# Morels



## Nick84

Anyone know if the Morels have popped in NW Ga yet its my first year trying to shroom.  Any info would be appreciated.


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## waddler

I posted on them in "Wild Edibles" thread but have gotten no response. There is a post on Facebook in the group "Mushroom Club of Georgia" that says they have been found in Athens.


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## NCHillbilly

It's getting time there. It'll be about two-three more weeks here in the mountains.


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## waddler

I have read about where to look, but no luck. Where do you find them and what other mushrooms are in the vicinity?


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## NCHillbilly

waddler said:


> I have read about where to look, but no luck. Where do you find them and what other mushrooms are in the vicinity?



Not trying to sound like a smart aleck, but you find them where you find them. The places I have found the most morels are around half-dead apple trees, hollers with lots of ash and tulip poplar trees, and in landscaped shady mulch beds, and just out in the woods with no real pattern. You'll find them in privet thickets down in the flatlands sometimes. But you may look in a hundred places that look just alike; 1 of them is full of morels, the other 99 have none. You just gotta burn some shoe leather and look everywhere. To make it even more fun, a place that is full one year may have none the next year, and some years they just don't come up at all if the weather isn't right.


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## blood on the ground

I have looked for them the past 2 springs here and haven't had any luck at all.


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## Fletch_W

I just bushwhacked through a bunch of privet and green briar bottoms with what I believe to be alot of Elm (won't know for sure until leaves on the trees, but the saplings had leaves, Elm leaves....), and found nothing. Large creek in Athens, public land, no taking of plants allowed, I didn't find any, I didn't take any, if you know what I mean.


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## lagrangedave

Morels ain't plants, just sayin'.


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## Fletch_W

waddler said:


> I posted on them in "Wild Edibles" thread but have gotten no response. There is a post on Facebook in the group "Mushroom Club of Georgia" that says they have been found in Athens.



The only thing I found regarding Athens on that page is one second-hand account, and the poster said they haven't found anything. 

That post was also hours after you posted this. 

What specific post on that page is reporting Athens finds? I read back to Feb and didn't see anything but what I referred to above.


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## waddler

Open facebook and go to the group "Mushroom Club of Georgia". There a poster from Marietta ,
Jack John Otis Richards is posting finds. 

Also:

http://www.morelmushroomhunting.net/report/current/mmhc_report_page1.html

Mar 26, 2015	 	
Name:	Joe P.
General Location:	Athens
International/State:	Georgia
Morels Found:	dozen - two teeny ones visible and left them.

I may have gotten these mixed up.


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## Fletch_W

Interesting page. I read back to last year and found another Athens report on March 30 2014, guy said it was the earliest he had found them in years. So maybe we are a little bit early. 

Habitat they describe are both exactly the kind of terrain I was looking today.


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## Nick84

yeah I walked around looking in creek bottoms with loamy soil keying in on the dead hardwoods no luck yet I am sure this dose of the 23 degree morning we had isn't helping things much either


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## Flaustin1

I just read a thing on FB from a guy that has found over 2000 this year.  His hometown is Hoschton but said he found them in N.G.


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## supernube

I'm in Athens and found what I think is a bunch of morels doing a neighborhood cleanup.  Anyone in the classic city willing to give me a 100% positive ID?


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## Fletch_W

Post a pic!!!


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## supernube

Here  it is


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## Nick84

yep


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## Nick84

fry that baby up !


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## Fletch_W

Nice!


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## supernube

Just cooked them up.  Delicious!


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## NCHillbilly

The mayapples and bloodroot are just beginning to push through the ground in the lowest elevations here, so it'll be about three more weeks. Usually in my neck of the woods, you find morels when the mayapples are fully up and the poplar trees are starting to grow little leaves-just about the time that the woods start looking green from a distance.


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## elmer_fudd

NCHillbilly said:


> The mayapples and bloodroot are just beginning to push through the ground in the lowest elevations here, so it'll be about three more weeks. Usually in my neck of the woods, you find morels when the mayapples are fully up and the poplar trees are starting to grow little leaves-just about the time that the woods start looking green from a distance.



That's encouraging.  I was thinking I may have missed the peak since I am not far from Athens.  I will keep looking.. I guess the secret to success is to pound a lot of ground.


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## Killdee

they dont seem to be as prevelant as further north I was turkey hunting in north Oklahoma years ago and they were plentiful and all the locals looked for them. They are wonderful.


