OFF THE BEATEN PATH.

 The mushroom hunting is in full swing.  Morels can be found in many different habitats, and sometimes in places where you wouldn't expect them to be anywhere around. Good places to look are around oaks, ash trees, elm trees, poplar groves, apple orchards and the edges of fields and power lines. Look for the "old forest" areas to hunt in, this is prime 'shroom country.

Susie ventured off the beaten path and found a hotspot for the mushrooms this spring.  Wednesday evening she picked 5 lbs.



 Beau rolled in on Thursday and the two of them picked another 5 lbs.  They took me to their patch and we pick another 2 lbs. between the three of us not too shabby.

So where do all those mushrooms come from?

The spores from the fungus drop from the "holes" in the cap, other mushrooms have gills under the cap. After these microscopic spores have dropped mycelium begins to grow under the ground in the first inch or two of dirt mainly on wood chip/decomposing wood and it needs high humidity and a good temperature. Most mushroooms need a temp of 79-82 degrees F but with morels it is believed it is 50-75 degrees due to them coming out in early spring. After the mycelium has colonized 100% of the substrate it's growing on/in it will begin to create fruit bodys from the mycelium and the mushroom itself actually grow in about 3-10 days depending on size, conditions, weather, moisture, whole list of variables. The mycelium needs a few things to grow the right temp, right decomposing wood, right moisture content, high humidity, and shade.