Any good (mushroom) finds lately?

[JP Z]

Welcome to the club Jim!

[NoWiser]

My interest in locating edibles got the best of me in the last few weeks! Although I haven't been successful in finding anythying other than Lobsters, it is still a great way to kill some time, and get out and have a good time in the woods! Still haven't found any chikens or hens, but I've been looking I think it has rained maybe once in the last few weeks which sucks, but regardless, I'm officially hooked!

Welcome to the addiction, Jim!! I'm not sure if you really know what you are getting yourself into yet or not. You will find yourself not being able to rest as long as you know there is a mushroom out there waiting to be picked!

One word of advice. When you start dreaming about mushrooms, it's best to just keep it to yourself. There are some things family and coworkers just don't understand, and there is no need to give them reasons to look at you even more funny than they already do.

[Stick in Mud]

Welcome to the club, Jim!!

I'll trade you a lobster spot for one of my chicken spots.

[NoWiser]

Stick, I'm not sure how far you are willing to drive, but I've got a great lobster spot you can have. PM me if you are interested!

[jerkin'm]

Yes.....welcome to the addiction....it can get really ugly....all of a sudden you can't think of anything but the possibility of loosing them..my wife thinks there is seriously something wrong with me....duh... Its really dry and the hens are suffering, go get em quick!!!

[Stick in Mud]

Wow, nice haul. I've been watching a few little cluckers, and you're right...they're not getting quite as big and they're not staying very good for very long. I'll be picking all of mine tomorrow.

I sure hope we get some rain soon....last year's fall pickin' wasn't that great for me. Lots of stunted ones. I know it's only anecdotal, but in my experience they don't seem to last quite as long, either.

The heat over the next week will probably try my patience, too. After a nice reprieve from the deer flies and skeeters over the last few weeks, they were both out more this morning than I've seen in a while. Plus, I actually have to go to work next week.

[Matt Breuer]

We found 11 nice hens yesterday. It was brutal hot out there, but well worth it! Basket = overfloweth...

[jerkin'm]

Got a few more this morning...a couple perfect specimens somehow with the dry woods...

[Stick in Mud]

I was out this afternoon and found my biggest hen of the year. I have no idea how much it weighed...maybe 25 lbs? Maybe more? You can see a large dent in the shroom where it had begun to grow around a fallen branch.

Sorry for the schweady photo, but it's a wee bit hot out there.

[Stick in Mud]

Can't forget about giant puffballs in August either!!

Just curious: Anyone been finding any big puffballs this year? I've found one lonely big one, but it was pea-soup-green inside.

[jerkin'm]

Nice find Stick! That's a monster for sure..I haven't seen any puffballs at all...

[pikestabber]

I found about 10 puffballs this year, but they would turn bad about a day after reaching softball size. I only was able to harvest a couple of them, and that was late July. Nothing since.

Even in these bone dry woods, the Chickens have been prime of late. I found about 20 lobsters last week that were all way too dry and over-the-hill. Freezer is not nearly full enough!

Nice hens, everyone! Will get out Saturday...hope I'm not too late.

[Stick in Mud]

I haven't found a prime chicken in a few trips. I've found TONS and TONS of past-prime ones, but in the woods I've walked, there haven't been any fresh fruitings in a long while.

[Stick in Mud]

Another sorry day in the Stick in Mud shoes. Put on a few miles after work, sweated out a few pounds, and found two past-prime hens and a few old chickens. The only bright spot at the time was what looked to be a rainstorm forming in the west...but it didn't happen, alas.

[Bobb-o]

Britt brought me home a barely past prime Chicken the other day and it was fantastic cooked with a little butter, cayenne, and basil. This is the first wild mushroom she has had besides morels, and I didnt have the heart to tell her it might not be good. But after it was cooked up, she devoured a lot of it and is on the lookout for more.

[Stick in Mud]

It sure was a nice walk in the woods today, and with the rain we got on Saturday night, the woods weren't bone dry for the first time in a month. Alas, I didn't have any luck today, though I did find two old hens and a few clumps of past-prime COW.

[Herky2002]

We found this big COTW north of the metro yesterday. Dee-lish!!!

[JP Z]

We've probably had 2" of rain in the last 24 hours here in the Brainerd Area. I think it may help with the Chickens and Hens hopefully.

[Stick in Mud]

The pickins were pretty slim up in the BWCA. I found a few chants, an old lobster, and some small puffballs. That's about it.

[Stick in Mud]

I hope I'm not the only one out in the woods...

Well, not that I'm finding a whole bunch. I did get almost a dehydrator full of oysters today in a short trip after work, but more or less it was more or less the same--old chickens and an old hen. I can't seem to find them consistently this year....it's either 20 or 30 pounds, or it's nothing.

I'm thinking of heading up Brainerd way this weekend to check out the areas that actually have water that falls out of the sky. It DID rain a little around St Cloud this morning, but not enough to make a dent in the very, very dry woods.

[Stick in Mud]

Are you guys getting out? I'm wondering if anyone else is finding stuff worth eating...apart from oysters, I've not found anything fresh for a little while.

I did get out today, and you might've guessed it....more oysters. They weren't quite prime so I left them to do their thing, whatever exactly that is.

[eyeguy 54]

I buy mine

[Stick in Mud]

Yeah, I wouldn't go walking in the woods either if I were you, what with those outfits you're known to wear.

[pushbutton]

Royce your missing out on a good gig ....well maybe not this year Yeah, with the lack of rain, actually having to work for a living, and being stocked up from last fall and this spring .....have not even bothered to venture out much. My traditional hen time is right about now and might put in the effort, but doubt i will since it has been soooo dry where we live.

[Stick in Mud]

Pushbutton! You live!

I was getting worried...after a few unreturned texts, I figured you'd given up the mushroom-hunting ghost.