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Anyone here do any foraging? (1 Viewer)

E-Z Glider

Footballguy
Got into hunting for Morels last spring and found about 5-6 of them in the woods behind our house. My wife loves it, it's like a giant treasure hunt. Not surprisingly, there's a huge Facebook group of weirdo's that do this stuff. Went out for a few hours on Saturday morning, but no luck. Primarily searching for three things in my area right now.

  1. Morel mushrooms - easily identifiable, earthy flavored.
  2. Ramps - a type of feral garlic/onion/leek.
  3. Fiddleheads - freshly sprouted Ostrich fern shoots.
These next few weeks should be prime season in the mid-Atlantic region. Anyone else doing any foraging? 

 
Just got back from a week of morel hunting and fishing in Oklahoma. Pretty tough going on public land. Methheads down there hunt them for a quick cash in. 

Got a few wild asparagus spots. Also gather pecans.  

 
Got into hunting for Morels last spring and found about 5-6 of them in the woods behind our house. My wife loves it, it's like a giant treasure hunt. Not surprisingly, there's a huge Facebook group of weirdo's that do this stuff. Went out for a few hours on Saturday morning, but no luck. Primarily searching for three things in my area right now.

  1. Morel mushrooms - easily identifiable, earthy flavored.
  2. Ramps - a type of feral garlic/onion/leek.
  3. Fiddleheads - freshly sprouted Ostrich fern shoots.
These next few weeks should be prime season in the mid-Atlantic region. Anyone else doing any foraging? 




 
Dan Lambskin maybe on the morels - MI is great for them.  

 
 Are these the mushrooms that grow on fallen oak trees? My next-door neighbors secretly do this every year and have their hidden spots.

Last year I believe they made over $500 selling these things to local restaurants.

 
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 I does the mushrooms that grow on fallen oak trees? My next-door neighbors  ecretly do this every year and have their hidden spots.

Last year I believe they made over $500 selling these things to local restaurants.
There are no absolutes when searching for morels. They say they grow on dying (but not dead) roots of certain trees. Around here, Poplars, Apple and some Pine are common trees to find them near. They're also typically found on south facing slopes and they tend to pop up when the soil temps are close to 60 degrees.

People are extremely secretive about their spots, and you're right, there's real money to made if you find a spot that produces. I like to eat them, but its more about the hunt and wondering around the woods in spring when EVERYTHING is sprouting up. 

 
In the late summer if I see a plumb or apple tree hanging over a fence or in a park dropping it's fruit that it's clear no one is tending I'll stop and load up.  

Wild black berries grow like weeds around here.  Boggles my mind when I see someone paying for them in the store.

Never took the time with the mushrooms to make sure I wouldn't get the wrong ones and poison myself.

Have enough of everything else in the garden.

 
In the late summer if I see a plumb or apple tree hanging over a fence or in a park dropping it's fruit that it's clear no one is tending I'll stop and load up.  
This is called stealing, not foraging.  :bye:

Never took the time with the mushrooms to make sure I wouldn't get the wrong ones and poison myself.
Take a look at the picture I posted above of a morel mushroom. They are VERY distinct and you will not find anything else that looks like them (at least on the east coast, anyway).

 
This is called stealing, not foraging.  :bye:

Take a look at the picture I posted above of a morel mushroom. They are VERY distinct and you will not find anything else that looks like them (at least on the east coast, anyway).
Not stealing if they are going to waste, there are plenty around that no one tends to on public land if you know where to look.

West coast.  Haven't been foraging for them but I have 4-5 different kinds on my property (none look like that) and I've always wondered if they were edible.   

 
Got into hunting for Morels last spring and found about 5-6 of them in the woods behind our house. My wife loves it, it's like a giant treasure hunt. Not surprisingly, there's a huge Facebook group of weirdo's that do this stuff. Went out for a few hours on Saturday morning, but no luck. Primarily searching for three things in my area right now.

  1. Morel mushrooms - easily identifiable, earthy flavored.
  2. Ramps - a type of feral garlic/onion/leek.
  3. Fiddleheads - freshly sprouted Ostrich fern shoots.
These next few weeks should be prime season in the mid-Atlantic region. Anyone else doing any foraging? 
so you decided to be a bum.

 
Morels are great.  Have lots of land to hunt in the Fall so always go find morels in the Spring.  So good.  This year's crop was a little weak because it was dry until a few weeks ago...  

 
Not stealing if they are going to waste, there are plenty around that no one tends to on public land if you know where to look.

West coast.  Haven't been foraging for them but I have 4-5 different kinds on my property (none look like that) and I've always wondered if they were edible.   
If you know of an abandoned apple orchard on public land, it should be a morel goldmine at the right time of year.

