wild edible plants thread

Good to know that there are lookalike Morels and that the real ones have hollow stems. Ive never had them but would like to try them. I saw a patch of about 10-15 of them on my property 2 years ago. They didnt come up last year but maybe this year? And hopefully if they do they are hollow.
Some false Morels, such as Gyromitra esculenta (aka brain morel), are hollow when cross-sectioned similar to the edible Morels, but the edible ones all have honeycomb-like ridges and pits that are unmistakable. Even if you do make a mistake, as long as you cook or completely dry them, the poison is eliminated. When eaten raw, it is deadly.
 
The Lions Mane mushroom aka Lobster of the Woods, from a couple weeks ago. A bit disappointing, it didn't taste like lobster. Tasted like chicken. :)

Lions-Mane.jpg
 
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onepixel, I'm having hard time comprehending that you can get such beautiful mushroom in the middle of winter.....

You're a lucky man.
 
onepixel, I'm having hard time comprehending that you can get such beautiful mushroom in the middle of winter.....

You're a lucky man.

Being in a rain drenched and mild weather California helps. The mushroom season(s) have been unusually long. 2 months of chanterelles and they are still popping up. Hundreds of Black Elfin Saddles all over the place and found my first batch of Amanita Velosa two weeks ago. We also had a massive crop of Death Caps. We've been fortunate and I'm grateful. I'm waiting for the morels!
 
I was out in the woods this weekend. Spring is definitely taking hold here in mid-MO and it's been rainy for a few days. Probably the morels are a couple weeks out yet.

I saw a bunch of these Wood Ears and vaguely remembered they were edible so I picked some and did the research when I got home. Turns out they are the same mushroom you find in Chinese Hot and Sour Soup and other dishes. They usually come dried, aka Black Fungus. I see a lot of them on dead wood, especially oak, so I'll add them to my edible repertoire and harvest them from now on.

WoodEar 03_2017.jpg

They are rubbery but not gooshy, like a very firm Jello with a skin on it. Not much flavor of their own but they are said to soak up the flavors of whatever you put them in, especially when dried I imagine. There are no lookalikes around here so I went ahead and had 2 bites with my eggs this morning. Yep, hardly any flavor of their own. High in protein and fiber. I'm going to dry some for soup and whatnot.
I see a lot of them on dead wood, especially oak, so I'll add them to my edible repertoire and harvest them from now on.
 
Yes, good for you!
You get much better texture when they're dried and then reconstituted. As you mentioned, I love 'em for the health benefits and the texture. Same reason for eating cow tripe.
 
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I was up around 5800 feet. It's been dry, but there they were.
As you get older and more lazy, you look for that perfect window of time when you don't have to climb or search but just pick. :)

Wild onions are so good. My favorite is the wild leek. When I find them in large batches, I pickle them.
 
As you get older and more lazy, you look for that perfect window of time when you don't have to climb or search but just pick. :)

Wild onions are so good. My favorite is the wild leek. When I find them in large batches, I pickle them.
I'm just a beginner, but have great teachers. So I'm still enthusiastic, even though the drive was 2 1/2+ hours. All three of those were first time picks. I should have gotten more fernbrakes. They taste like asparagus.

Morel Bruschetta

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I'm just a beginner, but have great teachers. So I'm still enthusiastic, even though the drive was 2 1/2+ hours. All three of those were first time picks. I should have gotten more fernbrakes. They taste like asparagus.

Morel Bruschetta

Wow, looks amazing!

I love those braken ferns. One thing about them is, as you probably know already, they contain significant amount of carcinogen when raw. Many publications out there about this, but close to harmless when blanched in hot water or dried and reconstituted. Just for good measure, when I harvest those, I get rid of those rolled up parts and just use the stems.
 
Wow, looks amazing!

I love those braken ferns. One thing about them is, as you probably know already, they contain significant amount of carcinogen when raw. Many publications out there about this, but close to harmless when blanched in hot water or dried and reconstituted. Just for good measure, when I harvest those, I get rid of those rolled up parts and just use the stems.
I didn't know about the carcinogens, but was told I should blanch them, which I did. Thanks for the info!
 
IMG_0524.JPG Bolete mushrooms that grow every fall under a pine tree in my yard. I was picking up sticks so I could mow and there they were. Nice and young and fresh. I'll peel off the brown skin before cooking them up.
 
The local mushroom season is starting up. Baby Honeys, Matsutake, Chanterelle and Lion's Mane. Lion's Mane was 25 feet up and across on an Oak Tree. I spotted some baby Oyster mushrooms, will have to go back for those.

Honeys.jpg
Matsutake12-3-17sm.jpg
Chantrelles.jpg
Lions-Mane17.jpg
 
A friend of mine found a 10" diameter Giant Puffball on his property last month. Perfectly white inside and at the peak of ripeness. He said it was delicious and froze some of it. Maybe I'll get a bite if I bring the wine. :deal: Apparently the darn things can get as big as a basketball or even bigger. The record is 50 lb I think. Can you imagine: mushrooms for the year all in one shot. :thumbsup:
 
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