Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums General Discussion Morel picking aka day in the woods fooling around

Going to look for Morels today with DD.

It should be a fun day to see migrating birds and to bring home a feast if we are lucky!

Do any others here do this? If so, have you found any lately?

Have only found Punctipes or 'early morels' up to now but have shared some cools sights like a vernal pool just teeming with tadpoles. Fingers crossed...

Really? We are the only 'mycogeeks' on this board?

We didn't do that well - only found enough esculoides for one meal but a tasty one it was with guanciale and fresh linguine :-)

My DD also spotted a pair of Rose Breasted Grosbeaks and we all watched the male courtship display followed by consummation of their union. Very cool to see and I am especially proud of my DD for spotting them - she is becoming a regular young naturalist as she is very observant.

It is truly uplifting to watch a child grow to love some the things about the outdoors that I do :-)

Sadly most of the fungi in our area are poisonous lol! Or at least a lot of them - I know that there are some that are edible, but our family is more into picking berries because they are easier for me to know what is safe and what isn't

It sounds like a really fun day!

polarbear

I'm not a mycologist, but I have a game recommendation for you! It's 2-player-only, and it's really pretty fun.

Yes, there are no old bold wild mushroom eaters that's true!

You really need a mentor or get into a group that goes on forays to learn the key field marks. Basically, you need to know without fail, how to distinguish between the choice edibles and their poisonous lookalikes. As it happens, Morels are unmistakable from the False Morels. The former are completely hollow when cut along their longitudinal axis and the latter are not. Also, once you have seen both, you really have to be trying to mistake one for the other. Here's a link to illustrate:-

False Morels

I almost think that it works better to know the lookalikes actually.

Any doubt whatsoever should prompt you to discard them or at least reject eating them - there are others uses for mushrooms too for things like tinder, carving, fly driers for fishermen and dyeing.

We just don't live in an area where Morels grow. Not many "woods" in my area. On the other hand there are great places to see migrating birds year-round.

We live in western WA and our mulched areas get covered in psilocybes. So weird.

Wildcraft is another nature inspired board game.

That does like fun!