Anyone been looking for morels lately?

Just wondering how the search is going and what area you're in. I'm in Iowa and we've found a bunch in the last few days. Should get better as it gets warmer...hopefully.

I thought there was already a thread about this somewhere but I couldn't find it.

 

Nope, just liberty caps.

 

I have been looking and I have been finding them! They are so delicious. I am in southern Oregon and they are kind of on the way out.

 

It's odd to see a thread in these forums about mushrooms which are not psychedelic.

 

Not really. You see reflected light.

 

I myself am way more obsessed with edible and non hallucinogenic mushrooms. Chanterelles and Hedgehogs are my favorites.

 

Whoa, man.

 

I burn slash from cutting trees. Morels fruit around the fire ring and last year out of the side of a burn barrel. In my area chanterelles, subalbidus and cibarius are abundant. One of my favorites and also abundant here is tricholoma flavovirens. I less frequently find boletus aereus and olivaceous as well as armillaria ponderosa. Two years ago was a heavy fruiting of dentinum.

 

Some people in my area are saying they can't find them. I don't know what to tell them. Maybe they just aren't looking in the right places. I was just messing around after work for maybe 15-20 minutes and picked over half a pound.

 

No, but the false morels are starting to pop.

 

here some I found while not looking.

 

I picked quite a few morels last summer.

I went morel picking with some of my friends who do it for work all summer. If you know the right forests and are smart, you can actually make quite a bit of money. My friends were making like 300-500$/day.

I didn't work with them all summer because I was planting trees instead, but I often found morels while I was working and I always saved them and cooked them up to add to my meat with dinner.

My nieghbour and I also pick morels in the city sometimes... They are surprisingly common.

 

It's a pretty big deal here. Wherever there's been a big burn, morel hunters flock.
This years major burn areas are in some sensitive areas so
they announced there will be no commercial picking licenses issued this year, and residents only, woo hoo! Out-of-staters STFO! lol (Montana)
Personal harvest is limited to 5 gallons a day (if I remember right) and the mushrooms must be cut in half lengthwise (boo)

 

I live in iowa and have already found 50lbs. I sell them for $60-$80 a pound to people in New York and Colorado. I don't like them, But have access to many honey holes and I have found a couple that were 2 1/2lbs themselves. Both grey and yellows.
Its easy as hell to make cash money on. You can also freeze them so you can sell them all year long.
This year, As mentioned in our state, Not many have had any luck. I have told people true honey holes that netted nothing. So I ended up giving them some for their time and trouble.
It does help I live in a state forest and use my jeep or quad to get back into the deep brush, But that's where the money is. Even if I get a ticket, Its still worth it $$ wise.
This long drawn out spring/summer is helping too, I have been finding them since early april.

 

I just started freezing mine this evening. I have plenty that I haven't froze yet because we're going to eat them soon. I might try some other preservation methods if I keep finding what I've been finding. I'm kind of in the same boat as you as far as hunting area. Many people only have access to the well-hunted public areas. I have access to 1100 acres any time I want and much of it is timber. I've not even come close to covering that area. There are sooo many mushrooms in that timber right now....If I could just spend a solid day out there....

 

They expect you to cut them in half as you pick them? I don't mind cutting them but it can wait until later.

 

Naw, but they better be cut in half if you get checked driving out. I don't know anyone that follows that rule anyway and I don't know anyone thats been ticketed, but I do know a few have been sternly warned. They are more concerned about the daily limit.

 

The morel of the story is be careful of what you put in your mouth.

 

I suppose the upside might be that if you cut them you might be able to fit more into your container(s). But as far as I've ever known...in my area we don't have any rule like this or even any rules at all about the subject besides not trespassing.

 

Morels