Other spring woods treasures

[south_metro_fish]

I go out looking for morals every year now and I was wondering if there is any other good shrooms or plants to look for in the spring. I know later in the year you can find oyster shells and puffballs. I am interested this year in finding some ginseng sometime. I don't even know where to start, I know there is some on our property though. I have heard its easiest to find in the fall when they have red berry's, but is it easy enough to find during other parts of the year?

[jerkin'm]

Can't help with the ginseng but the ramps are one of the first edibles to shoot up in the spring...add a few in with your sauteed morels.mmmm..

[DARK30]

I would love to find a good crop of wild asparagus. Tough to locate if you don't already know where its growing tho.

[south_metro_fish]

DARK30 After reading about wild asparagus it sounds like it is very similar to the garden variety and some times is the same. Do you think you could just start some asparagus and just let it go wild in a good location if you cant find any in a location. Just a thought because it sounds good and I haven't seen anything like that in are area.

The ramps sure sound good too, I love cooking with garlic and scallions. Do they have their own unique flavor of the other plants in that family.

[EYEYIEYE]

Asparagus is very hard to start. drive around and look in old farmsteads check old fence lines powerlines that have been around for many years. from the road Asparagus looks alot like sweet clover. check along side railroad tracks also.

[Juneau4]

Look for the mature aspargus plants in august and later then mark where they are and go back the following spring

[lovebigbluegills]

Great point Juneau...one thing to add to that post is make sure you find a BUNCH of spots. There's quite a few people that pick wild asparagus, and usually get after it pretty early. It's a bummer to show up at a hot spot to find it already picked.

[MOBY RICHARD*]

I would like to see some good pictures in the wild, of all these various other treats...

I don't want to pass any up, but I don't want a trip to the stomach pump either...

[Papa Grump]

Quote:

I would love to find a good crop of wild asparagus.

Kevin- I have asparagus growing in the home garden, give me a shout this spring and I can set you up with a few. I can save you some seeds later in the summer and you can get your own patch growing. It takes a couple of years, but it's worth it. When they start poppin' that tells me to start morel hunting

[deadeye]

Grandpa always had a eye out for it when we were driving around the farm. Always fun to find when you know what to look for. Lots of stops made on the way to go fishing to pick asparagus.

[DARK30]

Brian, I got the dirt to put it in

[south_metro_fish]

Well I didn't want to high jack the morel thread talking about ramps so I brought this thread back up. Jerkin'm, when I found them I found that the bigger the top the bigger the bulb. Do they grow fast because we might have found them a little early because most of the bulbs were not very big. Or is it a cumulative thing over the years that make them huge. We only found a couple with bulbs as big as the ones you found in your pic. What is your strategy for making sure there are some for next year. If anyone else knows anything be sure to chime in.

My dad talked about eating fiddle head furns the first tender shoots that come up. Any one else eat them?

[jerkin'm]

I personally am not crazy about the fiddleheads..As far as ramp bulb size, I think they need to be in the ground longer to get to that size..I also think they may be limited to smaller bulbs in certain areas. I know where I find them up by my cabin they NEVER have bulbs the size of the ones I found today...I picked about 5% of what I found today. I have read that you should leave some for regeneration but don't know how true that is...I have hit them hard on my personal property and they keep coming back full strength..

[south_metro_fish]

How does the potency and flavor change with the size of the bulb?

[jerkin'm]

Just got done eating some and they seemed slightly milder...

[MOBY RICHARD*]

Well I didn't want to high jack the morel thread talking about ramps so I brought this thread back up. Jerkin'm, when I found them I found that the bigger the top the bigger the bulb. Do they grow fast because we might have found them a little early because most of the bulbs were not very big. Or is it a cumulative thing over the years that make them huge. We only found a couple with bulbs as big as the ones you found in your pic. What is your strategy for making sure there are some for next year. If anyone else knows anything be sure to chime in.

My dad talked about eating fiddle head furns the first tender shoots that come up. Any one else eat them?

It's too late for the fiddleheads now except far North, but yes they are good...

I usually pick them right after a good cleansing rain, not this year...sautee in butter like asparagus, which they taste somewhat like only nuttier...