, radish, brussels, Fresh boiled eggs, carrot tops, early onions. Some i cheated, and grew in the green house.

I am going out to shroomin' when i get done. That is a fact. Report back after i ride......

I check here. I'm sure there's a TN board on there. Skeptical show-me-staters get a little anal posting photos of current newspapers and such. Some have even given away spots from which I've benefitted. When's lunch?!?

[einreb]

Shit, you said 'boonies.' My mom went to Union Hill Elementary and graduated from Goodlettsville High. She worked at Bob Galbreaths grocery and grew up on Hitt Lane. Our family farm was there, and i spent more saturday nights at the Union Hill drag strip than anywhere else. Hows that? I know where you from.

First off... Apologies for the sidebar thread, I'll end this soon... but this is a riot. I went to Union Hill Elementary (Home of the Beagles). I grew up going to Galbreath's store. Bob, grew up hiking all over our property and I got a huge kick as a kid to swap stories with him as to where to hunt for morel's and ginseng. He was/is a phenomenal story teller and quite the institution.

Morel note: I like to saute them in butter, onions, bacon... then add in some nearly cooked diced potatoes, then eggs... bake a few minutes 'frittata' style with a little garlic aioli.

[WadePatton]

This one and three more today on my place. These are blacks. No sign of the yellows, they're usually 2-3 weeks later. Only found 4 of these.

+++

Here's the spoils of the hunt:







two avg/normal sized, one small and a HUGE one (for me). I do tend to find more large blacks than yellow/grays. And i find the blacks in smaller, more sparse groups--always earlier. If any blacks are found in yellow/gray prime, then they're well beyond prime, sometimes too far gone altogether.

[jitahs]

two avg/normal sized, one small and a HUGE one (for me). I do tend to find more large blacks than yellow/grays. And i find the blacks in smaller, more sparse groups--always earlier. If any blacks are found in yellow/gray prime, then they're well beyond prime, sometimes too far gone altogether.

Great - Wade is collecting shrooms in his underwear.

[WadePatton]

Great - Wade is collecting shrooms in his underwear.

feel again Slim--when is the last time u has "one size fits all" underwear? and cotton? ewwww.

[jitahs]

feel again Slim--when is the last time u has "one size fits all" underwear? and cotton? ewwww.

Guess I'm projecting. Granny undies work fine for me. Oops...

[maunahaole]

This popped into my email today: Getting

Do you foragers have any worry about stumbling into someone's pot garden or distilling site by accident?

Wade, please do not make us city folks speculate about your underwear.

[spopepro]

Do you foragers have any worry about stumbling into someone's pot garden or distilling site by accident?

Yep. Never wander off trail in a place you don't know well, or at least know who you will run into. Was a major problem for both foraging and mountain biking when I was in the Santa Cruz mountains. The problem isn't "pot gardens" but large scale, gang run pot farms, often occupying park land. I've found traps set, and it scared the shit out of me because I was with my high school kids. Scumbags.

OT: the major interest I have in eliminating prohibition is the hope that it will get those jackasses out of our parks and open spaces. Don't know if it will work, but I hope...

[KittenMeat]

Yep. Never wander off trail in a place you don't know well, or at least know who you will run into. Was a major problem for both foraging and mountain biking when I was in the Santa Cruz mountains. The problem isn't "pot gardens" but large scale, gang run pot farms, often occupying park land. I've found traps set, and it scared the shit out of me because I was with my high school kids. Scumbags.

OT: the major interest I have in eliminating prohibition is the hope that it will get those jackasses out of our parks and open spaces. Don't know if it will work, but I hope...

by jackasses I hope you mean gang-folk and not mountain bikers. They set traps for mountain bikers too. Most of 'them' means Marin NIMBY hiker scum.

[rowdyhillrambler]

We don't really have huge pot gardens around here like they do out west, and surely none of the ones i have seen that are cartel type operations. I have "stumbled" across lots of plants and several stills. But, we have a certain "code of conduct', no worries. A gentleman never squeals. My grandfathers farm borders the Roaring river, and he could smell a pot plant from a mile away. He could stand on the porch, looking out into the valley and tell you if someone was operating within 5 miles. His name was Grover Cleveland and i never heard him called anything but "Sug", like sugar.

When it comes to foraging for plants, shrooms and what not, it gets a little sketchy. We still have a lot of guys around here who make there living in the woods. 'Senging,' shining, foraging.. But, those guys are typically known pretty well, and there territories are understood. You will, however, occasionally hear about someone passing thru, usually some kid or junkie trying to make a quick bill. That is bad form, and handled "in house."

When i was a kid we had an old man who lived next town over. He put 2 girls thru med school, and 1 thru law making liquor. Every couple of years he would get arrested and be put on the front page of the paper. My grandad asked him about it. He said it was the cheapest form of advertising, it lets 'em know you are still in business and still running.

