what is dry land fish(morels)

Dry land fish is an edible mushroom that grows from April to mid May. They're found just about all over the world that i know of. they grow about up to 3 to maybe 9 inches at most and look like a sponge.

Step 1 Materials

netted bag(like the bags oranges come in)the NETTED BAG is important you'll see why coming up

walking stick(big stick)

that's all you need if you're not going to hunt for to long, if so have a botteled water itsa lot of walking.

Comments

[Eirinn]

According to the "Food for Free" minibook i have by Richard Mabey:

Mushrooms are unable to create Chlorophyl and thus cannot create its own carbohydrates. This is why they have to leech them from dead or live plants. this is why you're finding many around Mayapples, rotting logs and in rich moist soil.

"The deep pitting of the Club-shaped heads is the feature that differentiates true morel species from the false morels".

However your explanation is much more in depth.

[atombomb1945]

I have always wanted to try these.  They aren't poisonous but if you are going to go hunting for them, it is best to take someone who has been doing this for a while so they can verify that you are getting the real thing.  Also, I like the idea about the netted bag, everyone I have seen who hunts for these use old plastic bags. 

I know that most people who know where these grow keep the locations a secret due to their rareness. 

[thepelton]

Mushrooms put in plastic bags tend to get slimy. Also, if you use a net bag, the spores can fall out on the way back to the car to ensure that there is another crop the following year.

[caitlinsdad]

Are any of these of a poisonous variety?  Wild mushroom picking scares me a bit if you are not 100% sure in identifying what it is.

[Tool Using Animal]

The nice thing about morels is that they are very distinctive, there are a couple of poisonous (false morels) but they barely resemble a morel and even you could easily learn to differentiate them ;-).  I'd pick these when I'd find them spring bird hunting up north.

[DIY-Guy]

WAIT! There are false morels that are ALMOST IDENTICAL until one cuts them open to look for a single continuous hollow chamber vs a hollow stem with a long and overhanging cap which is not hollow. The whorls and "brain" patterns look the same on the outside. Very dangerous to not distinguish.

Legal Disclaimer: For your own safety I will not give specific advice. But for your own safety you must do your own thoughrough research. Try googling for a site that compares the real morels with the toxic false ones.

BTW- in some countries they claim that cooking or boiling a toxic variety will remove the toxins but it's not true! (Google that one too if you feel the need to try "cooking out the poison." It just won't work.)

[thepelton]

The only rule of thumb when hunting wild mushrooms is that there is NO rule of thumb. You have to learn how to recognize each edible species one at a time, because there are a number of different toxins in the poisonous varieties that react to things like silver objects in a different way. As I said before in another comment, go out at least once with an expert before dashing out into the forest alone.

[thepelton]

The best way I know, and how I learned to discern the edible morels from the gyromitras was to go out with someone who knew what they both looked like, and follow their lead. Morchellas have distinct pits in the outer skin, and are hollow like a light bulb. Gyromitras are more convoluted than pitted, with flesh all through the center. In Colorado, Morchella grow on north facing slopes, in mixed pine and aspen, in the spring, and are often accompanied by the calypso slipper orchid.

[winnerceramics]

could you provide some pictures of false morels compared to true morels? A picture is worth a thousand words.

[Kiteman]

This would be much improved if you included pictures of you actually hunting and finding morel (instead of googled images), and including at least one recipe.

Plus, as Caitlinsdad says, you should refer to any possible mix-ups with toxic varieties, and how to avoid them.

[Jobar007]

You can tell the difference due to true morel's being hollow. Split it down the middle length-ways and it should be hollow the whole mushroom through. If not, it's a false morel. But, the wild mushroom rule still applies: when in doubt, don't eat it! Don't come to me when you have been poisoned because it's your own fault for eating something you weren't sure of.

Morels and false morels grow in groups. It's not a good determiner of if it is poisonous or not. Stick with the above and once again, do not eat it if you are even 1% unsure.

Harvey, here in the Pacific Northwest, morels are rare. Check a forest the year after a wild fire for morels. It seems to trigger them to sprout here. Also check old apple orchards with land owner permission. The above instructable seems to be geared for mid-west USA forests. My grandparents' forest looks just like that.

[HarveyH44]

I grew up in Oregon, on the side of Mt. Hood, and can tell you these are very rare.  You are lucky if you find any at all.  Fortunately, we knew several other varieties of mushrooms to look for as well.  Some years, you find a dozen or so, but most of the time you come up empty.  If you have ever had them, you would keep your best places a secret as well (possibly why no personal photos).  They have a good flavor all their own, usually in a frying pan, with butter or bacon grease, is all that's needed.  Kind of a wasted, to do much else.

When considering hunting, you should consult more than one source, before consuming anything wild, cook thoroughly to avoid potential parasites (worms, in this case).

Could be wrong, so many mushrooms, and so long ago (mostly cow-pasture mushrooms in Florida), but the Morels are only found singularly, and not close to others.  The false ones are in groups or clumps.