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## NCHillbilly

Another thing to remember is that morels greatly prefer neutral or alkaline soil to acidic soil. Here in the mountains, I can usually make a good educated guess about where I'm more likely to find them by the types of wildflowers that are growing in the woods, often by which species of trillium is growing there.


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## TNGIRL

I found these and a dozen more just coming through the dirt. Just little girls right now!  They are under my old apple tree along a privet hedge......love my morels!!!!


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## Superposed

*Anybody ever find them in Middle GA?*

Im originally from "up north" and grew up finding them, go back home about every other spring and get to find some. But living in Middle GA now and just wondering if it's worth it to spend the time looking. Haven't noticed any May apples or other trilliums growing around here, and lots of clay soil. Anybody ever find any south of Atlanta????


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## Fletch_W

Mysterious Morels...

NCHillbilly says they like Neutral to Alkaline soil. 

TNGirl's photos show them growing with Violets. 

Violets like Acidic Soil. 

I guess the morel of the story (hee hee) is that these mushrooms are unpredictable.


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## weathermantrey

I found about 3lbs today near Clemson, SC. A mix of grey's and yellows. It seems they have just started to emerge over the last few days.


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## JustUs4All

A hunter on my place found a few small ones yesterday.  About 6 mi east of Thomson & 3 mi south of I-20.


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## NCHillbilly

Fletch_W said:


> Mysterious Morels...
> 
> NCHillbilly says they like Neutral to Alkaline soil.
> 
> TNGirl's photos show them growing with Violets.
> 
> Violets like Acidic Soil.
> 
> I guess the morel of the story (hee hee) is that these mushrooms are unpredictable.



Depends on the species of violet. Some only grow in acidic soil, some only grow in alkaline soil, and some grow everywhere. And yes, morels are certainly unpredictable. The most I ever found in one place was over half a black trash bag full, probably 10-15 lbs. of them. They were growing in the mulch under the porch of a condominium.


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## Flaustin1

Ok, that's it. . . . im hunting morels instead of turkeys Wednesday!


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## NCHillbilly

I found a few little tiny ones just starting to come up this weekend. About another week, and they should be going pretty good here.


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## Jeff Raines

Several people and myself have logged miles and miles thru the creek bottoms in Paulding County and no one has found a single morel.


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## Danny Leigh

Jeff Raines said:


> Several people and myself have logged miles and miles thru the creek bottoms in Paulding County and no one has found a single morel.



My backyard in Cobb was full of them last year, but it was the first time I had ever seen them... may also be the last.


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## Flaustin1

Well, im not a morel hunter.  Walked and walked yesterday and didn't find squat!


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## supernube

Volunteer to do a neighborhood cleanup; that's how I found mine.  The mushroom gods reward good karma.


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## NCHillbilly

Picked a few this morning. They're still small here, just starting, but I got enough for supper.


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## TNGIRL

I picked some today as well. Left the small ones to keep growing. What I don't eat for supper, I believe I will put in dehydrator for future use. I haven't had success freezing them, as they were to delicate, so we'll try this way!!!!
I cut them, to leave the roots and any spores in the lower stem. I will gently rinse them and save that water and pour back on the ground where they like to grow...that helps to keep the spores I rinsed off to grow next year(hopefully!)Check the mushroom inside stem also, sometimes little slugs or bugs might be there hiding...I always rinse them. I know it's a little extra protein but toooooo chewy for me!!!!
These are the most delicate mushrooms, they will fall apart with rough handling, so if you find them, be sure to have a bowl or basket to put them in, cut them don't try to put them up. Just a few tips I have discovered by being too rough in the past......they don't like rough treatment!
I might have let some grow a little longer, but they are in my mowing pathway....and I gotta mow when it stops raining...so they got got!!!!


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## KULL NUTHIN'

*Got em!*

Picked theses up today near watkinsville


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## Killdee

Superposed said:


> Im originally from "up north" and grew up finding them, go back home about every other spring and get to find some. But living in Middle GA now and just wondering if it's worth it to spend the time looking. Haven't noticed any May apples or other trilliums growing around here, and lots of clay soil. Anybody ever find any south of Atlanta????



I found a very few while turkey hunting the Piedmont NWR, Those are the only ones I have ever found in Georgia. A buddy brought me a good mess he picked in Fulton county near the Hooch.

