Garden

[Allegheny]

I haven't, but my dad did and now brother does.  Today he is out looking for the elusive morel.  Now my interest is peaked.  Morels are so easy to identify there is little worry about picking a poisonous one.  And if one likes mushroom, they are delicious.  I have heard that when people find a good location for morels they keep it a guarded secret.

[Snowpuppy]

Hunting for Morels here in Northern MI is a thing. So much so that there's a festival dedicated to them, how to locate them,  etc.

Ina raves about them and I know they're pricey at the grocers but easy pass for me as I don't like mushrooms.

[blackhole99]

You better know what you're doing when you go out picking wild mushrooms, just a few that are poisonous will kill you. My Polish uncle used to forage for wild mushrooms and no one ever got sick, but I would never take a chance on them. I'll stick to the ones from the store.

[Allegheny]

@blackhole99

My Polish grandparents also picked mushrooms, strung them and dryed them in the attic for winter.  My dad primarly stuck with morel and sheep's head.

The only mushroom I would trust myself to pick would be the morel and sheep's head.

Now retired I have tossed around the idea of joining a mushroom foraging group even if it just for socialization and exercise.

[ValuSkr]

I haven't but it's an interesting topic.  I'd want to be well-educated before consuming any that I "wild-caught."   Where do they hunt for them?  Public lands, like parks and forests?

[Allegheny]

@ValuSkr 

Public lands, yes.  Private properties with permission.   Different mushrooms have different habitats and seasons.  Where I live morels are only around between mid April to mid May; in apple orchards, along creek beds; around certain types of other trees; burned out areas.  I was thinking of purchasing the spores and trying to grow my own.  May be a project for next year so I can gather more info and prepare a suitable area.

[Dusty1]

My grandfather always hunted the morels & would freeze them. It was a big deal at family Christmas every year to have fried mushrooms. 

Every spring I find a couple in my mulch bed, but I have never found any in our woods.

[JustJazzmom]

I just want to say that you better know your mushrooms very well because eating the wrong one could damage your liver so severely you would need a liver transplant or you could die from the toxins.

I remember reading a story a long time ago of a family where the father or grandfather brought back mushrooms for the ‘Sunday Sauce’ & the majority of the family ended in the hospital needing liver transplants or near death. Only one person was fine because they didn’t like mushrooms.

[goldensrbest]

Fresh mushrooms ,are nothing like those store bought ones, my dad ,and in laws use to go into the woods in southern Indiana,and pick them,let me tell you they are Delicious.