I've picked chicken and oyster mushrooms both this week in WV so if you're near by be on the lookout! Have not seen Hen of the Woods yet..... happy hunting!
Kathy, I am sure quite a few of us here at SM would love more info on herbal medicine and remedies. As for the wild edibles, pictures along with warnings of look alike non-edible varieties would be very helpful also.
Sure, I would be happy to post pics or answer any questions that I can. I'm not an expert by any means, just a person trying to learn as much as possible before I need to know it! I already cooked the chicken mushroom (lol) but I have pics of a few different kinds from last year that I can post. I don't know if I have enough posts for full priviledges to post pics yet... I will have to see.
You only need 5 posts to be off probationary member, and you have that. If you have any problems posting your pictures, ask for help on the chatbox here at SM. Someone there will surely be able to talk you thru it. I myself am a clutz at much of this computer stuff. I have quite a library on herbal remedies and no practical knowledge what so ever.... so any tips and help would be highly appreciated.
those are three awesome mushroom pictures. I have never picked any but morels of the various color variations in Ohio as a child or young man. I do miss those tasty morsels. I will print out your pictures in full color for reference and future cooking delights
MY eyes are not real good and I have a terrible time finding morels because they blend in so well with the ground. I love their flavor and dream about stumbling onto a huge patch (never happens) lol
Well I fumbled my way thru it and now have a beautiful 8 x 10 photo for my files of a Chicken mushroom. A species I had no idea was edible. It only took me 20 plus minutes ....lol . only 2 more to go for now.
a few secrets .... Morels are easy to find if you know a few tricks. First off I have to agree with you about them being hard to find at first. There is a mental trick to it. Find a few good pictures of Morel mushrooms in the wild. Make copies of those pictures. Stare at them and concentrate totally on the details of the mushroom. In the woods you have to be able to mentally call up that image, to make them almost jump off the ground at your feet. I can wander slowly in the woods and often see deer before they bolt because of the mental image of a triangle with a point down. Most likely the deer has seen you first, and is staring at you. What jumps out of the background vegetation for me is that triangle with the dark nose down, and the two large light colored inner ears as the top outer points of the triangle. They literally jump out of the backgound to me. It's all about a mental image to search for. Second, identify what an elm tree looks like in all seasons, by leaf, bark, normal common growth configuration, and common size in your area. Maybe even mark some with surveyors bright plastic tape for easy return during mushroom season to these trees. Elm trees dead or alive are morel magnets. Lastly if you have a hand held GPS, once you find Morels at a location, mark that location by GPS or in some way so you can return to that spot. Lastly and most important, never take every last Morel from a given spot. They reproduce as they age and die by spore dispersal. If you find a spot with 5, take four and lightly with leaves cover the last one. Always leave about 20% at each multiple site and cover the rest. Return to that marked site next season. It will produce! If I were still up there where they grow I would not be sharing this info, as competition is fierce. Good luck ..... they are the best tasting mushrooms to me!
All good advice! Also carry them out in a potato or onion bag and gently shake it as u go to leave spores in new places. Ain't it fun? I'm glad my pics were useful to you!
my first wife died of eating the wrong mushrooms. my second wife died of a broken neck when she fell down the stairs. She wouldn't eat the mushrooms.......hee hee Paid for a climbing trip in OR by selling morels, took out 25lbs and sold them to a resturant, used to pick chantrells and sell them too. Not a lot of them that I have found here in CO, not ones that I KNOW are eating ones, alas. Your picts make me drool.
Kathy, I didn't take any pictures, we ate them all, but here is a page that shows what they look like. Identifying Edible Mushrooms. The Jews Ear
