More Mushrooms! The Half-Free Morel.

Windy Morning Run.

Another Morel!

 While out running again,  we found a couple more of the white Morels along the river.  We were planning on hitting one of our summer spots to see if they had finally appeared  there.   Things were looking up!  It was windy, but about 62 degrees and sunny...  A great day for a Forest Walk mixed with a mushroom hunt. 

Half-Free Morel. (Morchella
punctipes.) 

Wind on the Lake.

As normal...these days, the forest was filled.   There were lots cars in the parking lot and we assumed at least a portion of them were also searching for Morels. 

Hollow stem, cap attached half way.

Cheryl is very Excited!

Cheryl was hardly 10 feet down the trail when she spotted this one:  A Half-Free Morel.(Morchella punctipes) Not to be confused with the "false Morel" or any of the Verpa  species. (specifically:
Verpa bohemica)    The stem is attached to the top of the cap... Unlike the half-free Morel where the stem is attached... you guessed it,  Half-way up under the stem.

Verpa Conica, Stem not hollow.

Verpa conica,  The Thimble
Top Mushroom.

Also,  the stem of the Half-free Morel is totally hollow.   As luck would have it, we managed to find a Verpa conica  (Thimble top mushroom.) on our way out of the woods.   I wanted to show the difference side by side.    It is funny that Cheryl and I knew he difference right away.  I guess time and experience in the field actually makes you a little more skilled.

challenging to find. 

Side By Side: Half-free &
Thimble Top

But we still learn new things every day.   I know that the Half-Free Morel was edible... though perhaps not as "robust" in either flavor or texture... But I did NOT know that they are, in fact, TRUE morels!   (Hence the Name: Morchella.)

If you can find these, you are in good
shape to find the big ones.

long step, small cap, poking out of
leaves.

  And I have read that they are best if dehydrated and powdered to mix in recipes, soups, or gravies.  I doubt we will bother with such a small batch as this, but it is good to know for the future.  I imagine that once we get a few more...hopefully the larger White or Yellow Morels,   we will make another Mushroom Tart for the Half-Frees included.

Otherwise,  A few things I wanted to include in the post yesterday, but it was so long... I may as well add them to this one.

A few flowers....  The forest is exploding with color now.  Lots of Dandelions and  flowering trees are popping up and out.  I wanted to get a few of the smaller flowers before they are lost in the mix.

Non-Graceful Diving Osprey.

A Wildlife sighting!  Another snake, though this one is not as colorful as the Milk Snake we found several days ago.    I also wanted to mention.. at least somewhere on the blog, that we saw the Osprey again.  This time, he dove into the water and pulled out a fish.

Non-Graceful Floating Osprey.

 They are NOT as graceful as the Bald Eagles are at fishing.  He hits the water like a diving duck!  I first thought it was a pelican... then a goose...  and finally, as he pulled himself out of the water, we could clearly see his markings.   Did I have my camera handy?  Of course NOT!  It happened so quickly, I never had time.

Beware of the Horseradish. 

Best eaten fresh and warm.

And I figured I would mention Cheryl's Potato and bacon tart.  It had horseradish in the recipe, so I ate most of it. ( Cheryl is not a big horseradish fan....  come to find out.)  It was good and filling,  and I would definitely have it again... if we are not having the Mushroom or Broccoli tarts instead.

Morchella Vs Verpa...Half Side View

Verpa Conica is smooth,
Verpa Bohemica has similar
ridges on the cap.

.What fun Mushroom Hunting and Identification is!   Knowing the difference between the Morchella puncipes and he Verpa bohemica just by sight is something worth bragging about.   And it is one of those trivial bits of knowledge  that   you can impress ( or irritate) your friends at parties... Or total strangers.. Or, in my case.... I don't get invited to parties anymore...  so I'm living proof that it works.  Good thing I don't geek out about fish anymore....

Thanks for stopping in.