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CathyA
5-4-11, 8:47pm
Tonight at dinner, DH said "I think there's morels growing in the circle". What??????
We've lived here for almost 30 years and never saw one on our 33 acres.
It looks just like one, but we're sure not going to test it until we're 100% sure. I think I'll take one in to our ag extension guy and see what he thinks.
Here's a pic of it:
http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f129/Catherine50/IMG_7692.jpg
http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f129/Catherine50/IMG_7693.jpg

What do you morel experts think? I'm thinking we probably have been cutting them with the mower, not letting them grow. Now that the yard's been too wet to cut for so long, they're popping up. They are under 2 tulip trees. I didn't even know they liked tulip trees. This will be really wild if they are morels.......its not more than 30' from our door.

SiouzQ.
5-4-11, 9:25pm
Sure looks like it to me but of course get an expert opinion! I can't wait until Monday (my next day off) to go out to my secret spot! If I do find some, I will buy a big steak, baking potato and fresh asparagus to go with my fried onions and morels ~ a big yum!

CathyA
5-4-11, 9:28pm
I've never tasted them. Do you have to soak them to get bugs out first? Do you just saute them? I didn't know they were hollow. I guess I was thinking they were solid like truffles.

iris lily
5-4-11, 9:41pm
I would be very careful if I were you, don't eat them without getting positive ID. Send them to me! ha ha

Seriously, they look like morels. What a SCORE!!!!!!!

kib
5-4-11, 11:56pm
The pictures I've seen of morels, they look more ... ridged? Like there are raised lines and the rest is sunken in. I would definitely take them to the Ag expert first, but if they are morels, how awesome!

mattj
5-5-11, 12:05am
I'm hungry now, and jealous. Butter in the pan with a little salt and garlic. Take them out when they've almost wilted and enjoy.

mattj
5-5-11, 12:18am
Here's some info on false morels and how to tell the difference. We found some of the good, okay, one of the good ones a couple of years ago and split it three ways. We all remember it fondly... so good. http://www.thegreatmorel.com/falsemorel.html

Gina
5-5-11, 12:42am
I am only seeing one image, but it does not look like a true morel to me. True morels have more obviously open 'pores'. Do an image search to see what I mean.

Judging by other images, it looks more like a false morel to me. These are reported to be poisonous to some individuals. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Verpa_bohemica

As others have said, please have it checked out by a competent mycologist before tasting!!!!

iris lily
5-5-11, 12:51am
...As others have said, please have it checked out by a competent mycologist before tasting!!!!

DH has done mushroom ID as part of his days in the plant pathology lab, plus he took a year of mycology from one of the U.S.' foremost mycologists, Dr. Lois Tiffany. Oh yeah, baby, we've got the expertise in this house. Send them to us!!!!!

Gina
5-5-11, 2:36am
I've also done mushroom taxonomy and taken mycology classes as a grad student. Although mushroom ID usually requires more than just looking at photographs, those don't look right to me. At least not right enough to take the chance on eating.

Morels have largish, open pores such as in the image below. The fungi in the original post do not appear to have similar pores, but it's hard to tell from the photos.

As they say, better safe than sorry. Of course you could send them to Iris Lily to eat and if she never replies, you'll know. ;)

http://lastoneeating.files.wordpress.com/2010/05/morel1.jpg

CathyA
5-5-11, 6:21am
Thanks everyone.
Trust me........I would never eat them without being 100% sure.
You're right Gina......they don't have those really deep ridges. The surface is all convoluted, but not like the picture you posted.
LOL.....okay.....let's let Iris Lily be the canary in the mine. :~) rrrrr

If they are the false ones, does it hurt to come in contact with them, with my bare hands?

kib
5-5-11, 10:10am
Everything you always wanted to know: http://thegreatmorel.com/falsemorel.html

Yes, the edible ones are hollow. And it doesn't look like touching the false ones with bare hands is a problem.

CathyA
5-6-11, 1:11pm
They're morels!! I took them into the Ag agent today.....who does alot of mushroom hunting....and he immediately said they were morels. He's had them come up in weird places in his yard this spring too.
YAY!

Gina
5-6-11, 3:54pm
I'm glad you took them in. Let us know how they taste. ;)

Out of curiousity, did he slice one in half length-wise? If you decide to harvest them, could you do that and post a picture of the cross-section?

Thanks. :)

CathyA
5-6-11, 4:11pm
Are you thinking maybe he got it wrong Gina? I'll take a pic of one cut in half for you. Are there other signs you go by?
Here's hoping he's right!! He's been the Purdue Ag extension here for many years, so hopefully he has correct info.
Unfortunately, something has eaten several of them in the yard already.
If you never hear from me again..........

mattj
5-6-11, 6:35pm
I've read before that one of the common causes of mushroom poisioning is from immigrants who have very similar looking ones that are fine wherever they came from but the similar ones here are toxic. Made sense to me, and it certainly doesn't account for all causes.

RoseFI
5-6-11, 6:59pm
We've got some too! First time in the 8 years I've had the place -- could it be the radioactive fallout from Japan? rrrrr

Let us know how it goes with yours -- I've got the sample and am going to try to find an expert tomorrow at the farmers market here...

CathyA
5-6-11, 7:20pm
LOL rozie.......radioactive fallout from Japan. :0!
I wondered why these glowed in the dark!

DH doesn't want to try them. He's afraid they'll kill us. I think I'll just try a little bit at a time, wait and see if I go blind. :sick: If not....I'll try a little more. :~)

I've heard you should soak them in salt water a while to draw out any bugs.

I don't mean to make light of poisonous mushrooms. I would never try these if I weren't totally sure they weren't poisonous. That's why I took them to the ag agent.

Did you get a ton of rain this spring? Were your temps fairly cool? The ag agent said that it doesn't mean we'll necessarily get them again next year, but I hope so!

Mrs-M
5-6-11, 9:01pm
The problem with mushrooms is, the vast number of poisonous lookalikes.

JaneV2.0
5-6-11, 11:32pm
This is beginning to remind me of Alice in Wonderland. Or Grace Slick...

"Morel? Are you sure? I think amanita second opinion..."!pow!

CathyA
5-7-11, 7:34am
LOL.....finally..........an appropriate use of that icon.......whatever it is! hahaha