Any Mushroom hunters?

[awa54]

I know enough to not trust myself to identify anything other than a morel or a puffball. Morel locations are closely guarded secrets here in VT, but puffballs can be found pretty easily, you just have to know when to look, then keep track until they are big enough to harvest. Puffball sauteed with butter is a very fine thing!

[murphjd25]

Going morel hunting first thing in the morning! Time for bed!

[remnar]

Going morel hunting first thing in the morning! Time for bed!

I'd love to see some picks of your morels if you have any. It is the one mushroom that I know grows around here but I don't ever pick because I don't know enough about them. It is also difficult to find people that will share what they know.

[awa54]

Going morel hunting first thing in the morning! Time for bed!

I'd love to see some picks of your morels if you have any. It is the one mushroom that I know grows around here but I don't ever pick because I don't know enough about them. It is also difficult to find people that will share what they know.

Mushroom hunting is a bit like making puffer sashimi... best left to those with lots of knowledge and experience!

[murphjd25]

I didn't have any luck finding any today. I am going to try again next weekend I met some really nice older gentleman that told me of some places to look up river by Rockport and Sedro-Wolley. It was nice to just get out for the day anyways to say the least. I hope I have better luck next time.

[SpyderEdgeForever]

I have seen websites that sell the knives with the brush at the end, is the brush to brush off the dirt from them when you pick them?

[murphjd25]

Hmm I have noto seen one. I shall search the interweb.

[remnar]

I have seen websites that sell the knives with the brush at the end, is the brush to brush off the dirt from them when you pick them?

Yes, the brush is to brush off dirt and other debris. I usually carry a chip brush in my pocket when I remember to bring it. :rolleyes:

[Knivesinedc]

Never been mushroom hunting, but I've always been interested in it. I have no idea if we have a good variety or even edible mushrooms around here. Central coast of California. Guess I'll look into it!

[SpyderEdgeForever]

Regarding mushrooms, what are your opinions of this everyone? There was some book by a botanist and plant biologist who is a big advocate for mass production of food fungus, ie, mushrooms to help feed the world. His claim is that mushrooms can grow faster than normal photosynthetic plants and they can be re engineered to be useful for a wide range of uses. Some don't like the idea of genetic modification.

http://discovermagazine.com/2013/julyau ... man-health

http://www.popularmechanics.com/science ... -17613821/

Have you ever eaten Portobello mushrooms? I have seen these used in place of animal protein in some omelet and sandwich recipes.

[Mad Mac]

Yes, I had a Portobello burger once. But how do you herd them into a pen?

Recent studies have shown that beavers generate more methane gas than cattle.
Not by beaver flatulence but from vegetation in the shallow ponds they create.

Obviously, to decrease global warming and feed the world, we should eat more beaver.

Seriously, why are we stuffing corn (in the form of ethanol) into the gas tanks of our SUVs
if we are concerned about the starving masses.

Don't you just love it when liberal agendas collide.

[gunnerjacky]

I am afraid of mushrooms. One reason being that mushrooms are very poisonous and it is very hard to identify which mushroom is non-poisonous. That's why I stay away from these obscure thing.

[Malfeasant]

Hey, cool thread. I have a few books on mushroom hunting. After reading a bunch on it, I see them almost everywhere I go. Pretty sure I've found some edibles, since I'm not 100% sure though I haven't been bold enough to try out any I found... From what I gathered from reading, mushrooms that give a chocolate colored spore print are safe. I'm definitely not educated enough to choose from the ones with pores under the cap... Still find them fascinating and the spore prints make for cool art.

[zacmangray]

My brother and I where out hunting spring gobblers last weekend. It had rained the weekend before, and we got a sprinkle during the week. As I was sitting, waiting, listening, some sleeping :rolleyes: , and calling to the turkeys. I saw three spots morels had popped out of the ground. So at the end of the day I went home with a good harvest of some really good morels, no turkey, not yet. I wash them, then cut them up, sautéed with garlic and butter they make excellent mushroom stirfry. I really enjoy mushrooms. Finding and harvesting mushrooms makes them that much more enjoyable. I use a mesh bag to carry morels and other mushrooms in, after you pick the mushroom, you want to make sure you help that mushroom spread its spores. So you can continue to harvest. The mesh allows the spores to be dropped and find a new place to grow.

[clovisc]

I love mushroom hunting, and Southeast Alaska is a great place to find them. This weekend found an abundance of golden, black, and winter chanterelles; hedgehogs; tons of chicken of the woods; and a couple butter foot boletes. Duxelles for dinner.

