Darn morels are hard to find!!

Today was a day off for two reasons: 1) mental health day, and 2) hunt for morel mushrooms. Got started about 7, not long after there was enough light in the woods to see well.

Started downhill, towards a small stream. I'll usually find them around loamy stream beds, and this was one of my spots I've scored at before.




I'm pretty sure this is a dead/dormant Turkey tail mushroom, trametes versicolor. I didn't bother time with it, but normally see them in the fall & winter. They make a decent tea, which I'll post elsewhere.



Some of the critters I saw while scanning the forest floor. The salamander was pretty cool. Eastern mud salamander perhaps? I'm not the expert. I couldn't remember if it was frogs or salamanders you lick for a buzz, so I tried. Definitely isn't salamanders you lick.


Old car in the creek that was probably 2 miles from the nearest road.


Forest penis? Some kind of odd looking fungus. I'll try to ID it later.



Near a different stream I stopped to refill one of my bottles. It was mid 70s which ain't bad at all, but the humidity was kicking my butt. Top it off with the Katadyn the zap it with the Steripen for good measure.


Came up from the creeks and wandered through some tulip poplar groves.


I have no idea what these orange and black centipedes are properly called, but they were EVERYWHERE!



Obligatory knife porn. LT Wright Outback that I was hoping to use to carve up a decent hiking staff. I was really hoping for beech, but didn't see any lying around that was long enough.



Didn't see any morels, which was a bit surprising, although it's still a bit early in the season here. Hopefully I can try again in a week.

 

If you have a meat thermometer, preferably digital, check the ground Temps where you're looking. Anything below 50 is pretty much a waste of time.

 

Yeah, ground temp, air temp, moisture, soil, blah blah blah lol. They are just a difficult thing to find and they have so many specific requirements, most of which we haven't even figured out yet. I think that's the biggest reason they still have such a mystifying allure,vs other fungi such as chanterelles and oyster mushrooms which are arguably just as good,yet no problem to find, purchase or even cultivate yourself.

 

How do you like that outback? I really want to try one out

 

That's a great tip.

 

Thank you sir! I'll have to try that. How deep do you go to check the temperature? As a side note, chanterelles will be popping up in a bit over a month.

I love it! The grip looked a bit thicker in person than I expected, but it's very comfortable. Quite possibly the most comfortable handle I've ever held. I will say the 3V steel is a bit tougher to sharpen than 1095 I'm used to, but is still quite doable. Now I just need to really work it.

 

I’ve been out looking for them too. It’s a bit early in my area.

Good luck buddy!!

 

I check a few inches in. About the same as you would for meat. I can't say for sure thats the best depth but it's a good base point. I'm looking forward to chanterelles. So easy to collect a large amount. Nowhere near as frustrating lol.

 

Yup. Definitely easier. I find mostly the red cinnabar chanterelles around here, although still a couple of the golden ones.

 

Morels love elm trees, find some dead elm. Shooms will be there.

 

Here ya go @jeeter

 

Nice haul!

Still a bit early 'round these parts, but I plan to get after them with a vengeance this year.

 

Holy psychedelics, mushroom man!

That’s a truly impressive haul. I haven’t been able to get out since my post. Hopefully next weekend.

 

We just counted them. 140 today, plus 21 from yesterday evening. 161 total. Tomorrow should be sweet.

 

Gotta put the picture up on my tablet so I can get an official count. We did a quick count and estimate 350. Not a bad two days.

 

holy crap!

never seen more than 1 in a very large swath of forest up here.

you going to dry them or make mushroom ketchup (see Townsends youtube video for recipe) or just pan fry them?

 

Fried some tonight but tomorrow I'm making sautéed morels, onion and shrimp served over rice with asparagus and sweet potatoes.

 

Motherload! Twenty a day here is a load. That is amazing.

 

This has been a stellar season so far. I'm really looking forward to getting back out in the woods.