Shrooming Time

moonwolf · #1 07/22/13, 05:19 PM

The wild edible fungi are really showing their colours to those familiar with what they are looking for. With the ongoing moisture conditions and heat favourable for their growth, it's a nice change from last year's dry weather. I am finding quite the variety and in places not found previously. So far it's chanterelles I am harvesting after the last time I picked in June for morels. Also, there are easy finds of puffballs, some oyster mushrooms on dead poplar branches. Lobster mushrooms are coming up, the familiar shaggy manes, and coral mushrooms I find producing a nice peppery flavour. A bonus this past few days led me into the forest to find blewits!

MNMamaBear · #2 07/23/13, 12:55 PM

I would love some pictures of your finds! I am in Minnesota and I believe it's chanterelle season now for us. We've only picked morels so far, hauled in 10 pounds about a month or so ago. Kind of nervous about trying anything else, although we do have a local mycological society that helps with identification.

jwal10 · #3 07/23/13, 08:59 PM

We have to wait for the fall rains before the Chanterelles start showing up. Late Sept/early Oct. Our favorites, buckets and buckets....James

smilodonfatalis · #4 08/04/13, 08:16 AM

Ever find any hallucinogenic mushrooms?

moonwolf · #5 08/06/13, 09:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MNMamaBear

I would love some pictures of your finds! I am in Minnesota and I believe it's chanterelle season now for us. We've only picked morels so far, hauled in 10 pounds about a month or so ago. Kind of nervous about trying anything else, although we do have a local mycological society that helps with identification.

If I were you, I'd go with help from your mycology group for more positive identifications. Pictures are fine, and sorry I can't show some at this time, but different fungi can take on a variable appearance depending on their age and location and so forth. I like to use the audobon field guide as a simple first take when looking at some new types of shrooms that are not at all familiar.
The rains keep coming up here in the northland bringing on more seasonal 'blooms' of fruiting fungi. The boletes are coming into full force now and in the grassy open areas and cut lawns are sprouting meadow mushrooms.

**alleyyooper** · #6 08/07/13, 04:51 AM

Pup was eatting on some I had never seen around here before. I looked it up in my fungi guide and it is the editable Culiflower type.
Wonder if you cook them the same as morals?

Al

MNMamaBear · #7 08/07/13, 09:18 AM

I've been using a couple of different books to gauge which ones *might* be edible, then uploading pics to our local mycological group. So far, what I've thought to be chants haven't been. I did come across some meadow mushrooms (pink gills) but the ID was questionable. So far the only thing we've eaten are morels, picked over 10 lbs this spring!

Quote:

Originally Posted by moonwolf

If I were you, I'd go with help from your mycology group for more positive identifications. Pictures are fine, and sorry I can't show some at this time, but different fungi can take on a variable appearance depending on their age and location and so forth. I like to use the audobon field guide as a simple first take when looking at some new types of shrooms that are not at all familiar.
The rains keep coming up here in the northland bringing on more seasonal 'blooms' of fruiting fungi. The boletes are coming into full force now and in the grassy open areas and cut lawns are sprouting meadow mushrooms.

**Cabin Fever** · #8 08/07/13, 09:52 AM

Hi MNMamaBear, we're from MN too. We're north of Brainerd. The link below is to a thread were we've posted photos we've taken of some of the mushrooms we pick and enjoy here in Minnesota.

Free Food from God - Mushroom Identification

Oldcountryboy · #9 08/10/13, 08:10 PM

Here in Oklahoma aught to be great too! I was just telling a friend the other day that with all this rain and sunshine we keep getting, their should be plenty of mushrooms this fall.

chronic66 · #10 08/14/13, 09:06 PM

We just got back from a month in the Colorado Rocky mountains and after some great rains we started seeing a lot of mushrooms up in the mountains. After we got back here the rain continued and we are finding a lot of mushrooms. My soninlaw left one on my doorstep about the size of a football. I love mushrooms, but, I can't really figure out how to get started actually trusting enough in the pictures, etc to eat one of them.

tinknal · #11 08/18/13, 01:41 PM

I just went out in the woods and found a mother-lode of sulfur shelf, all on one tree. I had to return home for another bucket. Ended up with 2 overflowing 5 gallon pails full. I caught them very fresh too, usually I'm late and only about 25% of them is still edible. I was able to save about 80% which is about as good as it gets with sulfur shelf. I got 3 1/2 gallon freezer bags full and 4 one quart bags full. I also found 2 small hens. They will be supper tonight.

I find that I get two different crops of sulfur shelf. The first appear on live trees in June and the second appears on dead trees in August. The August ones tend to be better, probably because there are fewer insects.

fishhead · #12 08/18/13, 03:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tinknal

I just went out in the woods and found a mother-lode of sulfur shelf, all on one tree. I had to return home for another bucket. Ended up with 2 overflowing 5 gallon pails full. I caught them very fresh too, usually I'm late and only about 25% of them is still edible. I was able to save about 80% which is about as good as it gets with sulfur shelf. I got 3 1/2 gallon freezer bags full and 4 one quart bags full. I also found 2 small hens. They will be supper tonight.

I find that I get two different crops of sulfur shelf. The first appear on live trees in June and the second appears on dead trees in August. The August ones tend to be better, probably because there are fewer insects.

How do you cook them? I put some in the freezer last fall but haven't done anything with them.

fishhead · #13 08/18/13, 03:11 PM

There is a mushroom workshop next month in MN. I've been to one of their workshops and they are like encyclopedias when it comes to mushroom information.

http://mycomagnet.com/workshops.html

tinknal · #14 08/18/13, 04:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fishhead

How do you cook them? I put some in the freezer last fall but haven't done anything with them.

The key to cooking fresh-frozen shrooms is to go right from the freezer to the hot pan, don't thaw them out. I usually saute them in olive oil and butter. I put a few (many) cloves of garlic with them. I'll include some chicken soup base. When they hit the pan they release a lot of water. With the chicken base this water makes a nice broth. I simmer them until the water is gone and then saute until they are browned. I do a big batch and put the leftovers in the fridge, then I can warm them up to top burgers, chops, steaks, what have you.

tinknal · #15 08/18/13, 04:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fishhead

There is a mushroom workshop next month in MN. I've been to one of their workshops and they are like encyclopedias when it comes to mushroom information.

http://mycomagnet.com/workshops.html

Thanks for the link! There is one in Princeton, more or less my home town, I'll be there.

fishhead · #16 08/18/13, 06:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tinknal

The key to cooking fresh-frozen shrooms is to go right from the freezer to the hot pan, don't thaw them out. I usually saute them in olive oil and butter. I put a few (many) cloves of garlic with them. I'll include some chicken soup base. When they hit the pan they release a lot of water. With the chicken base this water makes a nice broth. I simmer them until the water is gone and then saute until they are browned. I do a big batch and put the leftovers in the fridge, then I can warm them up to top burgers, chops, steaks, what have you.

Thanks. I'll have to give it a try. I just had some sulfur shelf on an oak stump a couple of weeks ago.