.. no, not those type of shrooms. Morel mushrooms! Anyone else really enjoy getting out early spring and finding them?
They only show up for about 3-4 weeks in the year... once the ground temperatures get hit the 50's for a week or so with some rain. They're considered a delicacy and worth about $40 a pound around here. They're more common the farther north you go.. i dont think southern states like florida really have them. they like the 4 seasons which includes the cold winters. I live near St. Louis.. and they're just now making their appearance.
Do you collect enough to sell them? There are pickers here who pick enough chanterelles and lobster mushrooms in the summer to make a good go of it at the farmers' market.
I started watching a show about these people who follow the rains and collect mushrooms in the forest. It's like treasure hunting and their is some good $ to made at farmers markets or find a chef who is interested and they will buy if fresh. Very cool- started gardening last summer /well growing- which led to hanging bird feeders and getting very in tune with nature and the beauty of the seasons. Cannabis cultivation has forced me to learn about soil, microbes, insects, weather patterns, humidity etc. so I guess it's natural
i just get enough for me, some friends, and family to eat. we love frying them in butter and eating them by themselves, or putting them on steaks. ive heard of people who bread them and fry them... i enjoy just getting out in the woods and finding them more than anything. it's like easter egg hunting for adults (or kids)
I totally know what u mean - it's so much more .... it's being one with nature and the enviro surrounding you. I notice my vision and hearing become so much better bc it triggers something in our brains when we are in the wilderness. We did used to live outdoors for millennia so I think our animal instincts just heighten when we truly become one with our environment and where better then out in a forest forrerging for hidden treasures
no morels here but we have just about any chanterelle you could want for the first couple weeks in June, sometimes mid may. We've also got reishi, oyster, agaricus, cubes, pans, boletes, et. al. Any that grow in sub tropical climates will grow here. We also have death caps and deadly galerina around this time of year, I've seen more than a few of the destroying angels, usually always alone, a very beautiful death sentence
It's off to a decent start here. I'm out looking right now. We need some more rain and warm temps to really get it going.
Had some amazing sauteed mushrooms with steak tonight. They're so versatile, from burritos to pizza to sandwiches to just about anything. I defy someone to come up with a food item that can haul that much ass.
I used to find them in Illinois but since I moved to Colorado I don't even know what to look for anymore. It seems all we have in the mountains is amanita muscaria, those super Mario looking red ones with the white spots. They are everywhere in summer but I sure as hell ain't making dinner with those.
I'm sure there are morels in certain parts of Colorado but probably not in the mountainous areas. I could be wrong.
If anyone is interested in possibly finding morels (or other edible mushrooms), might be worth looking at your state morel forums.. that's here I started and got all of my info. Morels.com/your state here