What advice would you give to a newbee... Where to find them When to fing them Recipes What do they taste like preservation And whatever else you know...any and all help will be appreciated
Its going to depend on the area and type of Terrain where you find them. I can only speak for my area and my terrain. I find them in old strip mine ground. The key in my area is to locate sycamore goves, find where the majority of leaves collected on hill sides, might be 70 yrds away. This is where I find the majority of mine. I used to have some non strip mine ground that I dont have access to any more or they have been mined through now and are gone. These areas I really couldnt pin a facotr of where they were at just alot of looking to find them. We eat prob the first 2 batches then I go on a hunting tangent and sell them at a local auction. I get any where to $40.00-$65.00 for a 3/4 gallon bag each. I use this money to help pay for my hunting lease, let the land pay for itself. I like to dip mine in egg, then batter them in KY Cournal batter mix, then fry in hot oil and add a touch of salt. I havent tried to preserve any yet but a guy I work with has told me he does. Im going to try and put some away this spring, ill let you know how it goes.
Everyplace is different. My dads farm they used to grow around old fruit trees in an old abandoned orchard. My farm the key is Live Elm trees. I have found them around Sycamores, oak and cottonwood also. Once you find some you'll know what to look for. They also like moist ground. Right after a spring thunderstorm they seem to pop up everywhere.
Dang those things are HUGE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The mushrooms are pretty big too! :D Thanks for the info ...I am compiling everything you guys and gals say so I know where to start ..
Beat me to it. You cant get a true comparison with those fingers. Crick i just like giving you **** about those fingers. lol
It's my second favorite season behind only deer season. What kind of terrain do you have nearby? Finds have already been reported in TN and as far north as south central IN. I have never followed the TN board so not sure how active it is but here's a link to a forum. http://www.morels.com/forums/forum/tennessee/ might try to do a google search for another one. I can't speak specifically for your area though as I'm not familiar with it. Key thing to go by when starting to look is soil and air temps. Generally in my area after about 5 consecutive nights in the 50's it's a good time to start looking and soil temps at the 4" level get to around 50 degrees. Trillium will be just leafing and budding out but not in bloom, may apples will be about 6-10" tall and a snake or two never hurts knowing they're up or really close. As the temps start to rise then the yellows start popping, trillium will be in full bloom other mushrooms will be abundant and the buffalo gnats are horrid. A good season will have seasonal temps and hopefully some rain every 3-4 days. Too dry, wet, cold or hot will wreak havoc, but regardless there should be a 2-3 week period. Three years ago I found them for 6 consecutive weeks before the gnats chased me from the woods. Speaking if which, if they are bad in your area get some Buggins spray. Usually in Walgreens up here. $5.99 of liquid gold. Make sure it's the vanilla mint and rose. Pic below If they're not hollow don't swallow. Be aware of any false morels/beefsteaks/red morels as they can make you sick, some people eat them but they have a similar chemical as jet fuel. I don't think they look anything like a true morel, but some mistake them. Up here I have the best luck around elms, both living and dead but the ones that have the bark just starting to loosen up are gold mines. As jmbuckhunter mentioned old orchards, cottonwood, ash, sycamores, and tulip poplars are secondary and equally good choices depending on area. I have one spot I go where you find them around silver maples. Your best bet is to find someone locally that would take you out and show you the ropes a bit. Morel spots are probably held in higher regard than a big buck in some places. Once you do find one, crouch down and just start scanning the area all around you, most of the time where there's one there's usually more. Often times moving 6' in one direction and changing angles will show them in the back sides of leave and often times all you'll see is a pore or two in the leaf litter. Up here I usually find them close to Masters weekend, about 2 weeks and see no reason why not this year. Last year was a fluke , found my first on March 19 and was all but done when I'd normally start hitting it hard.
Oh man once I start looking I can't stop! Can't wait, another few more weeks at least around here. Old fruit trees, dead elms, rock piles, banks of rivers, streams and yes even the side of the road embankments!
I already checked that site...there is nothing on it ...so tell me what you know, Mark ... I know how to use Google ...
One of my best spots is full of honeysuckle and cedar trees. They grow about anywhere with moisture around here. Come on out PT.... I'll show you the basics
Early on they can be small. My first find last year. Another place that seems to produce is old railroad beds and some that are still in use. Mixed opinions on these though, a lot of people eat them others say the railroads spray for weeds and other chemicals thT come from the trains themselves and seep from the treated railroad ties.
Your latitude has a lot to do with when the morels will pop. I find greys in shady undergrowth following a rain and then warm humid day usually here a week to 10 days before Mothers Day. Around elms and maples seem to be the main locations for finding the greys. About a week later I can find the greys 60 miles north of here. A week after that, another 60 miles north. The yellows come out about 10 days after the greys. I find the vast majority of greys and yellows in dark soil that is shaded from the sun for at least half the day. Yellows I find everywhere, under dying elms, along fence lines and last year we even found some in the yard. A good indicator of whether or not the morels are out is when the lilacs start blooming. I grew up hearing my parents say "If the lilacs are bloomin' you should be shoomin'." What we don't eat the day we find them, we split, soak in salt water, roll in flower and then flash freeze followed by vacuum sealing. Throw them in the freezer and they'll keep. They aren't as good as fresh, but still very enjoyable. Is that enough for you Tony?
One other thing. If hunting in hillier terrain, early on start looking on the south facin slopes as these warm up faster. As the season progresses other areas start producing and towards the end as the temps start to shut things down focus on the low lying areas and north facing slopes. Good areas often produce year after year so remember where you find them. And don't get discouraged if you find them at one tree and not at the next, not sure what it is but I can find them in one area, walk 50 yds in the same exact tree/soil type and it never produces a mushroom. They're finicky little things. As Iowa Veteran stated, flash freezing breaded and then vacuum sealing preserves them, make sure to fry from a frozen state though. You can dry them and then rehydrate when ready or what I usually do is fry them like normal, then freeze and vaccum pack. When ready to eat heat them in a 375* oven for about 7-8 minutes and enjoy. I don't soak mine I water until Im ready to prepare them, just put in a bowl and cover with a damp paper towel. Usually keep for a week that way, but you can store them in water as well, I just think they lose some flavor if soaked too long and can become soggy. Dip in egg and then into cracker crumbs and fry in butter. I'm sue I'm forgetting stuff but it's almost April so I'll be remembering stuff frequently
