Morels!! One of the most exciting traditional foods in the world!

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It's almost time! I went out last Thursday west of Minnetonka but it was too

early so I went

Friday south of Cannon Falls where it was getting closer to time. I got skunked

both days

but other hunters are already having success. One thing that has really changed

though is

the amount of buckbrush and prickly ash in the fields so you MUST wear

protective gear.

Gloves, hunting pants and something like a jean jacket to cover your arms. Use

herbal tick

spray especially if you are in a Lyme area. Carry a good pocket knife to cut

them at the

base.

There's a great article in today's Strib about an avid hunter who scored 154

nice ones one

day last week. He was hunting around Burnsville. I'd recommend going south of

town early

next week and work your way north as the next two weeks progress. These tasty

morsels

are a joy to hunt, a joy to eat and hunting them gets you out into the woods.

If you go here's what to look for:

1) Search around the base of dead elms

2) They like the banks of hills with southern exposure

3) If you find one, there's usually many more around. They are truly magical

forest deva

spirits and can hide from you, tease you, or jump up right in front of you!

You'll see!

4) Nothing poisonous looks even remotely like a morel. BUT don't ever put

unknown

mushrooms in your collecting bag. Some are so toxic they will poison your morels

on

contact

5) If you can't identify it 100% don't pick it

6) Almost all shelf mushrooms are non-toxic and may be picked safely. I did see

lots of

them last week.

7) Never put morels in a plastic bag, they will decay and get mucky. Use a

cloth mesh bag.

This also dribbles spores as you walk, seeding the area for future picking

8) Be sure you have permission to hunt, or go on public parkland.

9) Try to avoid areas that might be sprayed with herbicide

10) For cooking, we like to saute them in butter with salt and pepper. You can

also put

them into a food dehydrator and keep them for year-round use.

The coops have morels in stock now but be prepared to pay $30/lb.

Will, a fun-gi