Mushroom ID

[Maniacal Pete]

Morels, right?

Dinner tonight.

 

[Thomas Linton]

Bear in mind that the Ohio State University Professor who was "The Man" on Ohio fungus ended up in the hospital with tubes sticking out of him due to an error in identification. He survived thanks to good treatment.

 

[willseeyalater]

Get a book or search 'morel mushroom' on the www.net and compare your pictures, which look like morels, to ones of morels and all the ones that supposedly look like morels. Even though morels are one of the easy ones you are there and I am here so you have to figure it out and be responsible for yourself. Who knows, you could have an allergy to morels and croak half way through a good supper. Caveat eater.

 

[Kiah]

There are "false morels" that are poisonous. Yours look like the real thing, but I'm no expert. Easiest way to tell is to slice one in half. The cap and stem should be one piece and the whole thing should be hollow. I'd suggest googling for info about identification between true and false.

I went out mushroom hunting myself this evening. All I found were a couple of death caps.

 

[Maniacal Pete]

Thanks for the replies.
They were delicious and I only itch a little.

I've made a mental note of where to find them next year, too!

 

[22-rimfire]

Be careful with mushrooms. Morels are one of the easiest to identify and tastiest.

 

[mykel m]

Thanks for the replies.
They were delicious and I only itch a little.

I've made a mental note of where to find them next year, too!

"only itch a little"LOL.
They sure look like Morels.Hope you find more next year.
I was told to cut them off & leave the stump so they will regrow next season.(leaves spores with the stump?)
I always find them in the same places whether I harvest them or not.
Thanks for the pics,chow looks great.

 

[JV3]

man, that looks delicious! i'm jealous. i really like mushrooms but i rarely see them where i hike...the ones that i do see regularly are definitely the poisonous ones - mostly the amanita kind.

 

[GRIM 62]

Your food pic made me hungry,yeah they look like Morels.Nice use of herbs too!

 

[Szilard]

I was once told by a PhD Mycologist to avoid mushroom identification. He said that after 30 years he still occasionally makes minute but important mistakes. There are actually very highly toxic mushrooms that misrepresent as Morels. Helvella and Gyromitra spp. They aren't the most fatal of mushroom poisonings due to individual variance and cooking techniques, unlike many other poisons, but they can be fatal. You got lucky.

 

[willseeyalater]

I have a short list of mushrooms I gather.
1. morels-morchella
2. Elm oysters-hypsizygus ulmaris
3. Chicken of the woods- laetiporus sulphureus
4. Hen of the woods-grifola frondosa
5. Puffball-calvatia gigantea
6. shaggy mane-coprinus comata

They are worth learning about if you are one who will take time to research them. As always you need to understand that a safe mushroom may still cause an allergic reaction which no one would know you have until you try a new one. Once at a steak house I had a shrimp appetizer and hot buttered mushrooms on my steak. Half an hour later hives on me from head to foot, breathing fine. I never before and never since have had that happen and I eat shrimp and mushrooms still but never together again.
You will also probably cause your friends and family to worry and they will give you their opinions and tell you stories..they mean well but no one questions mushrooms from the grocery and you have no idea who or what was done to them.
I have not found chanterelles yet but that would be another to watch for. There are many other edible mushrooms but the ones I listed are super reliable to identify and any time you try one that's new just eat one bite and see if your body reacts. If you are a person with food allergies you know you need to be cautious with any new food. Ask around and you can probably find some mushroom gathering mycologist clubs who would be open to new people coming along on hikes.

 

[willseeyalater]

I was once told by a PhD Mycologist to avoid mushroom identification. He said that after 30 years he still occasionally makes minute but important mistakes. There are actually very highly toxic mushrooms that misrepresent as Morels. Helvella and Gyromitra spp. They aren't the most fatal of mushroom poisonings due to individual variance and cooking techniques, unlike many other poisons, but they can be fatal. You got lucky.

I don't doubt a PhD makes a mistake now and then. Having letters proving you knew how to do academic work does not always translate to being able to apply knowledge. PhD's I know are usually very cautious people and not much fun. A friend of mine has his PhD in Food Safety, watching him grill chicken and decontaminate the kitchen later is comical, he almost used a hazmat suit. Needless to say the chicken was over cooked and awful but the bacteria were dead as can be.
There are so many types of mushrooms but really do you need to know 100 edible types and 300 semi edibles? Learn three or four edible types that are common in your area and can be easily ID'd or buy them from the store and enjoy them that way. Live within the boundaries you are comfortable and own your own choices but do live.