Fiddleback Foraging

[Fiddleback]

I've had some people interested in buying small quantities, but haven't sold any as of yet. Those piles of black morels were split up between myself and a couple other people. Any that don't get cooked right away got dehydrated and saved for later.

I'd like to get a commercial use permit so that I could sell to restaurants or stores in the event that I find a ton, but I was having trouble finding the right people to talk to to make that happen. I mostly just enjoy the hunt, and eating them of course!

They sure look tasty.

 

[Odaon]

Odaon, I will get a hold of you later today and try to put you in touch with the right folks.

I missed this earlier! That would be great. Thanks!

 

[Odaon]

I thought some of you might be interested in this. I've been watching the oyster mushrooms on this willow stump for two weeks. I've taken a few bunches here and there for the pan so you may notice a few missing. I think it's cool to see the growth progression. In the right conditions oysters can grow very quickly!

April 12th

April 20th

April 26th

 

[Odaon]

Got out for a couple hours on Friday after work to look for some rainy evening morels. I had some luck and ended up staying in the area until after dark and finding more with my flashlight! Next weekend I'm heading into the mountains.

The first little bunch that made me slow way down and start scouring the area. I found the rest within 30 feet of these...

Some were very well hidden, can you see them?

How about now?

The hidden morels were a nice handful.

Flashlight Fiddleback foraging.

The haul.

This morning after running some errands I stopped by a small asparagus patch I know of and grabbed a few spears to use for breakfast with these morels. I plan on getting a forge kitchen knife at some point! Allen's new Moray looks amazing!

Morels, wild asparagus, onion, bacon, gouda omelette topped with a dab of sour cream. Oh yeah. This was so good I may have to take a little drive tomorrow morning to check another asparagus spot so I can make it again. Maybe the best omelette I've ever had. Normally I have a stock pile of wild asparagus this time of the year but the season is still early so I'm having to go "shopping" when I want some.

 

[Scotcha]

Fantastic haul and a great meal [emoji106]

 

[hasco]

That looks delicious!! I love the progression shots of the oysters too!

 

[Odaon]

Fantastic haul and a great meal [emoji106]

Thanks! I made myself another omelette this morning, but I didn't both to go get any more asparagus. I missed it but the omelette still turned out great!

That looks delicious!! I love the progression shots of the oysters too!

It was! I'm going to check on those oysters again tomorrow. We've had rain/wet melty snow for that last few days. This mushrooms season has been crazy so far. I hope we don't have a repeat of last year though. All rain in May and none in June or July which made for great morels and terrible fall mushrooms.

 

[dogbone11]

Odaon, when you open your restaurant I'll order:

one Morels, wild asparagus, onion, bacon, gouda omelette

 

[Fiddleback]

Great thread. That looked both fun and delicious. I'm jealous.

 

[Odaon]

Odaon, when you open your restaurant I'll order:

one Morels, wild asparagus, onion, bacon, gouda omelette

Thanks dogbone11. I'll let you know when it opens, hah! I could never do food service...

Great thread. That looked both fun and delicious. I'm jealous.

Thanks Andy! Fun and delicious indeed. This is what I love to do.

 

[Odaon]

Got out today for a little while! Checked on some of my black morel (Morchella brunnea) spots and had a little success. Last year this area produced probably close to 500 black morels for us over 3 or 4 days. I bet we'll see those numbers again this year.

F2 rode on my hip today.

I let our good friend borrow the Warthog for the monring.

 

[Odaon]

Got out again yesterday for a solo black morel hunt. I ended up picking 120. Headed back out tomorrow with my GF, and buddy to check some other spots.

The haul and my two knife companions for the day. Most of the work was done by the F2 which rode on the belt of my backpack (I forgot to take a picture), the Warthog stayed in my pocket except for some picture opportunities or when I dropped my pack but forgot to grab the F2.

Nice little patch on my Kifaru backpack lid. I run the DT2 on the Hunter Frame. Kifaru packs are kind of like Fiddleback knives. Best dang hunting packs money can buy (IMO). This setup is the most comfortable pack I've ever worn and makes 80 pounds of elk or deer feel like a lot less. I share some more pictures of the pack tomorrow.

Nice colors.

Hidden in the bearberry or kinnikinnik (Arctostaphylos uva-ursi). The flowers are pasqueflowers (Pulsatilla patens) and are an 'indicator species' for black morels in Colorado.

More tomorrow probably!

 

[VANCE]

when I dropped my pack but forgot to grab the F2.

definitely why you should carry 2 knives

one on you and one in your pack

 

[dogbone11]

Good gosh, Odaon, what a haul!! Great pics once again man.

 

[Tekton]

Nice! those look great! And the mushrooms look pretty good too!

 

[Odaon]

definitely why you should carry 2 knives

one on you and one in your pack

Agreed! I forget I even have the Warthog until I need it. I bet some of the smaller models just disappear.

Good gosh, Odaon, what a haul!! Great pics once again man.

Thank you! We should have some more success tomorrow! Getting ready to cook up dinner. Marinated deer roast pounded thin and grilled, sauteed morels, and wild asparagus. Maybe a baked potato to round it out.

Nice! those look great! And the mushrooms look pretty good too!

I love the knives and the mushrooms!

 

[schmittie]

Hidden in the bearberry or kinnikinnik (Arctostaphylos uva-ursi). The flowers are pasqueflowers (Pulsatilla patens) and are an 'indicator species' for black morels in Colorado.

More tomorrow probably!

I love this thread buddy, wish I could hang out with you for an afternoon :thumbup:

If I understand you correctly, what you call bearberry? looks like what we call purslane around here. An annual succulent that tastes pretty good in salads actually. Is it really a sign for morels?

Cool stuff!

 

[Odaon]

I love this thread buddy, wish I could hang out with you for an afternoon :thumbup:

If I understand you correctly, what you call bearberry? looks like what we call purslane around here. An annual succulent that tastes pretty good in salads actually. Is it really a sign for morels?

Cool stuff!

We could probably make that happen sometime! Haha.

Bearberry is actually different from purslane, they do look similar. Bearberry is also called kinnikinnick (Arctostaphylos uva-ursi) it's an evergreen shrub typically found in the mountains here in Colorado. The native Americans used to dry and smoke it like tobacco. Some people consider this an 'indicator' for morels. It grows everywhere up there so it's pretty much always going to be neat by when you're finding morels in Colorado.

Purslane (Portulaca oleracea) is as you say an annual succulent. That is pretty much a weed around here in the cities. Nice tangy flavor, refreshing.

 

[Mistwalker]

Nice haul Odaon! I haven't had much luck with foraging lately. Mostly with onions and garlic. I got some pretty cool photos while gathering some yesterday, but since those will make for a good PSA, I'll make a separate thread on that later today when I have time.

 

[Odaon]

Awesome! Looking forward to it!