mushrooms... science/fact/legend

[SwimSMU]

Anyone care to share any information on Morels that they know or think to be true..

i.e.

I think they seem to grow near standing dead elms shedding bark...

how about temps?

how about slopes? north facing, south facing... ???

ect?

There seems to be some things to look for when searching 'shrooms, but there also seems to be a bit of a mythical quality to them....

You don't have to give us your GPS coordinates or anything, but what do you look for when searching new spots?

[sieckanddestroy]

You are absolutely right that looking around dead Elms is the way to go, but I just found out that Ash trees can be just as good or even more productive. In my experience, Ash trees and those tasty grays seem to go hand in hand, while either type will grow around an elm, I don't know why this is but i'm not complaining! I have also had success in CRP fields (usually within 30 yards of the timber edges), if you have the patience to search in thick grass........as for slope, I was always under the impression that you won't find anything unless you are on a south slope, once again I was proven wrong as we were finding shrooms on any slope in our woods, in fact the spot where we found the most was a west facing slope. I guess in my eyes, moisture is more important than temperature in the spring. Obviously it needs to have some sustained relatively warm weather but if you don't have any humidity and a decent amount of precipitation in the spring....GOOD LUCK! These are just a few of the basics that I have learned and have had success with over the years! Good luck to everyone........

[SwimSMU]

Good info. I was unaware of the Ash trees.

Last night I picked about 30 within 20yds of my house!

How about picking and prep?

grab and go? cut 'em with a knife?

and how about the theory of shaking the "spores" in the area to stimulate growth in future years??

Those of you who aren't selling them... do you just soak in cold water? someone told me salt water??

[Franny]

I like to pick my big yellows late in the season under BIG walnut trees bigger the tree the bigger the shroom...As far as cookin them I soak them in salt water before I cook them just to kill any bugs that are in there..I cut my bases down at the sight of the pick,and what I cut off I break up into pieces thisa may or may not help but I do it anyway simply because for 3 yrs straight we were putting all our spores and cut offs in a spot in my dads back yard by a healthy and a dying elm tree and it didnt do ****.Out of the 70 some lbs so far this yr I only found maybe 2 lbs on south facing hills my best so far this yr has been east and north facing..South facing if you have very good covor and good undergrowth..But you will find that almost everyone has diferant spots and differant ways of doing it that works best for them..

[StickNString]

First year shrooming for me. Went out with on a buddys 40 yesterday and only found one. Found plenty of dead elm trees but couldn't find any shrooms. Lots more dead oaks than elms. Heading out on the river to check the islands on Friday with a buddy who has had good luck in the past out there. Hopefully we can get enough for a meal.

[Franny]

I think the biggest misconception is that people just getting into it is they run to the big elms with no bark on them that have been dead for a couple of yrs..Usually not the case they may carry a few yellows but your not gonna get the numbers you would from a tree that is just startin to die.. My 2 cents

[Pope n Young]

I think the biggest misconception is that people just getting into it is they run to the big elms with no bark on them that have been dead for a couple of yrs..Usually not the case they may carry a few yellows but your not gonna get the numbers you would from a tree that is just startin to die.. My 2 cents

I agree!