Early season morel sightings

[NoWiser]

There was a second crop 4 or 5 years ago that very few knew about. It was as good, if not better than the first in my area (southwest metro). We had a similar weather pattern as this spring, only a few weeks later, and there was good picking right into the first couple weeks of June. I'm hoping for the same this year, although from what I've been finding the last couple days, I think its just going to blend into one great, looooong season rather than two seperate ones.

[NELS-BELLS]

I have been following this thread as well as one on another popular morel HSOforum and I have yet to read of anyone that has found any around the St. Cloud area. As heavily populated as St. Cloud is, you would think someone would have found some.

I have been searching a lot around St. Cloud this year and have yet to find one. What gives? Just not the right conditions or what? Very frustrating.

Nels

[leech~~]

Nels, there are a lot of Oak's around there. Stay out of the Oaks and look for Elm or Popple. But, it maybe getting a little late around there by now.

[shedaddict]

Have any of you guys found morels up in Canada? I'm heading up for a fishing trip next week and plan to spend a little time looking for sheds and possibly mushrooms. I found one black morel a long time ago walking along a trail to another lake, but back then, never thought to look for more.

[leech~~]

Have any of you guys found morels up in Canada? I'm heading up for a fishing trip next week and plan to spend a little time looking for sheds and possibly mushrooms. I found one black morel a long time ago walking along a trail to another lake, but back then, never thought to look for more.

There was some big Schroom guy at the Sportmans show one year talking about schrooming. He said that there was some fire up in Canada one here and they went up there in the spring and picked more then they had ever before. So, not sure if you can find any burn areas but it seemed to work for him.

Good luck!

[Matt Breuer]

I have read on another forum many postings from Ontario of people doing very well up north.

[NoWiser]

Nels Bells, get out and look this weekend if you have time! Its going to be perfect with all this rain we have had. Spend as much time looking up (for dead elms) as looking down for mushrooms. They should be out, found TONS last night in the metro area, and they were monsters.

[shedaddict]

leech, that's funny that you mention that. I was doing some research and found a guy talking about looking at burn areas. I found a listing last night of all the fires in Ontario last year, but none of them were close to the lake we're fishing at. I'm still going to plan on looking though. Thanks for the input.

[icehousebob]

My youngest son works for a lawn service and yesterday he found a hatful of yellows on a lawn. They were fresh growth, not old ones, so maybe the second crop is starting. Time for me to walk the woods again.

[flipper]

Last night after supper my wife and I went out picking. We managed to find a few nice ones but should have gone a couple days sooner. I saw some that were, in my opinion, too far gone. They were huge, 10 to 12 inches tall and 4 to 5 inches in diameter. I have never seen them that big.

[hugonian1]

Went out this afternoon on my north metro property.

Looked in all the spots that have produced in the past. Nothing

Tried a couple of areas i had never looked and low and behold found 41

Mostly nice yellows with a few grey's mixed in.

[leech~~]

Last night after supper my wife and I went out picking. We managed to find a few nice ones but should have gone a couple days sooner. I saw some that were, in my opinion, too far gone. They were huge, 10 to 12 inches tall and 4 to 5 inches in diameter. I have never seen them that big.

I went back to one of my spots for one last look and there where a few that were hugh but not very good looking. I think when they are just about done they must blow up like that?

[harvey lee]

I check one of my better spots yesterday wirth nothing to show for it.

With the bugs as bad as they are in the woods, my season is done.

I had a pretty good year.

[south_metro_fish]

I stoped at a park with my girl friend on Fri and walked in to the woods by a lake and walked up to the first dead elm by the lake and found 9 nice fresh big yellows. I didnt find any more in that park but I went out to my spot on Sat morning and found a bunch more nice fresh ones and some old ones. I bet I found at least 5 pounds. The bugs are getting in to the shrooms though my bag was crawling. I didnt find any in spot I had found them in earlyer they were all new spots. I am going to try and get out one more time before they dry out with this heat and wind if im not already too late.

[Matt Breuer]

Picked on Sunday around Bemidji for the last time. Found a few that were still wet, but most spotted were all dried up and beginning to crumble. Out of 70-80 my son and I found, only 20 were pickable. Last night I ate what must've been my 9th meal of morels and by 11pm was broken out in all-out hives. Thinking I consumed too many this spring and have acquired an allergy to the fungus... anyone else experience this?

[flipper]

That is a bummer Matt. My mother use to just love morels but can't even look at them now without getting sick. A lot of things about this fungus are still a mystery to us mortal. I hope it is not a permanent thing for you.

[leech~~]

Maybe you aren't cooking them well enough to kill all the icky things?

[DLoutdoors]

Picked on Sunday around Bemidji for the last time. Found a few that were still wet, but most spotted were all dried up and beginning to crumble. Out of 70-80 my son and I found, only 20 were pickable. Last night I ate what must've been my 9th meal of morels and by 11pm was broken out in all-out hives. Thinking I consumed too many this spring and have acquired an allergy to the fungus... anyone else experience this?

"Acquired immune fungal allergy" is what the doc. said I had developed!

I ate them by the bucketloads for about 5 years. First reaction was about 4 years in, each time after the reaction got worse: The last time I ate the things I thought it was over for me: Still pick them, but now I give them away.

Be careful next year, you may want to start out with a small meal.

[Jameson]

Yep, I won't eat Morels anymore either. Three years ago I started getting a temp and throwing up shortly after eating Morels. I did not want to give them up, and tried a few things to still be able to eat them, but same results every time. I can still have a frozen pizza with shrooms on it, but no Morels. It sucks!! It is still fun to pick them, and now my friends enjoy more of them.

[Careyd]

How late in the summer do morels grow? That you can still eat, or to late, have never looked before. To much work at school.

[GoldeneyeHunter]

They are done for the year. They grow when daytime temps are no higher than 70 degrees and night temps are no lower than 40s usually early may or late april.

[TonkaBass]

The morels are done now...

[Matt Breuer]

A board I visit has people still finding yellows that are semi-wet. It's more time to move on to chantrelle's and oysters now though. I'm going to find some hen or chicken of the woods this year, want to try some out.

The temp. and fever is more what I found in researching allergies or reactions to morels. Tony, was yours hives? Puking? I've also read that you can't consume wine with morels, and some people any alcohol, even beer, will cause a bad reaction. I don't drink, so that wasn't the case, and all of my morels are cooked to death, trust me, they were not under-cooked.

The hives lasted on-and-off for about 4-5 days. The first night they were horrid, everywhere, itched like mad. The following days they would just pop up at random and disappear an hour later. It was hell, I was nervous. You think it just took that long to get out of me, or was it a coincidence? I'll have to try another meal to find out I guess...