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Morel Hunting in Minnesota (Episode of a Show)


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At the PBS station I work at in Minnesota, there is a locally produced show called Common Ground. It focuses on local art, nature, events in northern Minnesota. When I started, I suggested doing an episode on foraging for mushrooms. There is an annual mushroom dinner in our area and I thought it would be interesting for the reasons obvious to anyone who is on this forum. I was informed that they already had an episode on just that. The focus is on Morel mushrooms but includes other mushrooms too if I remember right.

Check it out at the URL below... you could also watch it on Roku or AppleTV, using the PBS app. Hopefully this will help some of us in frozen areas to get through the winter without being able to forage.

video.lptv.org/video/2365542195/

Also a YouTube link:

 

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The Black Morel habitat in Minnesota is much different than the rare spots where I find these here in NE PA. After over 20 years of locally searching, I have found only 5 spots with Black Morels. 4 of the 5 feature live tulip poplar (not a true poplar) and/or white ash. The other spot is a rainfall runoff area near apple trees. The ones in the video look like the same species that I find. I believe DNA-based studies have confirmed this. 

I find Verpa conica uncommonly, but usually after the yellow morels have started. 

 

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  • 3 weeks later...

Very nice video, thanks for sharing. There's a lot to be said for small public stations, far sooner watch this then CSI lol.

 As Dave mentioned ,not the black habitat he's familiar with, I'm guessing the aspen associated black morel habitat is more of a boreal/sub boreal local.

When describing the relation of morel/tree habitat; I wish it would be more defined as aspen vs. poplar. I know poplar is a common name but I noticed big toothed aspen were mentioned in the video. Here, in Ontario, aspen are a go to for blacks. Which aspen are more likely to produce morels  I'm not sure. I've found both blacks and yellows associated with aspen. The cut over, in the video, was interesting. I've never searched an area like that but have had success after a burn and old blow downs.

 I also noticed verpas were deemed inedible. Although I haven't seen one in years (not sure if I've eaten them) I always grouped them along semilibera as edible but not great.

 Dave, perhaps you can add some insight on whether verpas are edible or not.

 

 

 

 

 

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Verpa bohemica is generally listed as mildly toxic, with an array of potential symptoms reported. The species is, at best, uncommon in my area. Most years I find a few V. conica, generally around the time the Yellow Morels are out. Favorite habitat seems to be old apple orchards. When these grow to a large size, wrinkles develop on the caps and they resemble V. bohemica. In 1996 I ate a small portion of V. conica and suffered no adverse affects. My notes say that it tasted "okay." 

Reports of "morel habitat" vary greatly as per region. This seems to be particularly true of the Black Morels found east of the Rockies. Although studies have confirmed the idea that all eastern blacks represent the same species (Morchella angusticeps), a host of different tree types are reported, and in some cases the mushrooms may be fruiting from a fungus that isn't associated with a particular tree. I find Black Morels in Pennsylvania and New Jersey mostly in mature Tulip Poplar and/or White Ash woods. Open areas with southern aspect are prone to warm up quickly. Black Morels seem to respond to a period of sustained warmth (like maybe a week or so) mid-to-late April. Of course, rain in needed. The biggest problem seems to be when a few warm days are followed by rain, and then freezing temperatures. This scenario seems to shut down the Black Morels. I have never found eastern Black Morels in a burn site. (The western NA blacks are not M. angusticeps.) I have also found Black Morels near apple trees. Another habitat for blacks is rocky areas. Rocks heat up in the sun, retain the warmth at night, and foster moisture retention. I have often found blacks poking out from underneath/alongside a rock. 

I agree that distinguishing among the various true poplars would be helpful to morel hunters in many places. Also, referring to Tulip Poplar by its full name --as opposed to simply "poplar"-- would be good. (Actually, "Tulip Poplar" is not a true poplar. It belongs in the magnolia family.) Before I finally found areas with Black Morels, I had spent a fair amount of time looking for them in areas dominated by aspens --"poplars"-- and areas with conifers. (Field guides directed me as such.) I have never found a single Black Morel growing in possible association with any type of aspen or conifer. But these types habitat apparently work in some other areas. 

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Thanks, Dave for the rapid and informative response. I also have found blacks, near southern exposed rock outcrops, never thought of it at the time but warmth is certainly a valid reasoning. Although probably ninety percent of the blacks I've run across were aspen associated I have found them in a straight up cedar stand, the only decidouos trees close by being black walnut and box elder. Good to know on the verpas; my books say edible with caution. As posted, on an earlier thread, I have found blacks that fruited post burn but were in a previously known fruiting location.

 As well (Dufferinshroomer can back me up) I used to frequent a pine plantation that had a hearty fruiting of yellows. Posted some pics years back. Probably on the old site.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Ya I have helped Rob pick pine plantation yellows. Strangest thing ever. The pines had snuffed out all vegetation so that the forest floor had zero weeds - just a bed of pine needles with big honkin morels sticking up. You could spot them from about 40 yards away.

Rob, it is the quaking aspen you want for morels and especially for honey mushrooms and pleurotus populinus. Big tooth aspen will support leccinums and cinnabar chants but not much else that is tasty. It is pretty tough to tell the 2 aspens apart before they leaf out in the spring.

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