If you do ever find one that looks like a morel and are curious, cut it in half lengthwise. The real morel will be hollow in the stem and cap. The false morel will be solid.

 
I take the lazy way out and buy them from the store.  Wegmans had both ramps and fiddleheads this week.  Expensive as hell but delicious.  Made a really nice curried fingerling potato and ramp side dish this past weekend.
:thumbup:  Im going to have to look for some ramps at Wegmans. These are the most difficult for me to find and Im really curious to try them.

 
:thumbup:  Im going to have to look for some ramps at Wegmans. These are the most difficult for me to find and Im really curious to try them.
My local Wegmans usually only has them for 3-4 weeks this time of year.  I've actually never seen the fiddleheads there before until last week.  Our local farmers markets will carry them this time of year as well if you're lucky.  I can't recall having seen morels there though.

 
My local Wegmans usually only has them for 3-4 weeks this time of year.  I've actually never seen the fiddleheads there before until last week.  Our local farmers markets will carry them this time of year as well if you're lucky.  I can't recall having seen morels there though.
I assume ostrich ferns can be farmed, but they only grow once a year (naturally anyway). Not sure if ramps can be farmed, but I was told they take like 7-8 years to reach maturity.

I think it would be rare to find morels in the store since they cant be farmed. Like I mentioned earlier, there's a group of Morel hunters on FB and right now its loaded with people looking to buy. I think most people who search for profit have a licensed supplier they sell to or else have a license themselves and sell directly to restaurants.

 
If you know of an abandoned apple orchard on public land, it should be a morel goldmine at the right time of year.

If you do ever find one that looks like a morel and are curious, cut it in half lengthwise. The real morel will be hollow in the stem and cap. The false morel will be solid.
Did you just go from telling us that nothing else looks like a morel to telling us how to tell the difference between a real and false morel?

I think I'll pass. I enjoy my insides non-poisoned.

 
the other day i was out for a walk and i found a hubcap from what looks like an early 80s toyota it was a pretty sweet forage take that to the bank bromigos 

 
Did you just go from telling us that nothing else looks like a morel to telling us how to tell the difference between a real and false morel?

I think I'll pass. I enjoy my insides non-poisoned.
I said there is nothing else that looks like it on the East Coast. 

 
Ah yes, the deadly, salmon-fleshed lung fungi. 

Delicious.
Chicken of the Woods is succulent with a mild flavor. It has a fibrous texture similar to chicken and can be used as a substitute in almost any meal.

Just harvested my chicken. Haven't decided exactly what to do with it yet, but hoping to sneak it into dinner tonight. I'll try a small sample before feeding it to the family. They say chickens growing on a Eucalyptus or Conifer tree can potentially cause nausea, vomiting and swelling of the lips, but I found this one on an Oak, so Im pretty certain it will be OK.  :thumbup:    

 
Spotted this cool looking specimen while on a walk this weekend. Turns out its a Amanita Muscaria (aka Fly Ageric). Noted for its hallucinogenic properties and used by many cultures as an intoxicant. It's technically classified as poisonous, but human deaths from ingestion are extremely rare. In addition to being featured in Alice in Wonderland, its also widely believed to be the intoxicant used by the Berserkers (champion Norse warriors said to have fought in a trance-like fury, a characteristic which later gave rise to the English work "berserk".)

I havent tried it..... yet.

 
Spotted this cool looking specimen while on a walk this weekend. Turns out its a Amanita Muscaria (aka Fly Ageric). Noted for its hallucinogenic properties and used by many cultures as an intoxicant. It's technically classified as poisonous, but human deaths from ingestion are extremely rare. In addition to being featured in Alice in Wonderland, its also widely believed to be the intoxicant used by the Berserkers (champion Norse warriors said to have fought in a trance-like fury, a characteristic which later gave rise to the English work "berserk".)

I havent tried it..... yet.
Let me know how that goes.  :wub:

 
Spotted this cool looking specimen while on a walk this weekend. Turns out its a Amanita Muscaria (aka Fly Ageric). Noted for its hallucinogenic properties and used by many cultures as an intoxicant. It's technically classified as poisonous, but human deaths from ingestion are extremely rare. In addition to being featured in Alice in Wonderland, its also widely believed to be the intoxicant used by the Berserkers (champion Norse warriors said to have fought in a trance-like fury, a characteristic which later gave rise to the English work "berserk".)

I havent tried it..... yet.
Yeah, I wouldn't recommend it.

