Outdoor living
Nothing gets many people excited this time of year like the thought of finding mushrooms. Its an addiction like none other.
We are entering the time when fishing gets it's best, turkey hunting is on the horizon and the black morels and red beefsteak mushrooms are starting to pop.
Veteran mushroom hunters have started to find some of the beefsteaks recently and we usually find the first black morels around the 27th of this month. Bob Harper, Butler, found a mess of the reds last week around Stockton Lake.
A lot of people aren't familar with the black morels and pass them up while waiting for the larger golden morels to start popping next month. This could be a big mistake because the blacks are excellent table fare although they are harder to see in the shadows in the woods in late March.
Mushroom hunters like Jack Williams, Kansas City, said, " I had heard about the black morels, but I had never looked for them until a friend brought me a couple dozen several years ago and I tried them. Ever since them, I am out there looking for them in late March. I guess I hadn't started mushroom hunting earlier enough to really find the blacks, but not anymore." Those tasty morels are the most popular of all the wild mushrooms, and for good reason. They taste like sirloin steak, but there are no calories, they are the easiest to identify and the safest to pick. Hunting them can be a healthy, natural and great family activity. Its kind of like a treasure hunt and you don't need special equipment to hunt them and no license is needed to hunt them, or at least not yet.
The late Larry Lonik, known as the "mushroom man," once told me that to enjoy the morels long after spring has passed, is to preserve them by dehydeating, freezing or canning them, but the best way witht he least chance of spoliage is drying them.
The morels can be dried by one of several methods including using a dehydrator. Be sure you keep them dry. After they are completely dry, put them in a paper bag and keep them in a dry place and they will last for years. To use, put them in cool water for a couple of hours and cook them just like you fresh ones. Don't throw the colored water away because it makes good gravy and stock.
Just last week we had the last of last year's morels and they were excellent.
Should you be real lucky, you might find a friend that likes to hunt morels, but is afraid to eat them. I found such a person several years ago.
George wanted to go looking for morels with me, so I took him along and showed him where the morels might be hiding. We got into them and he filled a mesh bag with those golden morels. The best news came as we arrived home. He handed me the bag of morels saying, " I don't think I want any." I didn't hesitate and grabbed the treasures he had found. Of course, after that time I always checked to see if he wanted to go mushroom hunting with me.
Those kind of friends are hard to find.
Meanwhile several signs that its nearing mushroom time includes the white bass run up streams has started, the yellow daffodils are at their peak and turkey gobblers are starting to sound off. Its a great time of year for the outdoorsman.