This popped into my email today: Getting

Do you foragers have any worry about stumbling into someone's pot garden or distilling site by accident?

Wade, please do not make us city folks speculate about your underwear.

[spopepro]

by jackasses I hope you mean gang-folk and not mountain bikers. They set traps for mountain bikers too. Most of 'them' means Marin NIMBY hiker scum.

Yeah, no doubt.

Interestingly, a land manager at an official no-mtb location that is frequently utilized by mtb riders admitted in a private meeting that they don't want to get rid of the mtb riders because the traffic keeps the growers, meth cookers, and robin hood types out. Officially condoning mtb, however, was still out of the question. Somewhat related: santa cruz city is building a new multi use trail through a city park specifically to try and help keep down the illegal heroin trade.

Rowdy's got it right. Local control is really the only way to handle wide open spaces, especially as park funds are cut to the bone.

Back on topic (sort of): Wife grabbed a bag full of miners lettuce on her last hike. Will probably cut up some blood orange and dress it really lightly. Love the stuff.

[rowdyhillrambler]

42 caps and counting.... It has been a weird spring here on the plateau. Snow less than 14 days ago.

Nights should be no lower than 40 this week, looking for a serious outbreak of Morels.

I read a good article about Morels. It said that if you are collecting the mushrooms, put them in a burlap bag or potato sack. They spread from spores, so when you are walking they are releasing the spores through the bag... So simple, but something i had not thought of.

Propagation, fools. Harvest your fungi and spread the love.!!!

[Nierman]

42 caps and counting.... It has been a weird spring here on the plateau. Snow less than 14 days ago.

Nights should be no lower than 40 this week, looking for a serious outbreak of Morels.

I read a good article about Morels. It said that if you are collecting the mushrooms, put them in a burlap bag or potato sack. They spread from spores, so when you are walking they are releasing the spores through the bag... So simple, but something i had not thought of.

Propagation, fools. Harvest your fungi and spread the love.!!!

Those recyclable grocery bags work great. I just got back from a little bike recon in a light rain - got deep into the singletrack looking for dying elm and now have a couple spots to return to in a week or so when things start poppin up in here. It's pouring right now. weeeeeeeeee

[bcm119]

Yep. Never wander off trail in a place you don't know well, or at least know who you will run into. Was a major problem for both foraging and mountain biking when I was in the Santa Cruz mountains. The problem isn't "pot gardens" but large scale, gang run pot farms, often occupying park land. I've found traps set, and it scared the shit out of me because I was with my high school kids. Scumbags.

OT: the major interest I have in eliminating prohibition is the hope that it will get those jackasses out of our parks and open spaces. Don't know if it will work, but I hope...

I have the same hope, but it would have to be nationwide, because most of that outdoor cartel-grown weed gets shipped out of state. People around here are too snobby for that stuff. I work for a land management agency and to be honest, our guys know where most of the grows are-- it's just a matter of prioritizing sites and finding the budget to eradicate. They really are devastating to the environment. Anyway, if you want to see what an out-of-the-closet pot garden looks like from the air, just look at Laytonville, CA on a google map satellite view, zoom way in and pan around just west of town. Seems like everyone has their own orchard, but they're not growing apples.

[einreb]

I read a good article about Morels. It said that if you are collecting the mushrooms, put them in a burlap bag or potato sack. They spread from spores, so when you are walking they are releasing the spores through the bag... So simple, but something i had not thought of.

Propagation, fools. Harvest your fungi and spread the love.!!!

Yep, use a mesh bag. I also pick and then lightly tap the caps with my hand where they are picked to possibly shake out some spores, then make sure to toss the rinse water out in a possible grow location.

-B

[WadePatton]

Ran into my "neighbor" (a few ridges over) who gets huge crops every good year. She said 38...



_pounds_

of Blacks this time, of course we're both waiting for the yellows to come in. Rain Wed/Thus should make the Highland Rim East pop with Yellows and Grays. who knows what the loggin' activities will do to my harvest.

[rowdyhillrambler]

38lbs.? Holy shit!

[WadePatton]

This was the haul from Mom's annual morel hunt. Better than last year, but still a bit on the hot/dry side for the weather. I could probably go get this many more if i had another day to kill.

Pretty sure this next rain shower (tonight) is gwan to be too late to help. I'll report if otherwise.

Also, i'm planning to water some patches of forest floor next year to see how that helps. Plumb some soaker hoses to five-gallon buckets i reckon.

[einreb]

Pretty sure this next rain shower (tonight) is gwan to be too late to help. I'll report if otherwise.

ARRRRGGGG..... I'll be in Tennessee in three days! I'm hoping to catch some on the cool side of the hill.

-Bernie

[rowdyhillrambler]

What tailgate is that?