Morel Mushrooms?

[usedcarguy]

View attachment 84536
Good to eat or not?

Those are commonly referred to as "half-frees," or "peckerheads." Some say not to eat them and that they'll make you sick, but I know a lot of people who do eat them (myself included) and don't have problems. Seems like I read somewhere that the key is to make sure they're thoroughly cooked.

 

[Clonefan94]

View attachment 84536
Good to eat or not?

Those are called half-free morels. I know that people do eat them. Personally, I don't, because they don't look exactly like what I know a morel is. I don't take chances with mushrooms.

Half-Free Morels

Chef Alan Bergo shares his thoughts on identifying half-free morels and differentiating them from Verpa bohemica and true morel mushrooms.

foragerchef.com

 

[Clonefan94]

What type of tree do they prefer to feed on? I see a lot of downed cedar and walnut which aren't good for anything microbial.

Elms certainly are the best, if you can find a dying one, with all the bark still intact, that is your best shot at hitting a lot of them. With Elms not being around much anymore, my go to trees are Cottonwood and Ash. Every once in a while I'll find them in a grove of maples.

 

[usedcarguy]

Exactly. Here is a visual:
View attachment 84548

The stem going to the top makes it not a morel, but not necessarily a false morel. False morels have a rounder shape and they don't have the comb appearance of a morel. These are false morels:

 

[oldman]

View attachment 84536
Good to eat or not?

That would be a NO in my book. Cap is not part of the stem -- that's a nono IMO.

 

[usedcarguy]

Edible per Missouri Department of Conservation:

Half-Free Morel

The half-free morel has a honeycombed cap with brownish black ridges and yellowish brown pits; the bottom half hangs free from the whitish stalk; it is completely hollow. April–May. The cap is conical, with honeycomb-like ridges and pits; the ridges are brownish black; the pits are yellowish...

nature.mdc.mo.gov

 

[oldman]

I know a guy that took his lab pup with him. Apparently the dog figured out what to look for after a bit, because he was going ahead of the owner and eating them.

 

[oldman]

Edible per Missouri Department of Conservation:

Half-Free Morel

The half-free morel has a honeycombed cap with brownish black ridges and yellowish brown pits; the bottom half hangs free from the whitish stalk; it is completely hollow. April–May. The cap is conical, with honeycomb-like ridges and pits; the ridges are brownish black; the pits are yellowish...

nature.mdc.mo.gov

I stand corrected -- still not trying.

 

[Macloney]

Edible per Missouri Department of Conservation:

Half-Free Morel

The half-free morel has a honeycombed cap with brownish black ridges and yellowish brown pits; the bottom half hangs free from the whitish stalk; it is completely hollow. April–May. The cap is conical, with honeycomb-like ridges and pits; the ridges are brownish black; the pits are yellowish...

nature.mdc.mo.gov

These are also people who advocate marrying their cousins, so...

 

[BWRhasnoAC]

I haven't seen any new growth fungus at all. Surprised to see them found in Polk City.

 

[tman24]

These are also people who advocate marrying their cousins, so...

but they do allow passenger drinkers....

 

[mkadl]

Bakers dozen, yellows, Missouri River bottom, Harrison County, spent 1 hour. Very uniform sizes most only half poking through the leaves. Two doubles, six singles, and a triple. No gardens today.

 

[Antihawk240]

Found a nice ballcap full in the timber this weekend. Jones County.

 

[DSMCy]

I have a couple acres of timber near Adel
Have been out there a couple times but haven’t found any
I’ve never been great at spotting them though either

 

[JEFF420]

going searching after my daughter's nap. southern michigan. we will see!

 

[Oldcr]

Been looking and have yet to find anything in central Iowa this season

 

[AltoonaFish]

Been looking and have yet to find anything in central Iowa this season

I’ve been find small grays in story county, but not more than a handful each time.

 

[VeloClone]

BIL apparently found about 20 in one spot last week. Didn't say where but he lives in Polk City.

 

[cyphoon]

Found about 3 dozen in Dallas county, but they were all along a spring that runs through my property. They always pop there first. I think because the spring buffers the temp of the surrounding soil.

I don't even bother looking anywhere else until I find them around my spring.

H

 

[enisthemenace]

Found 8 in my back yard on Saturday, and left a handful that I think have a chance to get larger with the coming weather. Have a small stream with mature trees toward the back of our property. SE Polk County.