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Morel mushrooms are starting to show themselves outside and in local store coolers.
While roaming the back roads in the coastal foothills yesterday, we happened upon a really nice area, covered in these tasty guys- Morchella rufobrunnea
I saw these photos on the cascade myco forum. Great shots. I haven't picked morels since I was like 13 and didn't eat them we were picking commercially. I think I may get out and see If I can find some around the cottonwoods here in the valley this year.
Haha! I can't escape! Lol I've been a member over at CMS for years. That's my home!
This should be a great year for M. esculenta in the Cottonwoods. More specifically, though, look for dead or dying cottonwoods, and fruit trees in the same riparian habitat.
Have you ever tried picking out near Mt Pisgah near the river? I don't frequent CMS but I go by shroomnewbie there. Thanks for the tips about the mushrooms.
Have you ever tried picking out near Mt Pisgah near the river? I don't frequent CMS but I go by shroomnewbie there. Thanks for the tips about the mushrooms.
I live just over the hill from Pisgah and have perused it's lowlands for morels many times, to no avail. But, it's not about where morels have fruited in the past. They are not an "annual" crop. Put yourself in the right type of habitat, and on any given year it might explode with Morchella. This is especially true with M. esculenta. I have walked the same area for years, never seen anything, and then one year you can't not step on 'em. The same is true vice versa, as well.
We have weird habitat down here, though, Woden. Our soil ph and mineral content is not fantastic for esculenta. As you head further north, toward PDX, it gets a lot better. The Columbia River Gorge is the epicenter for this mushroom, here in Oregon.
Try heading out River Road, though. There is a ton of great access via parks, boat ramps, etc... There is a ton of great Cottonwood habitat out there, as well. Look for those dead or dying trees long enough, and you'll find 'em
It still surprises me how many people up here find and are brave enough to eat mushrooms up here. Even if it looked like a photo in a guidebook, I think I would still be too afraid to try one.
So, just as you don't bat an eye at picking a blackberry for the table, I don't bat an eye at picking a morel or a porcino. There are lots of berries and mushrooms in the woods that can make you sick, but once you learn how to identify them, you're set. Since many folks don't learn how to identify edible mushrooms from their parents, I suggest that they take a class, or attend meetings with a local myco club, or attend forays, etc...
Ill use the blackberry analogy again. Although there are a ton of edible berries which are tough to id, some, like blackberries, are very easy to id. The same is true with wild mushrooms.
It's good to have a healthy fear about harvesting wild food that we have never harvested before. That being said, ANY reasonably smart adult can learn how to forage safely. It's not rocket science
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