I would love to see Spyderco do a mushroom knife. Small, gently curving blade with H1 or similar, brush on the end, maybe a carabiner type clip, and an Assist-style whistle for when you get inevitably lost by wandering off the trail looking at the ground.

Really don't see any high end mushroom knives out there. The Opinel is about the best it gets.

[remnar]

I love mushroom hunting, and Southeast Alaska is a great place to find them. This weekend found an abundance of golden, black, and winter chanterelles; hedgehogs; tons of chicken of the woods; and a couple butter foot boletes. Duxelles for dinner.

I would love to see Spyderco do a mushroom knife. Small, gently curving blade with H1 or similar, brush on the end, maybe a carabiner type clip, and an Assist-style whistle for when you get inevitably lost by wandering off the trail looking at the ground.

Really don't see any high end mushroom knives out there. The Opinel is about the best it gets.

I'd love to see some pics of those mushrooms. :D :spyder:

[SolidState]

Here in the Pacific Northwest, we can grow oysters pretty easily on hay bales. You can inoculate the bales with arrows dipped in store-bought oyster mushrooms for their spores. It makes springtime "mushroom hunting" fun and easy. I used to do this at the farmstead I was living on. During spring months, we'd get about a pound a week off of 3 bales.

[SpyderEdgeForever]

Very nice. The mushroom stirfry sounds nice.

By the way good to see you SolidState.

I have a mushroom question in regards to safety. I have read horror stories, some possibly real, about people who have gone out yardworking and hiking in certain areas of the world and breathed in fungi and mushroom spores that were parasitic, and actually began to grow inside their lungs and such. Is that a dangerous possibility and how would one avoid such a thing, aside from wearing a tight breath mask and not going into such areas? Are there medicines that can internally kill off the spores without horrible surgery?

http://www.merckmanuals.com/home/infect ... ergillosis
"

•A ball of fungus fibers, blood clots, and white blood cells may form in the lungs or sinuses.




•People may have no symptoms or may cough up blood or have a fever, chest pain, and difficulty breathing.




•If fungi spread to the liver or kidneys, these organs may malfunction.




•Diagnosis usually involves an x-ray or computed tomography and, if possible, culture of a sample of infected material.




•Antifungal drugs are used, and sometimes surgery is needed to remove the fungi.




Aspergilli are very common in the environment—indoors and out—and frequently occur in compost heaps, air vents, and airborne dust. These fungi are thus unavoidable.



Usually, aspergillosis is caused by inhaling Aspergillus spores. Most people inhale these spores every day without being affected. But if the immune system is weak, infection is more likely—because aspergillosis is an opportunistic fungal infection (one that takes advantage of a weakened immune system). The immune system may be weakened by disorders that affect the immune system (including some hereditary disorders), by cancer, or by drugs such as corticosteroids (if high doses are taken for a long time), cancer chemotherapy, or drugs used to prevent an organ transplant from being rejected."

MAN THAT IS SICK! I guess that is one reason why people rightly avoid blackened mold after floods and such.

Here is a man who died after inhaling fungal spores from compost:
https://www.theguardian.com/science/200 ... alresearch

" Gardeners should take extra care when handling old bags of compost after a man died from kidney failure after inhaling poisonous fungal spores, doctors have warned.

The 47-year-old welder from Buckinghamshire, who has not been named, died in intensive care a week after being engulfed by "clouds of dust" when he opened bags of rotting plant material that had been left to fester, in a case reported in the Lancet."

Is this a good reason for one not to compost, regardless of the benefits of composting, or, just a warning to take precautions and do so with care, like with many other areas and activities in life?

[clovisc]

That is definitely a huge risk when mushroom hunting, especially with chanterelles, boletes, and Boletus edulis in particular. If you see any of these dangerous fungi, please notify your local mushroom enthusiast so they can dispose of them properly. I am willing to personally appear to dispose of all such dangerous spore-breeders found in the Ketchikan region.

[remnar]

That is definitely a huge risk when mushroom hunting, especially with chanterelles, boletes, and Boletus edulis in particular. If you see any of these dangerous fungi, please notify your local mushroom enthusiast so they can dispose of them properly. I am willing to personally appear to dispose of all such dangerous spore-breeders found in the Ketchikan region.

Lol! Don't forget about the matsutake, morels, cauliflower mushrooms, chicken of the woods and so many others that might pose a risk. I'd be willing to volunteer my services to help dispose of any of these hazards found in the Washington area. Please drop my a PM if you spot any in the wild. For the safety concerns of others and yourself, be sure to stay clear of the area and don't tell anyone else about their location.

Glad I can help. :D