Can Morels be cultivated? If so I would like to know how and try it.


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## Fletch_W

Killdee said:


> Can Morels be cultivated? If so I would like to know how and try it.



They can, but it takes a couple few years to get them going, based on alot I read yesterday on the subject on the Google Machine. 

There are plenty of people out there who will sell you kits that claim to make them in a year or less, but based on objective reading, that's not really true.


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## TNGIRL

Most of that bowl of morels are in my dehydrator...but one small bowl found it's way cut up, in a iron skillet being happy with butter, garlic, salt and pepper....they were fantastic!!!  But like I said earlier...always ck them inside and outside. The very last one I was cutting to cook was totally full of ants! they were dead but imagine the protein I'd have eaten if I hadn't cut it into!!!!


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## TNGIRL

I dried the majority of the morels I cut yesterday. What started out as 2 full trays after 9 hrs on very low drying ended up with 1 really full tray of goodness!!!!  They will be enjoyed very much in the future!!! so they dry excellent!!! I checked them frequently, they are not pliable, dried firm but not brittle...


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## deerhuntingdawg

JustUs4All said:


> A hunter on my place found a few small ones yesterday.  About 6 mi east of Thomson & 3 mi south of I-20.



Man, I'm gonna check the woods around here. I didn't know we had them!


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## JDBrown

I finally got to go turkey hunting on Good Friday, the birds would'nt cooperate, so on the way out I walked through the bottoms, looking for morels, they did'nt show either. I worked in the yard this past week and surprise, I found them growing in my yard up under the holly bushes, go figure.


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## TNGIRL

JDBrown said:


> I finally got to go turkey hunting on Good Friday, the birds would'nt cooperate, so on the way out I walked through the bottoms, looking for morels, they did'nt show either. I worked in the yard this past week and surprise, I found them growing in my yard up under the holly bushes, go figure.



now that you have found them in your yard.....keep them coming back! once you harvest them, the water that you rinse them off in (using  large bowl) pour back in the same areas...the spores will continue!


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## JDBrown

Thanks TN Girl, if I do harvest any, I'll do that. There are not many growing, so I'm thinking of leaving them alone (well most of em) to let them re-seed themselves.


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## Bone pile

TN Girl ,do you think there will be any t the Classic? Man I haven't ate any in a long while. The kind that grow down here will get ya lost in the woods
Bone pile


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## waddler

No Morels. But it was not a bad morning. Found a green jar of some kind, got a bunch of Greenbrier shoots and more of my Winecaps are coming up in the chip bed I made last year.


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## KyDawg

Morel are coming up like crazy here, got a bunch today, if I go back out tomorrow I will try to get some pcs.


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## waddler

Still no morels, BUT LOOK AT THIS.

Tell me what I got. Upland hardwood forest old growth, Bogart, Ga. At the foot of an Oak tree, not attached to stem. Tiny pores underneath, kinda running down to a sort of stem. Two of them. One about a foot in diameter, the other larger.


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## KyDawg

Never seen one of those. Looks kinda scary though.


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## waddler

All my Mushroom Identifiers say it is  Laetiporus Cincinnatus. Chicken Mushroom species.


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## TNGIRL

Bone pile said:


> TN Girl ,do you think there will be any t the Classic? Man I haven't ate any in a long while. The kind that grow down here will get ya lost in the woods
> Bone pile


I use to could count on Nathan Ripley to bring a sack full from NE TN...but doubt he's coming this year.....but I might wanna try your kind of mushroom!!! Are you coming up? so I can expect a hug from you purty soon????? 


waddler said:


> No Morels. But it was not a bad morning. Found a green jar of some kind, got a bunch of Greenbrier shoots and more of my Winecaps are coming up in the chip bed I made last year.





waddler said:


> Still no morels, BUT LOOK AT THIS.
> 
> Tell me what I got. Upland hardwood forest old growth, Bogart, Ga. At the foot of an Oak tree, not attached to stem. Tiny pores underneath, kinda running down to a sort of stem. Two of them. One about a foot in diameter, the other larger.


I have never had a winecap....where do they grow best?  tell me about this chip bed you made???!!    I heard those briars taste alot like asparagus.....but I never thought so much!!! cool old bottle!!!!!

NCHillbilly will know for sure but it does look like chicken of the woods to me but I have never gathered that, just the morels and chantrelles...but I would if I knew for sure!!!!


