Good mushroom conditions

Dave · October 05, 2015, 12:23:34 PM

Finally had a little rain over the past week and the mushrooms are popping out!
Went to check several different dead oaks within walking distance of the house and found about 20 lbs of maitake/hen-of-the-woods at the first tree. 20 lbs is only two mushrooms
Here's one - probably 18" diameter.

I'm holding one upside down.

These were incredibly tender. Another two or three days and I think they'd be too old.
Went back out a day later and found the orange Chicken-of-the-woods, and a few smaller 'hens.'

Then came across another big hen. Dumped the others I found and stuffed the nice one in the shopping bag.

And lastly, here's a pic of a nice deer trail I found - this pic is actually under a highway along a small stream.

slagmaker · October 05, 2015, 12:47:05 PM

Oh man! Look at all that good eating!

I have searched my local woods and never have found fall mushrooms. Bit about 4 mile away a friend and I found a huge yellow chicken of the woods. It went real well with squirrel.

FinsnFur · October 05, 2015, 09:28:49 PM

Good gahd as many times as we have covered this, it still scares me.

Dave · October 06, 2015, 07:15:20 AM

Quote from: FinsnFur on October 05, 2015, 09:28:49 PM
Good gahd as many times as we have covered this, it still scares me.

Haha - these would become as obvious to you as a morel. And i'd be very nervous finding and cooking morels!

Carolina Coyote · October 08, 2015, 06:30:21 AM

I love Mushrooms and wish I knew which ones are safe to eat, They are popping up every where since all the rain we had last week, but don't know if they are safe to eat?

pitw · October 08, 2015, 10:19:39 AM

Quote from: Carolina Coyote on October 08, 2015, 06:30:21 AM
I love Mushrooms and wish I knew which ones are safe to eat, They are popping up every where since all the rain we had last week, but don't know if they are safe to eat?

Try some of each Carl and then don't eat the ones you don't like again.

FinsnFur · October 08, 2015, 09:34:22 PM

Dont do it Carl

Carolina Coyote · October 09, 2015, 07:46:28 AM

HAHA Barry, I can send some up to you to try but I think I will pass on your recommendation.

slagmaker · October 09, 2015, 08:13:18 AM

You can always feed the questionable ones to a hog. If he eats them and survives you know your good

Carolina Coyote · October 11, 2015, 06:31:26 AM

Well I did not know how to test them and I don't have any Hogs to try it out so I will just have to find someone that knows to help me out.

pitw · October 11, 2015, 09:50:49 AM

Quote from: Carolina Coyote on October 11, 2015, 06:31:26 AM
Well I did not know how to test them and I don't have any Hogs to try it out so I will just have to find someone that knows to help me out.

Don't you got questionable neighbors? So many ways to handle this with favorable outcomes. Send a box to your favorite frog.

slagmaker · October 11, 2015, 10:13:04 AM

Quote from: pitw on October 11, 2015, 09:50:49 AM
Quote from: Carolina Coyote on October 11, 2015, 06:31:26 AM
Well I did not know how to test them and I don't have any Hogs to try it out so I will just have to find someone that knows to help me out.

Don't you got questionable neighbors? So many ways to handle this with favorable outcomes. Send a box to your favorite frog.

Or your favorite 3 initial hunter.

Carolina Coyote · October 12, 2015, 07:57:05 AM

Now those are some pretty good recommendation's, actually this weekend I was doing a little research on Mushrooms and there is a guy that is one of the leading experts on Mushrooms that lives about 10 to 12 miles from me, he had a commercial business raising Mushroom's, has written several books, and does research on them. He gives tours to his farm, gives lectures and field trips to identify eatable wild mushrooms, so I may check him out.
He has a web site ( mushroommountain.com)

Dave · October 12, 2015, 03:51:09 PM

Just checked out mushroommountain, Carl - sounds like it's worth the trip there. For $15 you get to 'tour the farm.' And with not too many people in the tour groups I'd bet you could find out all sorts of local edible mushrooms. With all the rain down your way I'm sure there's plenty. Keep us updated.

Carolina Coyote · October 13, 2015, 07:29:30 AM

I do plan to visit this place in the near future and should be an interesting trip, yes with all the rain Mushrooms popping up everywhere but I am afraid to try them without knowing for sure which are safe so it will be worth a trip to see what he has to say.

Okanagan · October 13, 2015, 11:09:35 AM

Yep, Mushroom Mountain sounds like the way to learn about which mushrooms to pick. Wish I could sit in with you.

During our elk hunt in Sept. there were lots of chanterelle mushrooms in the woods. I wasn't sure enough and we were too busy with chasing elk, but on the last morning before I started packing elk, I ran into a fellow who was picking them. He confirmed what they were and I scrambled up an embankment to gather half a dozen for him from a steep place. He was recovering from a recent surgery he said so I volunteered to pick the ones in a hard place to reach. Maybe he just knew how to manipulate me.

Dave, you guys get enough mushrooms to really feast on them! And what a concentration of deer tracks! We don't see that many tracks in a whole season of hunting blacktails in our area, maybe two seasons worth of tracks!