Cool topic. I have some botany background and here are some California plants/fungi that I have collected and/or ingested at one time or another:

Plants

Miner's lettuce (Claytonia parviflora) - young leaves are tender and edible in salads

black elderberry (Sambucus mexicana) - had a pie made from the berries one time; the berries are kind of seedy and you need lots of sugar

California bay laurel (Umbellularia californica)- very aromatic leaves can be used in marinara or other red sauces; similar to Mediterranean bay (Laurus nobilis) but more strongly flavored

California blackberry (Rubus ursinus) - grows almost like a weed along streams throughout California; berries are tasty

blue ##### (yeah, i know :snicker:) (Dichelostemma capitatum) - the small bulbs are starchy and kind of like a flavorless potato; they can be eaten raw or fried; the Native American California tribes collected them as an important supplemental food source

various gooseberries (have prickly berried) and currants (small, smooth berries) - Ribes spp. - grow commonly in chaparral throughout California

wild grape (Vitis californica) - tiny sour grapes that I've tasted but wouldn't want to eat in large quantities

bigberry manzanita (Arctostaphylos glauca) - berries are dry but sometimes tasty, kind of like a dried out fruit roll-up

California wild rose (Rosa californica) - the rose hips can be chewed or made into tea and supposedly have one of the highest concentrations of Vitamin C occuring in nature

common water cress (Nasturtium officinale) - grows like a weed along shallow streams but young leaves are edible in salads

wild mint (Mentha spp.) - introduced from Europe during the settling of California but commonly found in shady wet places and along streams

beaver tail (or prickly pear) cactus (Opuntia basilaris) fruits

single leaf pinyon pine (Pinus monophylla) seeds/nuts

chickweed (Stellaria media) - another European introduction that can be used in salads

Fungi

bearded tooth/lion's mane (Hericium erinaceus) - a friend and I found one growing on the side of a rotted log years ago; it was past it's prime but we harvested some and we each tried a small sliver of it because we weren't exactly sure it was safe; we later found they are supposed to be choice edibility when fresh

giant puffball mushroom (Calvatia gigantea) - I found a couple softball sized ones a few years ago and made homemade pizzas with them; delicious

and of course... golden chanterelles (Cantharellus californicus) - about one of the best wild edible things provided you can find them; I haven't been able to find any spots yet; they grow mainly along the Coast live oaks (Quercus agrifolia) and can command upwards of $30/lb; a friend of mine at work found a stash years ago (several pounds) and gave me a few big ones; sauteed them up and they were incredible

 
Yeah, I wouldn't recommend it.

Cool topic. I have some botany background and here are some California plants/fungi that I have collected and/or ingested at one time or another:

Plants

Miner's lettuce (Claytonia parviflora) - young leaves are tender and edible in salads

black elderberry (Sambucus mexicana) - had a pie made from the berries one time; the berries are kind of seedy and you need lots of sugar

California bay laurel (Umbellularia californica)- very aromatic leaves can be used in marinara or other red sauces; similar to Mediterranean bay (Laurus nobilis) but more strongly flavored

California blackberry (Rubus ursinus) - grows almost like a weed along streams throughout California; berries are tasty

blue ##### (yeah, i know :snicker:) (Dichelostemma capitatum) - the small bulbs are starchy and kind of like a flavorless potato; they can be eaten raw or fried; the Native American California tribes collected them as an important supplemental food source

various gooseberries (have prickly berried) and currants (small, smooth berries) - Ribes spp. - grow commonly in chaparral throughout California

wild grape (Vitis californica) - tiny sour grapes that I've tasted but wouldn't want to eat in large quantities

bigberry manzanita (Arctostaphylos glauca) - berries are dry but sometimes tasty, kind of like a dried out fruit roll-up

California wild rose (Rosa californica) - the rose hips can be chewed or made into tea and supposedly have one of the highest concentrations of Vitamin C occuring in nature

common water cress (Nasturtium officinale) - grows like a weed along shallow streams but young leaves are edible in salads

wild mint (Mentha spp.) - introduced from Europe during the settling of California but commonly found in shady wet places and along streams

beaver tail (or prickly pear) cactus (Opuntia basilaris) fruits

single leaf pinyon pine (Pinus monophylla) seeds/nuts

chickweed (Stellaria media) - another European introduction that can be used in salads

Fungi

bearded tooth/lion's mane (Hericium erinaceus) - a friend and I found one growing on the side of a rotted log years ago; it was past it's prime but we harvested some and we each tried a small sliver of it because we weren't exactly sure it was safe; we later found they are supposed to be choice edibility when fresh

giant puffball mushroom (Calvatia gigantea) - I found a couple softball sized ones a few years ago and made homemade pizzas with them; delicious

and of course... golden chanterelles (Cantharellus californicus) - about one of the best wild edible things provided you can find them; I haven't been able to find any spots yet; they grow mainly along the Coast live oaks (Quercus agrifolia) and can command upwards of $30/lb; a friend of mine at work found a stash years ago (several pounds) and gave me a few big ones; sauteed them up and they were incredible
Look at Bear Grylls over here.

 

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