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## waddler

The Greenbrier Sprouts do not taste so much as asparagus, very crunchy and quite tasty when sauteed with bacon, olive oil etc. Having some tonight with baked Salmon. I have over a hundred acres I forage here at the house and I have sorta pruned the Briers so that they put out shoots low enough I can reach them easily. We (two people) eat a good bushel per year.

Looks like the mushroom is  Laetiporus Cincinnatus . Chicken Species. I got there late, but I got the site down for later in the year.

Winecaps are the most easily grown mushrooms. I have a chipper for small limbs and leaves. I made the beds in partial sunlight under Privet. Bought a sack of innoculated chips and put them in the beds. Voila!! That was the whole program. Gotta keep adding chips.


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## NCHillbilly

Yep, that looks like a Laetiporus cincinnatus, but a bit far gone to eat. I like those much better than the yellow-pored sulpher shelf type of chicken mushroom. I have never seen one in the spring, though-it's usually about August before they pop up here.

PS-I'm a fan of those greenbriar shoots, too.


Me, the wife, and the wiener dog hit the woods this morning looking for morels (trying to train the wienerdog to find shrooms like those frenchmen train the pigs to find truffles.  ) Got a pretty good mess, but still a few days early-most we found were still small and at the lower end of the hollers.


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## waddler

I gotta share this, it is just so crazy. Where I found the Laetiporus sp., there are several dead oaks standing. I wanted to inoculate them, so I asked on one of my Facebook pages, just how to do it. Well one of my trusted mushroom experts comes back and says "shoot 'em with a shotgun", and was serious. So I did. 

I cleared the duff and nestled good sized pieces of the mushroom up against the root collar, backed up a bit and blasted away. I did 10, so we will see what happens.


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## TNGIRL

waddler said:


> I gotta share this, it is just so crazy. Where I found the Laetiporus sp., there are several dead oaks standing. I wanted to inoculate them, so I asked on one of my Facebook pages, just how to do it. Well one of my trusted mushroom experts comes back and says "shoot 'em with a shotgun", and was serious. So I did.
> 
> I cleared the duff and nestled good sized pieces of the mushroom up against the root collar, backed up a bit and blasted away. I did 10, so we will see what happens.



will be interested to see how those shotgun mushrooms turn out! 
my Jeff likes the deer to eat those briar sprouts...he's the one that told me they taste like asparagus....I tried them but didn't quite think that. But cooked as you did sounds pretty good! I'd be willing for a second try if I could get enough of them. I wish I'd asked alot more questions and paid attention to the answers of my long dead elders in my family....I had an Aunt and a Mamaw that knew their P's & Q's in the woods with food. They had to, to survive a hundred years ago. But I was a youngun and not very interested in plants and roots at the time.....


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## Jake Allen

Smilax tendrials, (the greenbrair sprouts). I think they taste a lot like asparagus, (fresh asparagus that is, not the stuff from a can.  ). I ate a bait of them in South Georgia two weekends ago. I have a clear cut scouted where I hope to pick a mess soon if the deer don;t get them all before hand.  Mmmm, good.


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## waddler

I collected some Greenbrier shoots and decided to freeze them. I washed them good, cut into 1 inch lengths, placed them in zip bag, filled with water, squeezed all the air out and placed them in freezer. When I got a package out I saw that they all were discolored. Upon thawing they have this rose colored/orangish precipitate. A few of the shoots had reddish coloring which is not unusual, but not many. Has anyone encountered this before? 

See Pics.

Notice the redness on the tips.


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## NCHillbilly

It might be better to blanch them a couple minutes in boiling water before freezing them.


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## Jake Allen

NCHillbilly said:


> It might be better to blanch them a couple minutes in boiling water before freezing them.



I bet that would work.

I plan to dehydrate a batch, then vacuum seal them.


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## waddler

I am told on Facebook that the red compound is anthocyanin.


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## elmer_fudd

I had about given up on morels, but found some on a hike in north Ga this past weekend on a mountain ridge.  They were growing right on the trail.. which confirms the theory that they grow in disturbed soil.
Fried em up in butter, and I was amazed at how rich their flavor is!


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## GLS

While turkey hunting this a.m., I stumbled on a flush of cinnabar chants.  The golden cousins shouldn't be far behind.  Last year I found my first in June...


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